Odd Couple Review
 

Just saw it last night, first night of previews. Sarah Jessica was there, as was John Kerry. The show was really a lot of fun. Of course the story we all know and the jokes we all know, but it was a great trip down memory lane with two of the funniest in the business. I have always thought of Broderick as a 'one trick pony', but what the heck, he's the right horse for the part. Lane was fabulous. His timing is just right on the money. Brad Garrett was a delight, with my only complaint being that he was not on stage enough. Terrific set and supporting cast. If you can get a ticket, this is well worth the bucks. And if you can't, stop by for a t-shirt or poster. They make great gifts and all the proceeds go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids. There is a rumor of signed posters at Christmas time, but I couldn't confirm that 100%.

Thanks for the review Bugswife1, I will be in NYC Oct 25-30th & unfortunatly cannot get tickets to this show so it is great to hear from someone who has been althought it does make me feel slightly jealous!!

Thanks for the review! We can hardly wait to see it :D

Thanks for making those of us who don't have a snowball's chance in Hell of seeing it feel bad! LOL

Seriously, thanks for the report. I think the Odd Couple remains one of Neil Simon's best scripts. It is always so funny and these are two great people to be playing the roles.

We have tickets, can't wait!!

To those that don't have tickets, go to EBAY, you can bid on tickets there. Some are expensive but, some aren't.

My problem is getting to New York while it's running -- not just getting a ticket.

I'd be leary of buying a ticket on Ebay that "isn't expensive" as it means the seller must be stupid.

There were a lot of people on a stand-by line when I got there at 7 pm. Don't know if they got in or not. I also heard that Brad Garret is being groomed to take over Nathan Lane's role after he leaves, so my guess is that this could be running for quite a while. Maybe they will do a Producer's thing. Leave for 8 months and then come back for another limited run. I have 3 more sets of tickets (never get just one set for previews--have to see what they change later on), and another set for late January. I am sorry for those who are missing it. Maybe we should post a Fridays Do Not Miss thread along with the Rants & Raves. I am sure a lot of people will miss this simply because they didn't know about it. So, telling you now--get tickets for Sweeney Todd with Patti Lupone. That will be to die for (no pun intended).

Brad Garret as Oscar Madison -- hey, that could be very good. He oozes being a natural slob.

Ooops. Thought you were talking about me and Mrs. Kal.
<ahem> Carry on!

Did I happen to mention that I am excited?!? :D

I haven't been this excited since I saw Yul Brenner in the "King and I" and Patti LuPone in "Evita".

I 2nd the suggestion to go to ebay for tix - I have been trying for a week now and finally won them yesterday, I got (2) center orchestra seats for $340 - not that bad of a price considering the talent! I can't wait to go - my tix are for Decemeber! Good Luck everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Until I read your comments, bugswife, I wasn't terribly excited about my tickets for Sweeney Todd at the end of October...although I do like Patti Lupone. Thanks.

I was interested in this thread because I think I'm going to be in NYC over Thanksgiving, and am considering going to a couple shows. I was considering Sweeney Todd, but am not a big Sondheim fan, I'll admit. I'll have to find out more of what it's about -- is that the Victorian thing?

Interestingly, I just called the box office a couple days ago and could have gotten a ticket to the Odd Couple for the Sunday matinee after Thanksgiving, at normal price. It was back of the balcony, however, so I passed--it was really too late for me as I had to leave town, anyway.

I saw the play on Wednesday Evening. The simple fact is... it is awful. First of all the play is dated and Neil Simon should have updated it, or it should be banned from being produced for another twenty years so it can become a statement of the 60's. Attention Director: Putting retro furniture on the stage is not ample reason for us to believe this is the 60's. Nathan Lane was surprisingly good as Oscar. If you have had the opportunity to see Nathan Lane eating at Sardis, or anywhere else around town he always appears to be the most miserable actor working on broadway. Yet, get him on a stage and he really does shine. His, Oscar is always belivable, likeable, and doesn't ever feel like a copy of those that came before him. Mathew Broderick on the other hand is aboslutely horrible. Someone should rip him right off the stage and put Brad Garret in his place. First of all, you can not even hear Broderick, who it appears, is trying to channel Tony Randall, but somehow ended up getting one of the stooges. And not the funny one. Felix Unger has to be anal-retentive. It's just not funny watching someone try to play an impersonation of anal-retentive. Broderick is obviously not a method actor, just a caroon actor. You can just see him connecting A move to B move to C move. If I wanted to torture myself to prove the point, all I would have to do is go to the same show the following evening and I would bet you that Nathan Lane would give a great solid performance with a different twist and you would watch Matthew Broderick perform the sad same tricks. I could do better with three days of rehersal. His performance is truly that embarrassing. I can just see the glee in the eyes of the producers when they put these two actors together again. Thinking that they would be instant Trillionaires. Good luck if this last three months. It reall is that bad. Garrett would have made a much better Felix. It's against type. To see him next to Nathan Lane is just ... funny to start with. Put an apron on him and you have an instant hint. He's a great actor who actually understands timing. I don't know what's up with Broadway Comedy these days, but it's becoming cartoonish. The rest of the cast is subpar. None of the poker players stand out, as a matter of fact two of them are down right terrible. One can barely talk he's straining his voice so much. I'll let you guess which one it is. The Pidgeon Sisters are well... just okay, but once again, this is so dated it's ridiculous. Who are these women? They laugh because they are supposed to laugh. They cry because they are supposed to cry. Neither of them stand out from the other. If you want my opinion ... run, don't walk and buy tickets to "DOUBT" which I saw the following evening. If your are going to spend $100 on a ticket see how the pros do it and enjoy some real theatre.

OneEros69 - your first and only post on Fodor's and this is it? Why such venom? Did you miss out as an original investor? Or are you a regular with a different screen name just to post this review?

The show is not perfect, but it is 2 hours of entertainment and absolutely enjoyable.

I agree with bugswife. The OP's comments seem filled with venom.

"filled with venom"? oh, please, it's just a theater review. Maybe she was stood up by Matthew Broderick once, is that what you are implying? I've read more venomous reviews in the papers.

I am often spurred to write biting reviews when I've seen something I really disliked (or read such a book, etc), especially if I've paid a lot. I thought the review was very informative, actually.

Anyway, I passed on it, as I said, as I didn't want back of balcony seats. I got a good ticket to the O'Neill play with Gabriel Byrne instead (A Touch of the Poet). I don't think it's opened yet, but I hope it's good.

I've been in theatre all my life, and I'll never be able to understand that expression about a show being "dated", unless there is a major effort being made to pretend it is supposed to be timely when it isn't. When did funny humor become dated?

I'm curious who OneEros69 is. Someone new to Fodors who came here (a travel forum) for the sole purpose of posting a negative review of a Broadway show? How likely is that? What am I missing here? And why did a regular poster feel he/she had to hide behind a new screen name?

My fault Patrick, should have ignored a one shot poster. The only reviews I take seriously are from regular theater goers, and I have my doubts about this poster. So, no harm done. Seeing the show again tonight now that it is out of previews. Will be interesting to see if any changes have been made in the past few weeks.
By the way, Patrick--when is your next trip up to NY?

Heading to Chicago for a week next Wednesday -- lots of theatre.
But not planning on NYC until May.

Interesting review...I certainly wouldn't have expected to hear that about this production. Alas, I am not one of the lucky people to jump on this early, so I will not be seeing it.

Regardless, it's important to remember that the show is still in previews (until October 27), and therefore all reviews must be taken with a grain of salt. Many changes are usually made before opening, and the actors are still taking time to get comfortable in their roles. I look forward to hearing more opinions after the show has found its groove!

Just got tickets for next week on Craigslist.com. They were less expensive than the tickets auctioned on ebay. There are many offering tickets.

This review is so off the mark. The play is absolutely horrible. Lane is great. Broderick should be ripped off the stage. The play should be taken out of theatres for at least another 25 years so it can become a period piece instead of a dated boring play. I happened to see it after this reviewer, and not only didn't the audience give a standing ovation you should have heard the whispering during the intermission. Many people did not return. If you are in NY, go see "Doubt" you will not regret it.

PS ...

I didn't realize that writing one review on here set up such a mystery. Venom? You guys get over it. Do you read theatre and film reveiws every week? I have read a lot worse reviews. The Odd Couple is done in practically every Jr. High and High School in this country. You would think that with the talent that was hired, the theatre it was placed in, that what followed was not something that had been done a thousand times before. I wrote my review of The Odd Couple, after I was "Gifted Two Tickets," to this play. Key word here is "Gifted." Had I paid for these tickets you better believe my review would have been even worse. Bugswife1 is entititled to her opinion. Although it is so Broderick one sided I'm starting to think her screen name may be Sarah Jessica's alter ego.

Oneeros69, I think we got your message the first time.
(PS: Note that this is still the only thread that he/she has posted on.)

Does anyone else smell the odor of fish?

I have my suspicions whom our mysterious critic might be, but I'll hold on making it public for now.

Filled with Venom? How about filled with spelling errors! You would think that one so all-knowing would be able to run their spell check.

Fish? You guys are sick. Spelling errors, sadly, one can not go back after replying to these messages and fix those responses that have been typed in haste because some of us have a job and don't troll on these sites all day long.

The first written review has been posted on "The Odd Couple" I will let all the paranoid finger pointers find it for themselves. When you read it you will discover that I was actually kind in my review. Expect many more of them.

We've seen many a Broadway show/play during previews and again after "opening night". Unless you've seen both, you cannot possibly imagine the difference. Previews, I would guess, are sort of month long "dress rehearsals with an audience" (at full price, however). Regardless, there's a very good reason why "official" reviews are never released until right after Opening Night.

I cannot possibly imagine Olivia d'Abo, Brad Garrett, Jessica Stone, Peter Frechette, Lee Wilkof sub-par? Are you kidding? Even in "previews"???

And, Matthew Broderick as anal-retentive is, if nothing else, "type casting" at its very best! Who could be more positively charming - no matter what?

There is no question that this play is one of THE most hilarious (especially with all the sublety) scripts ever written. "Outdated" is ridiculous.

I, personally, cannot possibly imagine how anyone on the planet could possibly even suggest <<Brad Garret as Oscar Madison -- hey, that could be very good. He oozes being a natural slob>> For me he is the absolute epitomy of virile, masculine, gorgeous, charming and utterly kind (not to mention exquisitely well groomed at all times). And, he was positively BRILLIANT in "Fargo" (if anyone, indeed, even recognized him!). He's just as intelligent, amusing, endearing, and fabulously put-together, whenever interviewed ("Inside the Actors' Studio", for example). Please explain "slob"!!!???

We have tickets with fabulous seats over Thanksgiving weekend (thanks to American Express Gold Card events).

BTW, Patrick, do hope while in Chicago you have tickets to "I Love You, You're Perfect Now Change!" if you haven't already seen this - it's brilliant - could not be a more enjoyable experience!

Even more sensational, however, is Hershey Felder "As Monsieur Chopin". Incredible! Positively brilliant!

And, Thyme (the restaurant) you would likely find enjoyable.

And, no matter what anyone says or you've read anywhere, Mike Ditka's restaurant is absolutely fabulous in every way (with exceptional food, especially the crab cakes and chopped salad, and the brunch menu...).

Also not to be missed is the Atwood Cafe for the ambience and fantastic food.

And, best thing we did in Chicago - the SEGWAY tour!

OneEros69 has posted the exact same ramble on broadwayworld.com no one is buying it over there either.

Had reservations at Atwood Cafe for before Wicked, but had to cancel as with our cancelled flight and change, we didn't arrive until just before show time, even checking our luggage at the theatre coat check.

Do you remember the Raymond when Brad Garret's character had month old milk in the refrigerator and they couldn't get rid of the smell? So real and believable. That's what I mean, he just seems the type who could easily not care less about appearance or cleanliness.

I've seen I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, and yes it is one of the best musical reviews I've ever seen.

Hey Guys ... you all might want to read all the reviews on this lemon. Six more months of rehearsal wouldn't help this.

Enjoy

I read Ben Brantley's review on the NYTimes this morning... He called it 'bland and mechanical'... whatever that means...

OneEros69, I believe reviews are "mixed". Not sure why you are completely obsessed with trashing this play, but maybe you should move on to a new topic.

It was reviewed in "The Washington Post" today and, not surprisingly given our current reviewer, it got mostly a rave. Of course, one of the previous reviewers had the absolute nerve to write that "Neil Simon doesn't know how to write a play" when "Lost in Yonkers" tried out here and as a result, Simon told people he would never start a play out in Washington again.

One reviewer's rave is another patron's bomb.

For the record, the show got mixed reviews from the NYC critics this morning. However, none of them blasted the show the way one poster did here.

Yes, as I said, the shows reviews were "mixed".

Oh Boy ...

You people just don't want to get it. Go see it and you'll see and then we can discuss this.

I saw OC in very early previews and tend to agree wholeheartedly with the NY Times review (I posted a trip report earlier this month where I stated my opinions).

But it should be known that Brad Garrett is actually being groomed to replace Lane when Lane's run is up in April. So yes, he will be Oscar Madison eventually, and I think a much more believable one.