Reviving 'The Odd Couple': A new play revisits Neil Simon’s classic story

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. How do you make a play from the 1960s relevant to the audience today? It is with this idea that director Ajai Kesavan set out to revisit Neil Simon’s iconic play,The Odd Couple. The production, put together by theatre company Fools & Sages, follows the lives of two roommates who are polar opposites—Oscar, a carefree sportswriter, and Felix, an obsessively tidy man separated from his wife.

Simon’s play first premiered on Broadway in 1965, after which it was revived as a film in 1968 and then as a television series in the 1970s. Since then there have been several attempts at revisiting the story line. The version by Fools & Sages, to be staged in Bengaluru between 15-17 November at the Jagriti Theatre, taps into the story’s universal appeal about the struggles and quirks of these mismatched friends.

This production is significant for another reason—the production company returns to stage after an eight-year hiatus, thus marking a new chapter in its journey. The Odd Couple resonates with Kesavan on a rather personal level, and he believes that there is a bit of both Oscar and Felix in him. “I’m close to the characters’ ages, so I relate to their perspectives.

Many close friends and family members have gone through breakups or divorces, and the emotional turmoil in those situations feels almost universal," he says. Also read: ‘Prithvi Theatre Festival’: Faezeh Jalali brings a tragic comedy to stage The play still speaks to a lot of modern-day relationship dynamics. Especially with the isolation of the covid-pandemic and the role of technology and social media in changing the fabric of social interactions, there is a certain palpable sense of loneliness and a search for connection.