Actor Gary Riggs said he’s surprised the play “The Odd Couple” is still funny after so many years.
Riggs plays Oscar in The Bath Community Theatre Guild’s presentation of “The Odd Couple” on Friday and Saturday at the James Couzens Memorial Auditorium at Bath Middle School, 13675 Webster Rd.
“There’s Oscar, the biggest slob in the world, and Felix, the neatest person in the world, and they live together for about two weeks before they try to kill each other,” director Andy Houghton said of the play.
“It’s going to be fun,” he added.
Lamont Clegg, information officer for the MSU Department of Theatre and Kresge Art Museum, plays Felix in the show.
He noted the differences between the original play by Neil Simon and this rendition.
“Oscar is traditionally the really loud person, and Felix is usually the quiet one,” he said.
However, this time around, Felix is the louder, more outgoing character, with Oscar playing the typical role of Felix, he explained.
Riggs describes his character as “sort of an easygoing guy.”
“Oscar has been divorced for about six months,” he said. “His best friend, Felix, was kicked out of his own marriage, and he thought it would be fun if he moved in too, but he didn’t anticipate how weird it feels to have a domestic relationship with someone who is his best friend.”
Before the showing of “The Odd Couple,” there will be a kids show as well.
The kids pre-show will feature elementary and high school students from the St. Johns and Lansing area.
The 5- to 7-year-olds will act in fairy tales, including “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” and “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
The high school students will do scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” as well as “Pyramus and Thisbe.”
“We’ve had a really good response for the kids show, and overall for ‘The Odd Couple,’” said Jeff Croff, director of the children’s show.
Croff noted MSU students can certainly relate to the characters of Oscar and Felix in the show.
“The Odd Couple is a well-known and extremely entertaining comedy, and certainly students are forced to deal with roommates and stress of all sorts,” he said.
And Clegg agreed.
“Many MSU students end up having roommates that are not ideal,” he said. “Living with your best friend may not be the best thing to do.”
“The Odd Couple” is showing at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the kids pre-show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $6 for students and senior citizens and $8 for everyone else.
