MTP Kick Off “The Odd Couple” Friday

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Get ready for a chorus of “Oscar, Oscar, Oscar…” as the Mill Town Players bring the Neil Simon classic “The Odd Couple” to the stage beginning Friday night at the historic Pelzer Auditorium.

The play, which premiered in 1965, is a comedy based on the conflict of two divorced men with wildly opposite personalities forced to share an apartment in New York City.

Felix Ungar, fastidious, neurotic, and obsessively neat hypochondriac, is tossed out of his apartment by his wife and is taken in by his best friend, Oscar Madison, a aggressively messy, carefree, and perpetually disorganized sportswriter who has also recently gone through a divorce.

Felix's compulsive need for order and cleanliness and Oscar's chaotic, messy lifestyle creates an apartment which becomes a battleground of misplaced coasters, crumbs, and passive-aggressive notes.

Will Ragland, founder of the Mill Town Players said the choice of the play was made by patrons of the theater.

“We sent out a survey to our patrons, and this was an overwhelming pick,” said Ragland. “That's what convinced me. I actually had chosen something to do something different in this slot, and then when that survey came in, I thought, 'Okay, this is what the people want.' So we're going to give them what they want.”

Directed by one of Ragland’s best friends, veteran theater director Reed Halverson, who Ragland said has always believed “The Odd Couple” to be a masterpiece of theater.

Ragland plays slobby Oscar to Todd Janssen’s persnickety Felix.

The set, built by Mill Town Players Artistic Associate Cameron Woodson, features a collection of early 1970s furniture and accessories, including green shag carpet, should foster memories of the popular television show based on the play.

“It's a play that’s got heart,” said Ragland. “It’s a story that anybody can relate to, and this is a play that is for everyone. “Let’s be honest, a lot of times wives will drag their husbands to see a show, and they'll show up out of duty. But the husbands are going to love this one. This one is for the dudes."

The show is scheduled to run June 6-15 and tickets and more information are available at milltownplayers.org