Richard Moll and Joyce DeWitt Team for Latest Stage Production of "The Odd Couple"

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Nashville Dinner Theatre's current production of the iconic Neil Simon play, The Odd Couple, about two oil and water best friends, Oscar Madison and Felix Unger, continues the tradition of pairing an unlikely pair as they present Richard Moll and Patrick Kramer as the untidy Oscar and uptight Felix. The current Nashville production celebrated opening night last week and continues its run with shows Wednesday-Sunday, now through March 5.

Having seen numerous incarnations of the Neil Simon classic, including the iconic 1968 Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau film, unending reruns of the famed Tony Randall/Jack Klugman television series, a 1975 animated cat/dog version, a mid-80s Broadway revamp starring female roomies, Sally Struthers/Rita Moreno and the less-than-memorable early 80s TV redo starring Ron Glass/Demond Wilson, I must admit, I'm a genuine fan of the work.

Moll, of course is best known for having played the laughable, lovable bailiff Bull Shannon from 1983-1992 on TV's Night Court. His co-star, Kramer is known in Nashville Theatre circles, having worked with everyone from Circle Players to The Boiler Room, both as an actor and director.

By casting the 6'8" Moll alongside Kramer, who I'd guess to be about my height (5'9"), by physical appearance alone, it's already a funny setup. Add to that the presence of some riotous physical comedy bits, thanks to the co-directing team of Joyce DeWitt (Yes, that Joyce DeWitt, as in Janet Wood from TV's Three's Company) and my friend Kaine Riggan, owner/director of the newly opened Nashville Dinner Theatre.

To her credit, co-director DeWitt easily transitioned from star to director, having just completed her run as the star of Nashville Dinner Theatre's most recent production, A Scattered, Smothered and Covered Christmas. It's obvious all those years she spent on the slapstick-heavy sitcom Three's Company made a lasting impression, as physical comedy plays a large supporting role in this take on The Odd Couple.

One of the funniest physical scenes comes when Oscar (Moll) is chasing Felix (Kramer) through the apartment and Oscar basically stops in his tracks, gets a blank look on his face and holds his hands straight out in front of himself à la Frankenstein's monster. But just like Frankeinstein's creature, Moll'sOscar proves he's just a big ole softy throughout the play, most notably when talking to his unseen ex about their children.

Being the TV geek that I am, I also enjoyed the included wink to Moll's Night Court past when he let out an audible"mmmmm'k", a popular Bull-ish response from his former sitcom days.

The Odd Couple isn't Moll's first theatrical gig in Nashville, nor is it his first time to work with co-director Riggan. The two last teamed up in 2007 for a local production of The Foreigner.

As Felix Ungar, Patrick Kramer is the epitome of a nebbish nerd. Utilizing his gift of affecting specific dialects, if you close your eyes, you might think you're listening to uber-dweeb, Woody Allen, reciting fellow-New Yorker, Neil Simon's classic lines. Kramer's spot-on neurosis is comedy heaven.

With all the action taking place in Oscar's New York apartment, the set doesn't change during the course of the play, with the exception of a bit of neating-up after Felix moves in. On the subject of the set, scenic artistJody Ray Johnson and scenic designer Vance Nichols did an extraordinary job recreating the ultimate late-sixties bachelor pad. The juxtaposition of what appeared to be a Herman Miller chair to a small unused, but present, black and white TV, a bookshelf full of 8=track tapes and standard issue (for the time period) matching set of books, all create the perfect ambiance.

Nichols also appears as part of the supporting cast, alongside Jaime Dudney, Sandra Denise Baxter, Jonathan Hayes, Alex Lee and Dennis Moser. Whether intentional or not, casting veteran actor Dennis Moser as Murray the cop, bridges the gap between the lead actors age and that of his considerably younger castmates.

Variety in ages isn't the casts only diversity. Hayes plays another of Oscar's poker buddies, Speed. Sporting vintage rock shirts and hair barely tamed by an ill-positioned bandana, Hayes plays Speed as a surprisingly quick-witted stoner/hippie/biker. For some reason, the program misidentifies Moser twice, identifying him as Speed in both the cast list and the bio.

Despite the program also incorrectly listing him as Speed, Alex Lee actually plays Roy. Oscar's accountant. While he doesn't have the benefit of Simon's most obvious lines, Lee's subdued portrayal of Roy is a welcomed opposite to some of the more broad, outlandish characters.

Nichols, as Vinnie plays the quintessential mama's boy. He manages large laughs with nearly every line. From what I remember of the original work,Vinnie was originally under his wife's thumb, perhaps because of Nichols' perpetual boyish looks, DeWitt and Riggan must have retooled the role a bit. Whatever the reason, it totally works.

Also stealing both scenes in which they appear, are Jaime Dudney and Sandra Denise Baxter, as Oscar and Felix's upstairs neighbors, Gwendolyn and Cecily Pigeon, a couple of swingin' British sisters. Again, brilliant casting, as these two siblings couldn't be more inexplicably racially diverse, Dudney, being as white and as blonde as any blue-eyed real-life daughter of country music legend, Barbara Mandrell could be, while Baxter is a beautiful, boisterous African American actress who originally hails from New York.

Whether it's the Brit Pigeon sisters, biker Speed and impish Vinnie, uninterested Roy and cantankerous Murray or towering teddybear Oscar (Moll) and cowering ne'er-do-well Felix (Kramer), Nashville Dinner Theatre's The Odd Couple is overflowing with peculiar pairings and plenty of laughs.

Another fun thing about Nashville Dinner Theatre; you never know who you'll see in the audience. On Opening night, I was surprised to see my sweet friend singer/songwriter and upcoming star of her own Nashville Dinner Theatre show, A Songbird's Heart, Stella Parton. Also in attendance on opening night was fellow Theatre critic/writer Jeffrey Ellis and The Odd Couple co-star Jaime Dudney's Mom & Dad, the aforementioned Barbara Mandrell and her husband,Ken Dudney.

The Odd Couple continues its run at Nashville Dinner Theatre, located in the heart of Printers Alley in downtown Nashville in the former Boots Randolph Club space.