Cow Patti Theatre’s production of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple is full of laughs and is a performance that only previous patrons of the theatre would expect.
Going into my first Cow Patti performance, I only knew that everyone I spoke to spoke very highly of the dinner theatre and that the performances are every bit as good as one you would find in a larger city.
These boasts were no lie and my wife and I ended up laughing throughout the performance, the rest of the night and into the rest of the weekend.
The first thing you will notice about the performance, which is all set in Oscar Madison’s (played by Toronto actor Salvatore Scozzari) apartment is how perfect the movement of Cow Patti’s production is.
Everyone in the cast moves perfectly throughout the bachelor apartment with an orchestrated frantic pace that is a wonder to watch. Also, the dynamic between Scozzari and Garfield Andrews, who plays Felix Unger, is palpable — with both of them bringing the right energy to the classic characters they are portraying.
Andrews manages to perfect the anxiety of the neat-freak, divorcee Unger; and Scozzari defines the epicurean, cavalier attitude of Oscar Madison.
Scozzari’s and Andrews’ performances both make you realize that everyone has a bit of Felix and Oscar in them.
The set work is also a thing behold.
With the play taking place in mid-1900s New York, Director AnnaMarie Lea and her team recreated an era-specific set and costumes that could have been straight out of The Odd Couple sitcom, which was based on Simon’s production.
Overall, the play is a stunning achievement that sees researched, caring and hilarious performances from the entire cast.
Honestly though, what is a dinner-theatre without a fantastic meal. The night’s feast featured a prime rib dinner and an assortment of desserts that made sure no one, particular this reporter and his wife, went home hungry.
In short, Cow Patti has done it again and proves once again that you don’t have to go to New York, Toronto, Calgary or Edmonton to see great theatre because Lacombe has great theatre at the golf course.
todd.vaughan@lacombeexpress.com
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