Red Daggar does 'Odd Couple' in two takes

Some may say opposites attract, but when those opposites are living in the same confined space, being repelled seems to be a much more natural reaction.

And in the course of such an ambitious experiment, the opposites may even learn more about themselves and their relationships with others than they ever would have taken the time to think about before.

It's these complex aspects of human relationships -- sexual, familial and platonic -- that are explored in Neil Simon's play "The Odd Couple," a piece which has become a cherished part of American pop culture. And while the subject matter is completely adult, the students in Central High School's Red Daggar drama club have no problem dealing with such themes.

Red Daggar is actually doing two productions of the play under the direction of faculty member Cynthia Bradshaw. Since "The Odd Couple" is a story told from the point-of-view of one gender as it struggles with members of the other gender and its own, a female version and a male version are being performed.

Tonight and Friday will feature the female production and Thursday and Saturday will feature the male production. Both plays are balanced on the strength of their lead characters.

"The Odd Couple" is definitely not a play for children. In the opening scene of the female version, four female characters sitting around the table of Olive, played by Sarah Goeke (the female version of Oscar, played by John Kipper), throw sexual innuendoes into a game of Trivial Pursuit.

In each version, the characters deal with sex, relationships and their own demons. Olive and Oscar are slobs, living alone in a New York apartment when the play begins, lonely and estranged from their spouses whom they still give much of their money to support.

The other half of their odd couplings -- Florence, played by Catherine Moreton, and Felix, played by Phil Brotherton -- are so difficult to live with in their neurotic tendencies their own spouses drive them away.

As a result, Olive and Oscar end up taking in Florence and Felix, their best friends, and discover just how hard they are to live with, after all.

The interplay highlights the similarities between the relationships of spouses and roommates and the difficulties friends encounter when friendship becomes a symbiotic relationship. Seeing their struggles may even force viewers to think about neurotic tendencies that they may not have acknowledged in themselves.

The characters carry the show but the set design, with Allison Dohogne as set crew head, is authentic enough that viewers don't spend time questioning its accuracy, right down to the "Dogs Playing Poker" print on the wall.

Another shining aspect is the costume design, with Diana Etzold as costume crew leader, especially in the female version, which is set in the 1980s (example: the permed hair and off-the-shoulder sweater of Renee, who looks like the lead in "Dirty Dancing").

Short gags and slapstick provide great comic relief, along with the performances of Cole Buerkle as Manolo and Mason Loy as Jesus, Spanish immigrant brothers who have a date with Olive and Florence.

All productions start at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Central Junior High School. Tickets can be purchased at the high school or the junior high the night of the show.

msanders@semissourian.com

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