Boat Club Productions’ sold-out opening night audience’s reactions clearly showed that Neil Simon’s classic 1965 play The Odd Couple continues to have plenty of laughs to offer today. With its rapid-fire lines, hysterical physical comedy, and indelible characters, the Boat Club’s first show in their new season set the bar for the rest of the year.
Many in the audience seemed familiar with the story of the completely mismatched pair of friends, Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar, who live together when Felix’s wife kicks him out. Others (particularly the younger members of the crowd) had never seen the adaptations of the movie and the TV shows, or the original play before, and thoroughly enjoyed Simon’s brilliance as a playwright and the strong performances onstage.
Dan Prevette as Oscar Madison, a slovenly sportswriter, is a commanding presence on stage, both for his 6’7” frame and his top-notch acting. He hits all of his punch lines convincingly and believably shows his mounting hysteria as Felix’s obsessive/compulsiveness drives him over the edge. Prevette’s comic timing and body language are always on point.
While Chris Ibarra looks young for the role of the neurotic, hypochondriac Felix Ungar, his delivery and facial expressions sell Felix’s despair well. Even in scenes without dialogue, such as when he is setting the table for a dinner party, his character’s ridiculous attention to every minute detail shows his perfectionism perfectly.
While their English accents are a bit inconsistent, their colorful period costumes and hair, their priceless expressions, and their over-the-top, annoying tittering made them an audience favorite. (I would love to see them in the all-female version of The Odd Couple! Next season, Boat Club?)
Although Hoole was much younger than the rest of the poker buddies and looked like he could be the son of one of the players, the constantly bickering pals are an important part of the show’s success.
The timing of the overlapping dialogue and at times frenetic action is well paced thanks to Peter Froehlingsdorf’s crisp direction. With a full stage of furniture, junk, and trash in Oscar’s apartment, Froehlingsdorf had to expertly choreograph the wild action of some of the scenes to give his actors clear acting spaces.
The original 1965 New York review of the play described The Odd Couple as “an evening of group hysteria” and “an astutely characterized study in incompatibility.” Boat Club’s production hits the mark, both on the wild group hysteria and the character incompatibility, but also shows the caring of an eclectic batch of characters who do genuinely care about each other.
More Information about The Odd Couple
April 23-25 7:30 pm | April 26 2:00 pm
Spirit of the North Theatre, Fitger’s Complex – 3rd Floor
Box Office Phone Number: (218) 623-7065
Boat Club website boatclubrestaurant.com
Boat Club 2026 Season
Go Dog Go! May 27-30, 2026
Elementary school matinees at 10:30 am and 1 pm on May 27-29 for elementary school groups. Contact jason@boatclubrestaurant.com for ticket information
May 30-31 at 2 pm for general attendance.
P.D. Eastman’s classic children’s book comes to life on stage when dogs “delve into life with gusto, creating a visual spectacle for the audience to feast upon. They snorkel. They howl at the moon. They ride a Ferris wheel. They sing, dance, and climb trees. This is a rollicking free-for-all and a big and little musical world of doggy fun.”
Ole & Lena’s Wedding Dinner Theatre June 11-20, 2026
June 11-13 7:30 pm | June 14 2:00 pm
June 18-19 7:30 pm | June 20 2:00 pm
“Ole Olafsson Jr., a Norwegian, and Lena Handspringinnen, a Finn, are getting married at their local Lutheran Church. Of course, their nuptials go down about as nicely as a mouthful of Lutefisk.” After the chaotic wedding service, the guests go to the wedding reception next door and a chance to eat and dance the Hokey Pokey, the Chicken Dance, and the Polka.”
Church Basement Ladies October 1-11, 2026
October 1-3 7:30 pm | October 4 2:00 pm
October 9-10 7:30 pm | October 11 2:00 pm
“Church Basement Ladies is a heartwarming and comedic musical that takes place in a small Midwestern town. The story revolves around a group of women who tirelessly work behind the scenes in the church basement, preparing food and organizing events for the congregation. Four ladies form a tight-knit sisterhood as they navigate the joys and challenges of their roles in the church community.”
Regional Premiere of the musical Come From Away December 3-13, 2026
December 3-5 7:30 pm | December 5-6 2:00 pm
December 10-12 7:30 pm | December 12-13 2:00 pm
“What began as an average day in the town of Gander, Newfoundland, turned into an international sleepover when 38 planes, carrying thousands of people from around the globe, were diverted to Gander’s airstrip on September 11, 2001. Undaunted by culture clashes and language barriers, the people of Gander welcomed the stranded travelers with music, an open bar, and the recognition that we’re all part of a global family.”
