Two’s a crowd: an apt rendition of Broadway’s ‘The Odd Couple’

Even though it began about an hour late, much to the dismay of those who had done their level best to reach in time for it, the Awais Azhar’s rendition of ‘The Odd Couple’ definitely landed a barrel full of laughs and an audience who sat in pin drop silence, completely drawn in by the brilliant direction, the exquisitely designed set, and the exceptional acting by all those up there.
‘The Odd Couple’ is a 1965 Broadway play by Neil Simon, adapted in several formats including stage, TV series, and a film (starring the beloved Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon) as well as other derivative works and spin offs. The plot revolves around two mismatched flat-mates, one obsessively neat and uptight (Felix), the other a bit too easygoing and sloppy (Oscar). Oscar has recently emerged through a divorce, and Feliz is going through one. But despite this superficial commonality, the two are at odds with each other completely the opposite in habits and when they Oscar offers to share his apartment with Felix, disaster unfolds.
The rest of their freinds are usually seen spending their time playing cards at Oscar’s dining table, under a heavy, toxic cloud of (cigarette) smoke arguing over trivialities and creating an unnecessary ruckus. Oscar’s house is a mess till Felix moves in. Now instead of having stale sandwiches, and warm Coke, the friends are given fancy home cooked meals, in a twinkling living room.
In a comedy, a good script does not necessarily mean that the audience should be laughing its heads off during the entire performance. Sometimes jokes are just light-hearted humour, where the catch lines, phrases, and excerpts from the characters’ conversations are just something to smile about. The script’s credit would of course go entirely to Neil Simon: he has maintained a mixture and balance between the jokes meant to laugh out loud at, while cleverly sustaining the theme mood of comic situations. He has written simple everyday conversations injecting a twist of madcap humour; each character seems more bizarre than the other, and with each growing second, the situations are deliciously exciting to watch unfold. But the play was a success not only because of the hilarious script, but also because of Azhar’s directing. Though it was not experimental or unique in any aspect, the direction was exceptionally strong, with a lot of attention being given to detail in the set, the acting and the characters.
The scene where the friends learn of Felix’s ‘suicidal tendancies’ is brilliantly executed. Their acting was effortless and convincing. In the background, as the curtains fell one act after the other, the swing jazz music transported the audience to Oscar’s Upper West Side apartment.
A lot of work could have been done on part of the Pigeon sisters, especially Mahnoor Khan, who may have made a more successful and establishing appearance in Shoaib Mansoor’s ‘Bol’, but in this play, she does not seem to have the natural ability to carry off the role of a British bombshell with an exaggerated accent. Anam Ahmed, however playing Gwendolyn Pigeon does miles better. Lamia Samdani as Melanie is perfect and so is Omair Nazir (who is a also a writer for B Theatre incidentally). But Waleed Zaidi, as Felix Ungar won the show, followed by Sanwal Tariq as Oscar Madison, who acted a bit over the top, but still remained funny.
The play was great comedy relief, smooth, flowing, and just plain enjoyable.