The Odd Couple opens at Hudson Dinner Theatre

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The most popular comedy in American theatre history opens this week at St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre. “The Odd Couple,” Neil Simon’s classic comedy, is slated for a summer run of June 13 through August 16. The classic comedy opens as a group of guys are assembled for a regular poker night in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison and, if the mess is any indication, it’s no wonder that his wife left him. One of their poker buddies though, neat freak Felix Ungar, is missing. Recently separated from his wife, Felix decides to move in with Oscar and the fun begins.

Performing in the principal roles are Jason Decheine as Oscar Madison and Andy Babinski as Felix Ungar. The cast also includes Fredrice Nord and Melanie Nelson as the “coo-coo” Pigeon sisters, with Scott Carson, Tom Monn, Eric Douglas, and Tyler Haines as an irreverent gang of poker playing buddies. The show’s director Jim Zimmerman sees the cast as “a wonderful blend of talent, ideally cast for the show. These guys are the original ‘middle aged men behaving badly.” According to Zimmerman the show should hold a few surprises even for those familiar with the classic comedy. “We’ve kept the play in the original timeframe (1965) and feel, but been pretty creative in staging and characters. Doing such a classic and well known show as this means we need to bring something unique to the stage…I think we’ve done it.”

This is the first summer offering by the new dinner theatre. Given the fact that the perennial area summer entertainment option, University of Wisconsin – River Fall’s St. Croix Valley Summer Theatre, will remain dark for the next two years (due to renovations in Kleinpell Fine Arts Building on campus at the university), the Hudson-based dinner theatre chose to mount a show. According to Zimmerman, “this is the sort of show that SCVST patrons might be looking for to fill the gap.” Zimmerman also managed and directed for the university’s summer theatre program for 14 years during the 1980’s and 90’s.

Tickets for “The Odd Couple” are going fast, but are available for all scheduled Friday and Saturday performances by contacting the theatre via phone at 715-386-2394 ext. 333 or on-line at http://www.stcroixoffbroadway.com . Performances are scheduled for between June 13 and August 16, excluding the Fourth of July weekend, at the Best Western Hudson House Inn. Dinner seating is between 6-7 pm, with the show beginning at 8 pm. There is one noon matinee on Saturday July 19. Tickets may be purchased at the door on performance evenings; however, patrons are encouraged to call for reservations to ensure best seating. The cost for dinner, show, tax, and tip is $46.65; matinee, $38.

Tickets are also available for the theatre’s 2008-09 season including the farce “Don’t Dress For Dinner” (Sept. 5 – Nov. 1), the premiere of a new holiday musical “Inn Between The Holidays” (Nov. 28 – Jan. 3), another regional premiere of the musical “A Don’t Hug Me County Fair” (Feb. 27 – May 16), and the Dan Goggins musical “Nunsensations!” (June 12 – Aug. 16).

Tags: theatre, applause, hudson, odd, couple