Ridgedale Players to perform two versions of comedy classic ‘The Odd Couple’

TROY — The Ridgedale Players of Troy are inviting residents for an unorthodox double feature as they offer two different versions of the Neil Simon classic play “The Odd Couple.”

Ridgedale’s board President Sandra Deering said that they wanted to do both the original male-led version and the alternative female-led version to provide more opportunities to their actors and explore what both versions could offer to audiences.

“The male version has six men and two women, which appeals to male lead roles, and then the female version has the exact opposite, which would appeal to women for the same reason,” she said. “This way we offered a lot of good roles to both men and women and got to put on two great shows at once.”

One version is performed with the original characters, Felix and Oscar, and the other is performed with their female counterparts, Florence and Olive.

Both versions will be performed at the Ridgedale Players Theater, located at 205 W. Long Lake Road in Troy.

“Tickets are available at Ridgedaleplayers.com,” said Deering. “They are $18 for adults, and $16 for seniors. It opens Friday, Nov. 4, and closes Sunday, Nov. 20. Friday and Saturday evening shows are at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday matinee shows are at 2 p.m.”

Actor Kris Wright is among the cast members in the male-led version of the play, and he said he was excited to perform Simon’s famous comedy.

“I am playing Speed. He is one of Oscar and Felix’s friends. What appeals to me about the show is that I am a huge Neil Simon fan. Being able to be a part of one of his bigger shows that he has written is an honor for me. I think the cast thinks it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun, and I think it’s great because it shows the differences in friend groups and how they can mesh or not mesh.”

He added that he is excited that the theater is putting on both versions.

“I think it’s great we’re doing both versions. I haven’t seen it done that way before,” said Wright. “It gave a lot of both men and women more ways to be part of the show, and I think people will love seeing both versions.”

Deering agreed and thinks audiences will enjoy comparing and contrasting the two versions.

“I think it would be a unique experience as a patron to see the show done from both a male and female perspective and to see how we transform the sets between the two,” she said. “Oscar and Olive’s apartments are the same sets, but we decorate them differently and do some interesting lighting differences.”

She added that while the scripts are mostly the same, there are minor differences scattered throughout.

“There are some minor differences between the two versions,” Deering explained. “In the male version, they are playing poker in a scene, for instance, while in the female version they are playing ‘Trivial Pursuit.’”

Deering said the production has been in rehearsals since early September.

“We have been in production since Sept. 10. We open Friday, Nov. 4. It takes about eight weeks to rehearse and put on a comedy,” said Deering. “We have done the female version probably 15 years ago. If we’ve ever done the male version, it was a very long time ago.”

Doing two plays, allowing them to cast a relatively large number of actors, was a challenge, but also appealing, said Deering.

“When it comes to community theaters, you are looking for known shows that people know,” she said. “You want something post-COVID that is lighthearted and funny, and we, obviously, want to maximize ticket sales. We also wanted something that would include as many cast members as possible. We were thinking about doing either the male or female version, and we couldn’t really decide which one, since both were very clever and creative, so a board member said, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat to do both versions?’ — where we could have two casts and it would be like running two shows at the same time.”

The cast and crew are excited to present something that is considered a classic but in a new way.

“It’s a great show and is one of the great classics of Broadway that people can see close to home,” remarked Wright. “There’s a lot of talent on the stage, and it’s a fun night out.”

“It’s funny. If you’re looking for a laugh, it’s a great show,” added Deering. “I think people need that right now.”

For more information, call (248) 988-7049.