The Odd Couple - Female Version
at Deerfield Beach High School

Reviewed on March 11, 2016

Marissa Mitchell
St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

The Odd Couple is one of Neil Simon's most well-known works. The original comic stage play premiered on Broadway in 1965, but in 1985 Simon created The Female Odd Couple. Deerfield Beach High School's production of The Odd Couple (The Female Version) was both amusing and solidly executed.

An odd couple. The common phrase is used to refer to a pair that are essentially polar opposites. Olive Maddison and Florence Ungar, the main characters of the play, exemplify this term. Olive, recently divorced, is laid-back, slovenly, and living alone. Florence, on the other hand, is an exceptionally neat and high-strung housewife. These two friends begin to clash when Florence's husband divorces her and Olive takes her in as a roommate.

The set of the show was the very cozy and well constructed living room of Olive's apartment. The show began with the promising and witty banter of Olive's ensemble of friends engaged in a game of Trivial Pursuit. Although the dialogue was a little fast, the actresses completely immersed the audience into the humorous dynamics of their friend group. Maya Quinones shined in the role of Olive, effectively conveying her character's tough but fun-loving attitude.

Cameron Maglio played the melodramatic role of Florence with convincing physical comedy. Olive and Florence's conflict appeared genuine, even in moments as iconic as the linguine scene. Both actresses consistently embodied the contrasting personalities of their characters. The costumes of the cast were indicative of the 1990's. Marcel Elkouri and Dylan Hershey played the only males of the production, Manolo and Jesus Constazuela. The actors performed with good comedic timing and charm.

At times it was difficult to hear the characters, but the cast deserves plaudits for their projection considering there were only floor and hanging miles. Although Olive and Florence separated as roommates at the end, both characters experienced obvious growth. Deerfield Beach High School's production of The Odd Couple (the Female Version) was a comedy not to be missed.

Erin Cary
NSU University School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

An overemotional, methodical hypochondriac and a disconnected, messy scamp share an apartment – what could go wrong? Find out at Deerfield Beach High School's capricious performance of The Odd Couple – Female Version!

Written in 1965 by the American playwright Neil Simon, The Odd Couple tells the story of two friends who find themselves living together despite all reason. Through good times and bad, the two learn to love each other in spite of their differences. The original play premiered on Broadway in 1965 and was an immediate success, inspiring a motion picture and two television sitcoms. Twenty years after the original production, Neil Simon altered the play to accommodate two female leads. The new version ran on Broadway for a year, with the main characters, originally Felix and Oscar, becoming known as Florence Unger and Olive Maddison.

Maya Quinones, as the muddled and chaotic Olive Maddison, gave a beautiful performance with strong physicality and a naturally confident voice. In her own apartment, she gave off an air of relaxation and ease that made her performance more believable and successfully stood in contrast with the anxious and uneasy air of her counterpart. Her accent flowed assertively through her clear and steady voice, making her one of few actors whose lines were never lost. Cameron Maglio, as the organized and rigid Florence Unger, showed a solid commitment to her role, with a steady physicality that helped to convey her character's discontent. Maglio developed an aura of superiority and prestige that helped to solidify her performance. Together, the two leads had wonderful chemistry that truly embodied the essence of the odd couple.

Starting off the show were Olive's Trivial Pursuit buddies, played by Enijdna Van Bokkelen, Vanessa Morris, Richa Parikh, and Dominique Bethel. These ladies displayed strong individual dynamics that allowed them to function well as a group. Dominique Bethel (Mickey) stood out specifically as dedicated and engaged throughout the performance. She made each emotion apparent through her expressive face and her commanding physicality and had the audience bursting with laughter at every exaggerated moment. Marcel Elkouri and Dylan Hershey also possessed impressive comedic timing as the astutely Spanish Constazuela brothers. Elkouri (Manolo Constazuela) exuded a strong aura of confidence and respectability central to his role. His quick wit and sharp responses helped to improve the passing of the show, while successfully humoring the audience.

Together, the cast had nice chemistry and strong enough dynamics to maintain audience's attention throughout the performance. While transitions seemed at times awkward and choppy, the actors were generally successful in regaining a decent pace with each scene. The show's iconic moments and amusing one-liners were landed victoriously, giving audience members a laugh. Although sometimes lacking energy, the cast crafted a constant structure that helped connect moments over time.

In a relatable, eccentric, and naturally funny performance, Deerfield Beach High School uniquely composed a dynamic production of confidence and force. Through laughs and screams, two staunch opposites became the closest of friends and formed a perfect duality in The Odd Couple – Female Version.

Veronica Lempicki
Western High School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

Sometimes, opposites attract…and sometimes, they don't. Neil Simon's hilarious adaption of The Odd Couple tells the same beloved story of two polar opposites, except this time, it's with the opposite sexes. The Odd Couple (Female Version) follows Olive Madison, laid back and something of a slob, and Florence Unger, the uptight neat-freak—two best friends who find themselves living together against all odds. Deerfield Beach High School presented The Odd Couple with spectacular poignancy, leaving audiences feeling as if they had witnessed the real-life goings-on in a New York apartment occupied by quite the odd duo.

Maya Quinones portrayed the sports-savvy, mess-prone character of Olive Madison. Quinones's ease at displaying confidence in her character proved impressive, her mega-realistic tone and gestures, seemingly effortless, provided much believability and was acutely admirable. Her comedic timing was artful, while her more serious moments were equally as adroit. The ever-classic linguini-meets-wall scene was delivered as humorously as expected, absurdly and memorably. Quinones chemistry with Cameron Maglio, who played the role of Florence Unger, was engaging and dynamic. Maglio portrayed her over-the-top character hilariously. Her mannerisms and vocality were very consistent and added a delightful air of warranted absurdity to the performance. Her interactions with the Constazuela brothers, Manolo and Jesus (played by Marcel Elkouri and Dylan Hershey, respectively) were continuously entertaining. The brothers maintained a humorously in-sync performance, the two working very well together.

Hugely entertaining, the Trivial Pursuit ladies contributed heart and believability to the performance. The quartet, along with Florence and Olive especially, portrayed a friendship so genuine, it seemed as if they had all been best friends for years. Their considerable chemistry made for a supremely memorable and evocative performance. Dominique Bethel played Mickey, the worrisome cop who had the audience in hysterics with her hilarious pacing and high pitched concerns. The tough, no-nonsense Sylvie was played by Richa Parikh, her sarcastic and dead-pan demeanor instilling laughter in huge waves throughout the crowd. Enijdna Van Bokkelen (Vera) and Vanessa Morris (Renee') portrayed their characters with impressive humorous ability. All the ladies had distinct, funny character quirks which were all delivered effectively.

Despite some diction and pitch issues, the actors produced a cohesive, humorous performance deserving of many rounds of applause. Complete with an immaculate set and prop pieces, Deerfield Beach High School's The Odd Couple proved incredibly enjoyable, leaving audiences with the distinctive understanding of the compatibility, or incompatibility, between order and disorder.

Cayleigh Pine
Pine Crest School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

Can two people that are polar opposites manage to share an apartment without killing each other? As they say, misery loves company, and with two lonely, recently divorced women, misery loves a roommate, too!

The "Odd Couple", written by Neil Simon, premiered in 1965 on Broadway, but had, instead of women, two leading male characters that were different in every way. This female version of the play was created around 20 years later, and Deerfield Beach High School displays some girl power through their performance!

The story follows Olive, a divorced, sloppy sports writer, and Florence, the also newly separated, neat-freak. When Florence has nowhere to go after her split, she moves in with Olive, and their oppositions cause friction in the household, leading to some hilarious moments between the two.

Olive Maddison (Maya Quinones) was very natural onstage; she played off every line the other characters would say, and owned each scene she was in. She also had great comedic timing, and projected well, which was great because of the fact that this high school did not have the cast perform with microphones; instead they had their mics either on the floor or hanging over the performers. Florence Unger (Cameron Maglio) was also enjoyable to watch; she had perfect reactions to every situation, and by making her responses so dramatic, she was able to draw a laugh from the audience whenever she spoke.

Some other members of the show that were hysterical to watch were Mickey (Dominique Bethel) and Sylvie (Richa Parikh). Mickey would always have loud and theatrical reactions to either something the other girls would say or phone calls from Florence that would constantly keep the audience in an uproar, while Sylvie had many sarcastic one-liners that were amusing to hear.

Overall, this production from Deerfield Beach High School was fun to watch, and it would definitely be "odd" to miss such a great show!

Isabella Cring
Western High School
Submitted for publication to Floridatheateronstage.com

The iconic story of two polar opposites butting heads was brought to life enthusiastically and hilariously by Deerfield Beach High School in their production of "The Odd Couple- Female Version." This timeless Neil Simon play has been adapted in so many different ways, including movies, tv shows, and even a cartoon! In this adaptation, our "odd couple" are two divorced women living in New York City in the early 1990s. While many things about this version differ from the original play (Poker being replaced by Trivial Pursuit, for example), Deerfield Beach captured the original spirit of the show with grace, charm, and hilarity.

Our show begins with Olive Maddison (Maya Quinones) playing Trivial Pursuit with her friends, and getting a call that one of their friends has just left her 14 year marriage, and is planning on killing herself. The women aren't too concerned, as it is very in character for Florence (Cameron Maglio) to be a little dramatic. The women prepare for Florence to arrive, flustering about to try and appear normal. They fail hilariously, but Florence hardly notices. Maglio's melodramatic entrance was very funny and captivating. Every move she made in that scene had the audience in stitches. After some not-so-subtle suggestions by Florence, Olive offers to have Florence come live with her. It was a decision she lived to regret.

Olive is the classic Type B woman- she likes sports, take-out, and being a mess. Her apartment in the first act is a train wreck- food and clothes everywhere. But it doesn't bother her- she likes who she is and how she lives. Quinones played this character with confidence and consistency. Her New York accent never wavered and added depth to her character. Her physicality was captivating and all of her acting was incredibly natural. I felt like I was intruding on a real life moment whenever she spoke. Florence (Maglio) was the stereotypical Type A- a retired housewife who is passionate about cooking, cleaning, and being a nag. Her lanky body and pixie haircut suited her character perfectly. While sometimes diction was an issue, she was always funny- even when she wasn't speaking. The two ladies' chemistry was always on and always natural.

The characters were always in the light, and with only a few exceptions, they could usually be heard fine. The set was beautiful and thorough, leaving nothing to the imagination. There were no real set changes during the show, so that added to the feeling of reality: the spell was never broken or interrupted. A couple of times, I completely forgot I was even watching a play.

This production of "The Odd Couple- Female Version" was incredible- definitely a show I would see again. This adorable and relatable show was just a ball of fun and I couldn't recommend it more.

Hannah Maister
Pine Crest School
Submitted for publication to The Forum

The Female Odd Couple

What do you get when you stuff two very different divorced women, several games of Trivial Pursuit, and flying plates of linguini all in the same apartment? The answer is Deerfield Beach High School's production of Neil Simon's The Female Odd Couple. In this female telling of the classic story, the audience goes on a journey with a very "odd couple" of friends who help each other through their complicated love lives, friendships, and differences, ultimately changing each other for the better.

In 1985, Neil Simon revised The Odd Couple for a female cast. The Female Odd Couple was based on the same story line and same lead characters, now called Florence Ungar and Olive Maddison. The poker game becomes Trivial Pursuit with their friends becoming the girlfriends. The Pidgeon sisters become the Costazuela brothers, Manolo and Jesus. The Female Odd Couple opened on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on June 11, 1985, and closed on February 23, 1986.

Olive Maddison, played by Maya Quinones, did a fabulous job with her role and connecting with it. Her appearance fully fit the description of her character, which is messy and unkempt. She really did a nice job embodying the role and had great chemistry with each character in the play. Florence Ungar, played by Cameron Maglio, did an amazing job as the polar opposite of Olive. Her uptight personality was also perfectly shown through Maglio's actual appearance. Her presence was great and often got laughs from the audience for sometimes doing things that weren't necessarily written to be funny. Both leads did an outstanding job.

All of the friends in the group of Trivial Pursuit players were very funny and also had great chemistry with each other. Mickey, played by Dominique Bethel, stood out the most with her pacing and hilarious lines. Both of the Costazuela brothers, Manolo (Marcel Elkouri) and Jesus (Dylan Hershey) were very compatible and played off of each other very well and were essential to help move the story along. Both did a great job.

It was very impressive that the actors did not have microphones and just projected for the whole show. There were overhanging microphones, however, that did pick up sound, but at times it was very hard to hear the actors. The long set changes were helped along with music from the time period, which was very enjoyable for the audience.

Overall, this production of The Female Odd Couple was very enjoyable and definitely had the audience smiling by the end. The cast did a wonderful job of taking the audience on the journey of this "odd couple's" friendship.