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<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #333333; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>GLTG’s
“female version” of Simon classic may have you looking for the
clicker<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
/><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
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align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Bob
Abelman<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT
size=3>News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times, Geauga Times
Courier<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Member,
International Association of Theatre Critics <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><SPAN
style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>This
review appeared in the <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">News-Herald
</I>5/15/09</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Odd Couple</SPAN></I><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> is one of the most popular and
celebrated plays in the American comedy catalog. </SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>It has gone from its
original 1965 Broadway staging to a 1968 movie, a 1970's TV sitcom and a
Broadway revival in 2005.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>In 1985, playwright Neil
Simon revised his male-dominated play to accommodate a female cast for a
short-lived Broadway run.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Like Adam
and Eve, this play’s female rendering sprang from the rib of the original and is
essentially of the same mold, save for some very interesting alterations in all
the right places.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">The Odd Couple: Female
Version,</SPAN></I><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"> on stage at
the Geauga Theater in Chardon, is about two very good friends who move in
together after their marriages break up.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>They soon discover they're having the same conflicts they had in their
marriages, resulting in some very funny confrontations. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Florance Unger is a compulsively neat,
emotionally unstable housewife who eventually gets on the nerves of Olive
Madison, an excessively sloppy, fun-loving sports fanatic.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>The Geauga Lyric Theater
Guild production of this comedy classic, under the direction of Tina
Burgett-Krause, is an odd coupling.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>It delivers the stage play as if it were the sitcom, which does not
jive.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Most of the GLTG actors
appear to have come straight from NBC’s central casting, offering mere
caricatures of Simon’s creations. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Marylin Young, Kate Wright and Stefani
Rose, playing long-time friends who come to Olive’s apartment for a weekly game
of Trivial Pursuit, allow one trait to define their every action and line
delivery.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>While funny, thanks to
Simon’s tamper-proof genius, they have no heart.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Maureen Tanner, as
Florance, is hysterical as a walking, talking psychosis, but not in a good
way.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>She appears to be actually
hysterical.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Her portrayal is so
extreme and, well, scary, that she is neither sympathetic nor likable.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>She should be both in a buddy comedy
that establishes her as the featured buddy.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>The talented Michael
Green and Larry Solomon, as smarmy upstairs Spaniards who have a date with Olive
and Florance, have the potential to steal this show.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They look and sound hilarious upon their
entrance, but go too far with their “two wild and crazy guys” antics and not far
enough in creating viable characters.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>They quickly grow tiresome.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Fortunately, Linda Fundis
delivers a genuinely funny and authentic Olive.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Her comic timing and well-rounded
persona salvages this production.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>Amy Pelleg, as board game-playing buddy Mickey the cop, also brings a
delightful, fully fleshed-out character to the stage.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Her subtle acting beneath a rough
exterior nicely complements and supports Fundis’ efforts.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>These two are the only female performers
who appear to have a relationship on stage.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Borrowing heavily from
the TV sitcom guidebook, director Burgett-Krause has her actors stand up to
deliver their lines when sitting at the living room table, as if simulating a
close-up.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>They do not move freely
across the stage, as if fearful that they will walk out of camera shot. They
flagrantly over-emote as if confident that each punch line will be automatically
followed by a boisterous laugh track.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Greg Pribulsky surrounds
these actors with a wonderful set but it, too, is oddly coupled.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He goes to great lengths to construct an
elevator just outside Olive’s apartment, which is visible when the apartment
doors are open.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Nice
touch.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Problem is, visibility
requires enormous double doors, which are ungainly in appearance and
operation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Missing from the set is
a window, resulting in actors awkwardly pantomiming its opening and closing.
<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><FONT size=3>Pilot episodes of TV
sitcoms are almost always overproduced, overacted and underachieving, as if
things have not yet gelled, but will.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</SPAN>This may be the case with the opening weekend of <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Odd Couple: Female Version</I>. <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In time, this production could very well
offer more fluid and refined performances, if not a
window.<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P style="BACKGROUND: #fcfcfa; MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'">The
Odd Couple: Female Version<I><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"> runs
through </SPAN></I></SPAN><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'">May 24 (8 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays), at the Geauga Theater, 101 Water Street,
Chardon.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Tickets, which range from
$10 to $12, can be obtained by calling 440-286-2255 or visiting <A href=""><FONT
color=#000066>www.geugatheater.org</FONT></A>.</SPAN></I><I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></I></P>
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style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><o:p><FONT
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
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