The Odd Couple: A Comedy in Three Acts [Paperback]

Neil Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0573613311 | ISBN-13: 978-0573613319

Comedy / 6m, 2f / Int. This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assembled for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it's no wonder that his wife left him. Late to arrive is Felix Unger who has just been separated from his wife. Fastidious, depressed and none too tense, Felix seems suicidal, but as the action unfolds Oscar becomes the one with murder on his mind when the clean-freak and the slob ultimately decide to room together with hilarious results as The Odd Couple is born. "His skill is not only great but constantly growing...There is scarcely a moment that is not hilarious." - The New York Times "Fresh, richly hilarious and remarkably original. Wildly, irresistibly, incredibly and continuously funny." - New York Daily News

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Many libraries collecting dramas on cassettes have concentrated on English staples--Shakespeare, Shaw, Wilde, etc. With justifiable domestic pride, L.A. Theatre Works is recording worthy American plays. In this classic Simon comedy, David Paymer is the endearing hypochondriac Felix Unger,and Nathan Lane is his snappish, abrasive adversary Oscar Madison. An audience at this staged performance laughs with them and the supporting cast. Director Peter Levin paces their comic timing briskly. The sound is clear and close up, avoiding hollow stage acoustics, but the producer could have added value by filling the empty cassette side(s) with readings of scenes from another play by Simon. The Odd Couple is recommended for drama collections and for devotees of witty dialog.
-Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Review

Poker buddies Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison suddenly find themselves bachelors again and decide to share an apartment in this classic comedy of two wildly mismatched roommates which was originally a stage play before it became the basis for a tremendously popular television series and the subject of two major motion pictures. This L.A. Theatre Works production is a full-fledge audio theatre presentation starring vocal talents of Yeardley Smith, Dan Castellaneta, Linda Purl, Nathan Lane. "The Odd Couple" is one of Neil Simon's best, and this audio play version does his wit and playwriting abilities full and complete justice. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Samuel French, Inc. (February 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0573613311
• ISBN-13: 978-0573613319
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Drama > United States

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Odd Couple, August 20, 2000

By 

Affaire de Coeur - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Odd Couple - starring Nathan Lane and David Paymer (Audio Theatre Series) (Audio Cassette)

When you pair David Paymer and Nathan Lane as Felix and Oscar in the Odd Couple, you are in for a comic tour de force that over stretches its material. With a supporting cast which includes Dan Castellaneta and Yeardley Smith (both from The Simpsons) and Linda Purl, the cast is almost perfect. This production is a little too visual in a few of its jokes. However, on the whole, it unscrupulously grabs the audio listener by his ears and shakes him with laughter.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Original "Odd Couple", May 18, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Odd Couple: A Comedy in Three Acts (Paperback)

Being a huge fan of "The Odd Couple" television series, I finally decided to read the play on which the TV show is based. THE ODD COUPLE, which premiered in 1965, was Neil Simon's first big success. His writing is consistently amusing and often flat-out hilarious; I laughed especially hard during the first scene, in which Oscar Madison and his poker-playing friends are trying to prevent Felix Unger, just thrown out of his home by his wife, from committing suicide! This "episode" was, of course, the starting point for the TV series, but unlike the show, the play has a single plot: Felix and Oscar get together, quarrel, date the Pigeon sisters, quarrel again, and ultimately "break up." Though the play is a comedy, there are interesting parallels to A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE in Oscar's poker games, particularly the one in the last scene during which Felix leaves. THE ODD COUPLE is an excellent example of Simon's wit. Next, I would love to see it onstage!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic American Comedy., December 1, 2001

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Odd Couple: A Comedy in Three Acts (Paperback)

Before the movie, before the television series, before all the spin offs, there was just the play. The story is a classic spin on the buddy plot. Oscar Madison is a successful sports writer who happens to be best friends with Felix Unger, a newswriter for CBS. Each week Oscar has five of his buddies over for a Friday night game of poker. However, on one fateful night Felix fails to appear in time for the game. It turns out Felix has just been thrown out by his wife and has no place to go. Feeling sorry for his old friend, Oscar invites Felix to stay with him and be his roommate. What ensues is a classic Neil Simon look at friendship that will endure for ages.