Stage Review
Moore, Sajak a convincing 'Odd Couple'
By Joseph T. Rozmiarek
Advertiser Drama Critic
In "The Biz" this show would be called a hot ticket. It's got name recognition, popular stars, and a fail-safe, comic plot.
Since you can only see this version of "The Odd Couple" through Sunday, you'd best call the Hawaii Theatre Center for a reservation now.
The most difficult task for a media celebrity in a stage play is to replace an established image with that of a new character. Television audiences in Hawaii have tuned in for years to watch Joe Moore read the nightly news and Pat Sajak spin the "Wheel of Fortune." The question behind this production is whether they can transform those routines into something different.
Playwright Neil Simon's sharply crafted dialogue propels this play and rings wonderfully familiar after 30 years, a popular movie, and a long-running television series. Most of the audience attends with an impression of how the characters should sound and behave. The challenge is to recreate something old, but give it a fresh feel.
It's a pleasure to report that both Moore and Sajak slide neatly into their roles as mismatched roommates. They let the playwright take the lead and allow the characters to evolve as Simon must have intended.
The result is excellent character comedy that builds steadily through the show's two acts and laughs that get louder and longer. We scarcely notice the newsman and the show host, but pay a great deal of attention to Oscar and Felix. Ultimately, when the audience howls over a sharply timed pause or a bit of physical business, we know that it is the play — and not the personalities — that captures the evening.
This is exactly as it should be, much to the credit of director Jim Hutchison and his leading players.
"The Odd Couple" is Moore's first major starring role in a vehicle that he has not also written. It's also his most successful and least self-conscious performance. Moore legitimately seems to lose himself in the part of Oscar and — while the arrogant slob that Simon wrote for the character is always on stage — also finds the sweetness in him. As a result, Oscar grows both irascible and endearing through the course of the play.
Sajak takes a sleeper approach to playing Felix, initially low-key and subdued, but growing in size as the character's idiosyncrasies bubble up and dominate the comedy. He also grasps the right cyclical shape beneath a character who relives his problems because he is blithely incapable of learning from them.
Moore and Sajak have a pretty fair lock on the dialogue's rhythm and timing, which should only improve as they continue to play before live audiences.
The acting ensemble is nicely balanced with a strong group of poker-playing buddies (Bill Ogilvie, George O'Hanlon, Ray Bumatai, and Bob Whiting) and a twittering pair of British divorcees (Stephanie Conching and Zenia Zambrano). Karen Archibald's set and Katherine James' costumes complete the picture.
"The Odd Couple" offers a wonderful slice of Neil Simon at his best, but come equipped with a heavy sweater, since this hot ticket fights a theater thermostat that is turned down to Ice Age levels.
