Theatre Tours International Ltd
Theatre Tours International Ltd
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To: Odd Couple
  • Preseted in association with Assembly Theatre
  • Written by Neil Simon
  • Directed by Guy Masterson
  • Designer: Katy Tuxford
  • Costumes: Anna Calligaro
  • CAST: Bill Bailey, Ian Coppinger, Alan Davies, Katherine Jakeways
    Dave Johns, Owen O'Neill, Phil Nichol & Lizzie Roper
  • Played: Aseembly Hall, EDINBURGH FRINGE 2005

Assembly celebrated its Jubilee Year with Classic theatre. Neil Simon's legendary comedy was the third of three cinematic gems created especially for the Fringe by Guy Masterson and the team behind the extraordinarily successful 12 Angry Men and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Bill Bailey and Alan Davies played the poker buddies Oscar and Felix attempting harmonius co-habitation, but making Men Behaving Badly pale by comparison! Slovenly Oscar's offer of post-marital sanctuary makes for a chaotic marriage of hilarious inconvenience!

The Odd Couple was the first Fringe production at the Assembly Hall on Edinburgh's Mound and became the fastest selling and highest grossing show in Edinburgh Fringe history and the unmissable event of Edinburgh 2005.

"Stepping into the shows of characters in an old classic is difficult, but Alan Davies and Bill Bailey fit their roles like a glove. Played with excellent comedy timing, the titular pair move in with each other to cope with divorce. They fill the stage with the chemistry of friendship, an explosive one at that. Supported by an energetic and capable cast, this is a strong production that manages to make the the "odd couple" extreme in their neuroses without sacrificing their humanity... Definitely one to watch." (Three Weeks)

"Guy Masterson's production does not take long to efface memories of Matthau and Lemmon. Bill Bailey, with his slouch and wizard's hair, could have been born to incarnate the slovenly Oscar; Alan Davies, whose Jonathan Creek was a byword in repression, is almost as well cast as the neurotic Felix.' (The Guardian)

The scene when folorn sociopath Felix reduces [the English sisters'] hearty guffawing to girly tears is an absolute joy in this, a truly 21st century treatment of a modern classic." (The Herald)

"Played at a cracking pace, The Odd Couple hi-jinks its way through a mirth-filled hour and 45 minutes... Director Guy Masterson had his hands full with a cast and play such as this, but managed to get it right in almost every way." (The Daily Mail)

"The play is... never less than sharp, snappy, Simon-style fun." (The Times)