The full cast for Neil Simon’s Tony Award-winning comedy The Odd Couple, has been announced by producer John Frost for Crossroads Live. The play is set to open Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre from May and Theatre Royal Sydney from June. New tickets go on sale this week due to popular demand.
Joining Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenney, who play Oscar and Felix, will be stage and screen stars Lucy Durack and Penny McNamee as Cecily Pigeon and Gwendolyn Pigeon, the giggly pair of English sisters who live upstairs from Oscar. Lucy and Penny played alongside each other in the original Australian cast of the Broadway blockbuster musical Wicked.
The poker loving friends of Oscar will be played by John Batchelor, Laurence Coy, Jamie Oxenbould and Anthony Taufa.
The Odd Couple will be directed by Mark Kilmurry, the Artistic Director of the Ensemble Theatre in Sydney where he has previously directed The Odd Couple and other Neil Simon classics.
“I’m thrilled we have such a stellar cast to join Shane Jacobson and Todd McKenney in The Odd Couple. What a coup that Lucy Durack and Penny McNamee are available to join the cast, and that the esteemed director Mark Kilmurry will be pulling the strings,” said John Frost. “I know audiences are going to fall back in love with The Odd Couple all over again. This classic laugh-a-minute play by the master of comedy Neil Simon is sure to have audiences rolling in the aisles.”
The Odd Couple debuted on Broadway in March 1965, enjoying a successful run of 16 months. Helmed by director Mike Nichols, the play featured Walter Matthau in the role of Oscar Madison and Art Carney as Felix Ungar, earning accolades such as Tony Awards for Best Script, Best Actor (Walter Matthau), Best Direction of a Play, and Best Scenic Design, with a nomination for Best Play.
Since its initial staging, Neil Simon’s Tony Award-winning masterpiece, delving into themes of friendship, divorce, and miscommunication, has been adapted for both the silver and small screens numerous times. In 1968, it was immortalized in film with Jack Lemmon portraying Felix alongside Matthau. Subsequently, in 1970, a television adaptation emerged with Tony Randall embodying Felix and Jack Klugman as Oscar.
Melbourne Season Details
Venue: Comedy Theatre
Season: From 18 May
More information and tickets here.
