Original 'Odd Couple' measures up to last week's femal production
BY JOEL GEHRINGER / For the Lincoln Journal Star

	Karen Statham (clockwise from bottom left), as Olive Madison, and Tom Crew, as Oscar Madison, will play off their counterparts Patrick Lambrecht, as Felix Unger, and Linda Nettland, as Lorence Unger, in the male and female versions of "The Odd Couple" at the Lincoln Community Playhouse.

With the Lincoln Community Playhouse and the Crooked Codpiece Company bringing four star actors together for two versions of the same play, for two opening weeks in a row, there are almost too many couplings and oddities to keep track of.

Nevertheless, there's always a happy ending, as proved Thursday night with the opening of the original "Odd Couple."

Last week, those involved with the Lincoln Community Playhouse and the Crooked Codpiece Company's production of "The Odd Couple (Female Version)" set the bar quite high with a thoroughly entertaining and laugh-out-loud funny performance.

This week, the Codpiece crew took their shot at evening the "Odds" (last pun, I swear).

They certainly did not disappoint.

With Codpiece executive director Tom Crew as the unkempt Oscar Madison and artistic director Patrick Lambrecht as the neurotic neat freak Felix Ungar, the male's cast's telling of the story stood in stark contrast to the female's

Anyone fortunate enough to see both versions will attest that the plays were an enlightening study in the relations within and between the sexes.

For the most part, the two versions are the same play; even down to certain sections of dialogue. And the beautifully constructed apartment where the play is set is also the same, though Oscar's place had more laundry and pictures of shapely women than the girls'.

But give credit to Crew and Lambrecht, who, even with the same chain of events, gave excellent portrayals of how the guys prefer to settle their differences (which seemed to involve less dialogue than the women, but more evil pranks and threats of violence).

In fact, Lambrecht's Felix was probably the most believable character of both versions, running the gamut from despondently suicidal to decidedly self-assured.

Both of these productions stand as great examples of collaborative effort, and I hope this isn't the last Lincoln sees of joint LCP/CCC projects.

As stated after the women's production, this is one coupling that's not at all odd, especially if the performances are any evidence. Hopefully for theatre patrons in Lincoln, this is the start of a beautiful friendship—though I'll leave it to the companies to decide who's the Felix and who's the Oscar.

If you go...

What: "The Odd Couple"
Where: Lincoln Community Playhouse, 2500 S. 56th Street
When: 7:30 p.m. today, Saturday and Feb. 2-4; 2 p.m. Sunday and Feb. 5
Tickets: Both productions - $40 (Students $20); One performance - $25 (Students $12); $10 rush tickets on Jan. 29, Feb. 2 and 5. Call the LCP box offic at 420-489-7529 for more information.