‘Odd Couples’ mix in male, female versions

Can two men, one a slob and the other an obsessive-compulsive, share an apartment without driving each other crazy?

If those two guys are named Unger and Madison, the answer, of course, is no.

But what about two women who share those same last names• Can they fare any better as roommates than their male counterparts?

Probably not, but no doubt it will be fun to watch them try.

In Neil Simon's hilarious male and female versions of "The Odd Couple," presented by the Orchard Performing Arts Company at Apple Hill Playhouse in Delmont, the Unger-Madison saga continues, this time from both sides of story.

The male version is familiar for most. The comedy begins when Felix's wife throws him out of their house. Heartbroken and homeless, the neurotic, tidy Felix agrees to room with Oscar, a slovenly bachelor awash in beer cans and week-old sandwiches. The mismatched pair is soon fighting like an old married couple.

Veteran performer David Early of Squirrel Hill will play the part of Felix, a "compulsive, obsessive crybaby."

"I've been in theater for over 20 years and played all kinds of parts, but this is definitely the most challenging role I've ever had, because Felix is the exact opposite of me," Early says with a laugh. "This guy is always cleaning, sweeping ... he even worries about his food. Me• I've got dust all over the place."

On the other hand, Greensburg's Dennis Kerr, who will take on the role of Oscar, maintains that the messy, yet likeable, character is "universal" and fun to perform.

"There are parts of Oscar that every man can identify with," Kerr says. "It's the 'guy thing.' ... the sloppiness, the poker playing, the drinking, all of that is where the appeal comes from."

But Kerr, who has appeared in Apple Hill's "Proposals" and "Last of the Red Hot Lovers," also appreciates the darker side of Oscar's personality.

"He is basically a lonely guy," Kerr says. "Yes, he jokes about the break-up of his marriage, but he is still ... and will always be ... tied to his wife and children."

Christine Jesse Klemstine of Delmont, who will direct the male "Odd Couple," agrees, stressing her focus is on the "human side" of each individual character.

"Because most of us do know the story of Oscar the slob and Felix the neat-freak, I'm trying to dig deeper into the human aspect underlying each of the characters," she explains.

Klemstine, back in the area after a five-year stay in Chicago, says her biggest challenge with "The Odd Couple" has been to convince the actors to be themselves, rather than trying to become the "stereotypical" television or movie character they remember.

"During auditions, I had one man who insisted on using a gruff 'Oscar' voice, and I asked him, 'Why are you talking like that?,'" she says. "I told him to read the lines in his own voice, not what he thought it should sound like. I want the actors to be themselves in these roles. I want to see what they bring to the part."

Early, whose credits include appearances at the Kuntu Repertory Theatre and the Pittsburgh Public Theater, adds his own special twist to the play.

"I'm an African American, so it makes this a black-and-white version of the original," he says. "It's an odd couple for that reason, too."

Ron Ferrara, a resident of Vandergrift, will direct the female "Odd Couple," a version he says is, in some ways, funnier than the male version.

"There are similarities in situation and dialogue between the two plays," Ferrara says. "For example, the men play poker, the women play Trivial Pursuit."

But it's the differences Ferrara says make the female version so funny.

"The Pigeon sisters (in the male play) are replaced by the Spanish Constanzuela brothers, Manolo and Jesus, in the female version," Ferrara explains. "And they are hilarious. They butcher the English language, and just basically don't have a clue about the way things are supposed to be done."

Olive Madison, Oscar's counterpart, will be played by Pat Beyer, owner and executive producer of Apple Hill Playhouse, with Shirley Ratner of Greensburg taking the role of Florence Unger, Felix's compulsive ex-wife.

"Florence is neurotic, just like Felix," Beyer says. "She's a compulsive shopper, she takes all the (vitamin) pills. So when Olive takes Florence in to live with her, a very nice friendship quickly disintegrates."

Like Ferrara, Beyer finds the Constanzuela brothers' language barrier to cause "some hysterical misunderstandings."

"Some very funny stuff happens," she says, "when the brothers think one thing was said, but it was really something else entirely."

Jesus Constanzuela will be played by Arnold's Larry Tempo, while Al Bonati of Pittsburgh will take the part of Manolo Constanzuela.