Volunteers bring 'The Odd Couple' to life in community theater production

By Karl Weisel (Wiesbaden Family and MWR)May 21, 2018

Volunteers bring 'The Odd Couple' to life in community theater production
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Volunteers bring 'The Odd Couple' to life in community theater production
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Volunteers bring "The Odd Couple" to life in community theater production
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WIESBADEN, Germany - They say living together may be one of life's hardest challenges.

For seemingly mismatched friends Olive and Florence that tension is the cause for an evening of non-stop laughs at Wiesbaden's Amelia Earhart Playhouse.

"The original 'Odd Couple' debuted in 1965 on Broadway," said the show's director Sterling Munro. "Twenty years later -- in 1985 -- Neil Simon revised it and put it on Broadway again with a female cast."

Like in the original stage, movie and television versions featuring tightly-wound Felix Ungar and easy-going Oscar Madison, the updated cast version brings recently separated homemaker Florence Ungar together with divorced television producer Olive Madison. They are joined by a hilarious cast of friends who gather regularly in Olive's New York apartment for evenings of Trivial Pursuit (updated from the original Poker sessions), jokes, smokes and motor-mouth, smack-talking conversation.

Munro said he found an original copy of the Trivial Pursuit game from the '80s on ebay to help make the comedy as authentic as possible. Neil Simon is responsible for the comic tension that continues to evolve between the seemingly incompatible apartment-mates.

"We decided to do this show as the finale for the season," said the director, who has appeared in several past productions at the Playhouse including "Annie" and "James and the Giant Peach" and was honored for his acting contributions with the prestigious Tournament of Plays Award for his work in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 2016.

"I have one of the best casts I've seen in this theater," said Munro, who is a quality assistance specialist with the Defense Contract Agency, when he isn't volunteering at the theater. "My production crew is equally great. As my first directing effort, this is an opportunity to work with some really fantastic people. It's been wonderful to see it all evolve."

Wiesbaden Amelia Earhart Playhouse volunteers were recently recognized for their efforts during the annual Installation Management Command-Europe Tournament of Plays -- hosted at the Wiesbaden Sports, Fitness and Outdoor Recreation Center.

The Playhouse received nine nominations for its recent productions -- "Peter and the Starcatcher" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" -- garnering Topper Awards for Best Actor in a Musical -- Ensemble (Adam Koehler) and Best Sound Design for a Play (Andrea Daehn).

Among the nominees was Rosie Galloway for Best Youth Performance in a Play. Rosie's mother, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brandy Galloway is the assistant director and a fellow cast member of the Playhouse's latest production, "The Odd Couple."

Galloway, who serves with the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade, said the theater is "a great form of entertainment" and gives her the chance to share her time and love of the theater with her daughters.

"I got involved during my first tour here in December 2007. I acted in 'A Christmas Carol,' she said. "During this tour of Wiesbaden I was Aunt Sponge in 'James and the Giant Peach.'"

"I really appreciate the community theater here and I wanted to learn about all of the different aspects; that's why I took the Director's Workshop," Galloway said.

"I think for those who want to try performing -- to supporting the shows from a behind-the-scenes role -- this a great opportunity," she said, adding that having the chance to work both onstage and in helping direct the play, she has developed a better understanding of how to "come up with ideas to get the best performances from the actors. It's a different perspective."

"The Odd Couple," which opened May 18, continues with performances on June 1-3 and 8-10. Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students ages 12-18 and $8 for children ages 5-11. They can be purchased at the Amelia Earhart Playhouse or the Wiesbaden Arts and Crafts Center.