By Susan Taylor

July 15,2004 (La Mesa) -- Neil Simon’s timeless comedy, The Odd Couple, is playing at Lamplighters Theatre in La Mesa through July 28, a play worth seeing.  Directed by Diane Jones and produced by Cydney King, it is billed as the “female version”, so the cast is all female, with the exception of two male roles introduced in the second act.

The show retains the game-playing friends in a 1980’s New York apartment, and the principal roles of the jilted spouse and the slob.  Yvonne Nguyen portrays Florence Unger, the insecure wife in need of a place to stay and a best friend’s compassion. Erin Grayce plays Olive Madison, a hard-working sports writer who cares nothing for a tidy home.  Olive invites Florence to temporarily share her apartment until they get laughingly on each other’s nerves. Viewers come away with the realization that this very odd couple teaches valuable lessons about friendship and differences among people here and abroad.

A review by Reina Lisa Menasche

September 21, 2014 (San Diego)--What do you get when you cross Neil Simon’s classic 1960s New York comedy “The Odd Couple” with modern day, southern California references and Latino color, characters, innuendo, and ad libs? A surprising and delightful rendition, zestily presented by the Teatro Mascara Magica at San Diego’s Lyceum Theatre. Dave Rivas, co-producer and co-director of the production, is a Spring Valley resident.

The theme of the play remains true to the original and is universal: divorced bachelors, slob versus neat freak, in a friendship strained not only by conflicts over living conditions but also the poignancy of loss and change. But the seasoning on this well-known dish of a show is exotic, original, up to date, and hilarious.