‘Odd couple’ leaves audience laughing

It was everything Mary Elder had hoped for–and more–in her directoral debut with Fort Frances Little Theatre as the cast of the “Odd Couple: the Female Version” left audiences in stitches.
Joyce McCormick and Patti Anderson led the way as “Olive” and “Florence.” Dianne Thompson, Wendy Judson, MJ Allen, and Lindsay McMillan made up the troupe of “Trivial Pursuit” diehards who joined the pair every Friday.
Combine that with two Spanish-speaking brothers for neighbours, played by Ray Maynard and Brian Hagarty, and you had the perfect recipe for comedy.
“I think it went well,” Elder said. “The audience seemed to appreciate not only the humour of the script but also the characterization of the actors.”
The original “Odd Couple,” made famous decades ago on the silver screen and later as a TV series, means stage productions often run the risk of being compared to it. But Elder said she didn’t have anyone draw any parallels.
“I think a lot of people who came to the show came to enjoy live theatre, and they came to enjoy Fort Frances Little Theatre because they attended shows in the past and they really like it,” she remarked.
“And I think people who enjoyed the ‘Odd Couple’ came to see the play and found it just as funny as the movie,” she added.
Elder said her “pre-stage jitters” came during the rehearsal process. So when the play opened last Thursday, she was quite relaxed sitting in the back of the room at the beginning thinking her job was over.
“I wasn’t nervous but I would find myself sitting rigidly, mouthing the lines with the actors,” she recalled. “I was their own quiet little cheering squad.”
Elder added she was impressed with the way the new members to the crew, both on stage and backstage, fit in, particularly McMillan and Allen.
“They were so solid in their characters,” she noted. “They were just as polished as the more seasoned actors.”
And she said it was bittersweet to see her actors take their final bow after Sunday’s matinee performance, noting she actually got a lump in her throat.
“Each and ever show I have been in, I thought, ‘Geez, let’s do one more weekend or let’s take it on the road,’” Elder said. “There’s some fairly strong bonding in the process and it’s hard to let go of that.
“But all good things come to an end,” she said. “And the end result was a pretty fun piece of theatre.”