Photo Flash: Two Muses' THE ODD COUPLE (FEMALE VERSION)

When you cross a slob with a neat freak and coop them up in the same apartment, it's a recipe for disaster. In the hands of Neil Simon, on a stage in West Bloomfield, it's sheer comic genius. 

The Two Muses Theatre, a new professional, non-profit theatre company in West Bloomfield, opens its first season with the Neil Simon hit, The Odd Couple - only this one has a twist: Oscar and Felix are now Olive and Florence, played by the "Two Muses" co-founders, Diane Hill and Barbie Weisserman, both of Farmington Hills. "With six women and only two men in the cast, this female version is the perfect inaugural show for our theatre, as our mission is to provide opportunities for female artists and artisans in the theatre," says Hill. "It's also perfect because Barbie and I sort of are the ‘odd couple' as friends and now business partners."

Hill directs the Two Muses production, along with Terie Spencer, and portrays the uptight, neat-freak Florence. In the play, Florence moves in with her messy pal Olive, played by Weisserman, who quips that her role as untidy Olive is "not much of a stretch." Weisserman is also designing the costumes, the props, and she helps set dresser Bill Mandt, who serves as a board member, set designer and builder. The "muses" say everyone is playing a lot of roles in order to get this first show up and running.

Neil Simon made a career out of turning the disastrous personal events of every day life into splendid comedy. In his female revision of The Odd Couple, Olive hosts Trivial Pursuit night in her sloppy apartment. Florence shows up fresh from breaking up with her husband and having nowhere else to go. So Olive takes her in, soon becoming frustrated with Florence's fetishes for ultra-cleanliness and flawless cooking. Flo's mood swings and hypochondria also fry Olive's nerves.

At the Trivial Pursuit table sit a group of hilarious actresses: Nancy Cooper of Farmington plays the street-smart cop Mickey; Julie Yolles of Birmingham shines as Sylvie, who enjoys cracking jokes about her husband; Renee, played by Cheryl Glicker of Milford, is quick to notice Olive's failures as hostess; And, finally, the somewhat spacey Vera (Teri Spencer of Commerce Township-also co-directing the production) is heading to Miami with her husband in the middle of July, because they can get better rates.

In Act Two, the only two men in the play arrive-the lusty Spanish Brothers, Jesus and Manolo, played by Alane Madlane of Ferndale and Bob Hotchkiss of Birmingham. Their dicey double date with the odd couple, dishes up a load of laughter.

The Odd Couple runs all four weekends in November, November 4th - 27th with 8pm performances on Fridays and Saturdays and 2pm matinees on Sundays in a theatre right inside the Barnes and Noble Booksellers, located at 6800 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield, just south of Maple.

General admission tickets are $18, with a special ticket price of $15 for students and seniors (62 and over) Purchase tickets online at twomusestheatre.org or by calling the box office at (248) 850-9919. Tickets may also be purchased at the theatre one hour prior to each performance.

 

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