The Dauphin players debuted The Odd Couple to a live audience last night, marking the second consecutive studio show for a fall production. The play combines hilarity with camaraderie in a satire about two diametrically opposed male divorcees trying to live together.

In many ways, The Odd Couple echoes the aura of Wait Until Dark, last fall’s production, especially with both shows being set in 1950s New York City. However, where Wait Until Dark is a thriller taking place in a basement apartment in Lower Manhattan, The Odd Couple is a comedy taking place in an Upper East Side luxury high-rise. With similar period decor, The Odd Couple maintains a fifties vibe while also reflecting the difference in wealth and culture.

“Last year, we did a thriller, a kind of dark, mysterious show,” said director Kathryn Whitaker. “So we thought, ‘Let’s do some broad comedy.’ Odd Couple is a satire, and we play it honestly, but it's exaggerated. It has big characters, big personalities. We thought it would just be a good exercise and something bright and happy.”

The Odd Couple explores the friendship in a group of men who play poker together on Friday nights. Oscar Madison, played by senior Andrew Marty, and Felix Unger, played by senior Jude Reed, make up the couple for which the play is named. Felix, a neat, orderly man, splits up with his wife and moves in with Oscar, another recent divorcee who is sloppy and disorganized. The play pokes comedy at the stark differences between the lifestyles of the two men.

“In some ways, it's a love story of friendship and growth and understanding,” Whitaker said. “I think it's, in a marvelous way, a little bit feminist for its time. Two unlikely, wonderful friends with very different personalities wind up living together, both of them estranged or divorced from their wives and children.”

Marty, a veteran Dauphin player, was excited to take on this lead role in the field of broad comedy.

“It's definitely the most amount of lines I've ever had to memorize for a play, it's about 450 lines,” he said. “That was a huge hurdle to overcome, but it's also getting in the mindset of ‘wackadoodle,’ as Mrs. Whitaker says, where you have to make everything honest but over the top. It's this weird middle ground.”

Reed, who previously acted with the St. Louis Shakespeare Squadron, looks forward to his acting debut at St. Louis U. High.

“It's the same kind of satire and size (as Shakespeare), it's just a different subject matter,” said Reed. “Most comedic plays get their origins from Shakespeare, so if you're just attuned to the beating heart of comedy, it feels natural.”

In the play, the two female characters, Cecily and Gwendolyn Pigeon, are played by juniors Courtney Lucas and Jack Janson. In the absence of female cast members, Janson and Lucas were excited to take on these roles and explore what it is like to portray a character of the opposite sex.

“The chemistry was there already with Courtney and me,” said Janson. “Being queer, and that is obviously a stereotype, but Courtney and my personalities were already so flamboyant.”

The Odd Couple also marks a first for Director of Theater Operations Cole Frizzo. In taking on the role, Frizzo became responsible for building the set and serving as stage manager for SLUH theater productions.

“It's been a huge learning experience coming straight out of college,” Frizzo said. “I had only actually been the technical director for three shows while in school. I've also worked on dozens of productions in varying roles. But here, not only am I the technical director, I'm also the production manager, I'm an assistant stage manager, I'm the production electrician. So while my title is Director of Theater Operations, I wear a lot more hats.”

Although it has been an adjustment getting to know and work with the new team, Frizzo has enjoyed his time so far in preparing for this first production.

“I am happy to say that our new technical director Cole Frizzo has been terrific to work with,” said Whitaker. “He has worked so very hard, and he's good with the students. That really gives me great hope for the future.”

Like all plays and musicals, The Odd Couple was a collaborative effort. It took the joint contributions of actors, directors, crew members, and technicians to put everything together. The quality of the show reflects the hard work that everyone involved went through.

“Everyone loves each other, and we have this great chemistry that allows us to play off each other in our roles both on and off the stage,” said Marty.

This morning, the players will perform for freshman theater classes. The next showing will be tomorrow at 7:30 p.m., followed by a matinee on Sunday at 2:00 p.m.