The Odd Couple opens Tibbits Summer Season
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Contact: 517-278-6029, email: marketing@Tibbits.org
Tibbits Summer Theatre opens its 52nd professional season with the Neil Simon comedy classic “The Odd Couple” on Thursday, June 25 running through July 3, 2015.
The Tony-Award-winning play centers around mismatched roommates, the uptight Felix Unger, a neurotic, neat freak played by Isaac Jankowski and his slovenly friend Oscar Madison played by Derek Mellor. Felix arrives at the weekly poker party depressed and out of sorts after being thrown out by his wife. Fearing Felix will try something desperate, Oscar, himself in the process of being divorced by his wife, invites Felix to move in with him. Within a few days, this mismatched pair is on the verge of mutual murder: Felix frustrated by Oscar’s slovenliness, while Oscar is driven insane by Felix’s obsession with cleanliness.
Directed by Charles Burr the show’s cast also includes Vince Orabona, Ben Shimkus, Davis Wayne and Joey Gugliemeli as the poker buddies. Allison Canning and Jaclyn Collins play the Pigeon sisters Oscar’s neighbors with whom Oscar attempts to set up a potentially passionate double date. This beloved comedy by Neil Simon is both surprisingly poignant and side-splittingly funny.
According to Burr who also serves as Artistic Director for Tibbits Summer Theatre, “We’ve been doing a lot of brand new plays these last few seasons and I thought it was time for one by the master, Neil Simon.” He adds, “‘The Odd Couple’ was last presented at Tibbits in 1969 when it was a new play just off its Broadway run.”
“The Odd Couple” first opened in 1965 winning a Tony nomination for Best Play and the Tony Award for Best Author of a Play. It was turned into a film starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and became a hit television sitcom in the 1970s starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. It has had numerous stage revivals and is now the newest CBS sitcom.
“The Odd Couple” is produced with the ongoing support of Vandervoort, Christ, & Fisher, PC, attorneys at law. Dedicated to serving the legal needs of individuals and corporate clients, VCF has been supporting Tibbits Summer Theatre since 2000. Performances of “The Odd Couple are at 8 pm on June 25 through 27 and July 2 and 3, and at 2 pm June 25 and July 1. The show is rated PG.
Tickets for “The Odd Couple” are $33 for reserved seating with discounts for members, groups and students. General seating in the upper balcony is available for $12. Season tickets offer the best value with all four summer shows for $112, a 20 percent discount off the individual show prices. If committing to all four shows is a challenge, passbooks offer the option of six tickets to be used throughout the summer and still offer nearly a 10 percent discount. Passbooks must be purchased in advance and are designed for seeing multiple shows.
Tickets are available online at Tibbits.org, through the Tibbits box office at the theatre 10 am-5 pm weekdays or by calling 517-278-6029. All performances are held at the beautiful historic Tibbits Opera House, 14 S. Hanchett Street, Coldwater. For more information, call or visit Tibbits.org.
Sidebar: Vandervoort, Christ & Fisher, P.C., located in Coldwater and Battle Creek, has been sponsoring Tibbits Summer Theatre for 14 years. Through its sponsorship, VCF demonstrates a commitment to the arts and the community. As a full service firm they are proud to be a cultural leader and supporter in the Branch County area. The law firm opened its Coldwater doors in the spring of 1999 and provides services in many areas of law including bankruptcy, business, civil, corporate, criminal, domestic relations, employment, estate planning, family law, health care, labor, personal injury, probate, real estate and taxation. For more information visit www.vcflaw.com
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