Emergent Arts Presents ODD COUPLE, Now thru 5/27

It might be the most famous American comedy of the last 50 years. There are two films based on it, and several stage versions in various languages, including a widely popular female one. If you are asked, "are you an Oscar, or are you a Felix?" chances are you know. Most importantly, The Odd Couple by Neil Simon has stood the test, the only one that matters in comedy. It makes people laugh. Hard, and repeatedly.

The Emergent Arts Theatre Company (2009's The Mousetrap and 2011's Arsenic and Old Lace, both at The Arthur Miller Theatre, and Waiting For Godot at Riverside Arts Center) presents Neil Simon's legendary comedy The Odd Couple on May 24 through 27 at the Arthur Miller Theatre in The Walgreen Drama Center, 1226 Murfin, on the North Campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Shows are at 8 pm tonight, May 24 and Friday May 25, then at 2 pm and 8 pm on Saturday May 26, and at 2pm on Sunday May 27. Tickets are $20 General Admission, $16 Seniors and Students with ID. Discount tickets to the special Preview Night performance on Wednesday May 23 are $10 each, available at www.emergentarts.com.

The hit comedy for which Neil Simon is perhaps best known, The Odd Couple is a time capsule from a more innocent time, when America was on the verge of adulthood. The old ways were being trashed, families being redefined; even men were made to "discover themselves". In the middle of these topsy-turvy times, two former family men, Oscar Madison and Felix Unger, discover each other. The ensuing train crash of personalities becomes a perfectly damaged vehicle for the comic exploration of everything from suicide to the proper way to prepare a London broil. And the poker buddy scenes are still some of the funniest card scenes you will ever see on stage. This is the play that spawned a hugely successful TV series, a widely popular movie that Rotten Tomatoes still gives a 100% rating, and a phrase/title that has permeated the language and culture right up until the present. And it will make you laugh.

The Emergent Arts production will feature popular local award winning actors Jon Elliott as Oscar Madison, and Steve Elliott (no relation) as Felix Ungar. Directed by Tim Henning.

The show plays at The Arthur Miller Theatre in The Walgreen Drama Center, 1226 Murfin, Ann Arbor, Mich., May 24-25, Thursday and Friday, at 8 pm, Saturday May 26 at 2 pm and 8 pm, Sunday May 27 at 2 pm. Special $10 Preview Wednesday May 23 at 8pm. Tickets: $20 General Admission, $16 Seniors and Students with ID. (Wednesday preview, all tickets $10.) Get group discounts for 5 or more. Call (734) 985-0875, to make unpaid reservations. Unpaid reservations will be held until 10 minutes before the show.