If you haven’t ventured to Covington’s Carnegie Center for a show at the Otto M. Budig Theatre, you’re overlooking a pleasant evening’s entertainment. Having missed the opening of The Odd Couple a week earlier, I watched Neil Simon’s classic comedy with a very respectable crowd that filled the theater’s downstairs seating.
I talked to the fellow next to me who hadn’t been to the Carnegie before, but was prompted by a savvy Groupon offer from the Carnegie and enticed by the Tony Award-winning 1965 play that ran on Broadway for three years and inspired a hit film and TV series.
From the opening lines, it’s easy to like The Odd Couple, especially with the poker buddies who provide context for the “couple.” The guys we meet in Oscar’s nicely detailed mess of an apartment (scenic design by Ron Shaw) at their regular Friday night game are a kind of hilarious Greek chorus. Actors Don Volpenheim, Reggie Willis, Brandon Wentz and Mike Sherman give each man amusing traits that make him real.
The Odd Couple continues at the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center through Sunday. Go here to read Rick Pender's full review.