UPDATED ODD COUPLE PLAY IN LA MESA PROVIDES INSIGHTS ON FRIENDSHIPS DESPITE DIFFERENCES

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.

Nguyen, who played in the drama The Crucible last season, is also a skilled comedian, delivering the humor, for example, when she says that her culinary skills are well-reputed throughout the city, and when she emerges from the kitchen in a red lacy apron wielding tongs and an unintentionally blackened capon.  Erin Grayce, in this, her second production with Lamplighters, plays Olive with the right amount of smarts and wit, in her role as a woman approaching her senior years who just wants a lively dinner date.

In act two, we meet Manolo and his brother, Jesus, Olive’s upstairs Spanish neighbors.  Played by Raymond Evans and River Baig,  the two actors are patriotic expats from Barcelona (with stress on the Castilan, Barth e lona), who don’t grasp English idioms and insert inuendoes which they interpret as an invitation for a hot New York minute.

The house seats are comfortable, and sound and lighting are excellent.  Audiences will appreciate the availability of bottled water, ushers, easy access, affordable tickets and free parking.

The Odd Couple, female version, is a pleasant diversion in East County at Lamplighters Theatre, 5919 Severin Drive, La Mesa.  Performances  are at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and Sundays at 2 pm through July 28.  Tickets may be purchased at the website: https://www.lamplighterslamesa.com/ or by calling the box office number at (619) 303-5092.