Legacy Theatre closes its 2026 Mainstage Season with Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, directed by Eric Santagata. This production doesn’t try to drag the comedy into the present or pretend its attitudes haven’t aged. It leans into its old-school roots, complete with poker nights, burned London broil, and two divorced men who discover that living together may be harder than either marriage they left behind.
Oscar Madison’s Riverside Drive apartment is already a mess when his poker buddies arrive for their weekly game. Felix Ungar, however, is nowhere to be found. He has separated from his wife, and the men are worried about what he might do. When Felix finally walks through the door, Oscar offers him a place to stay. Putting a careless slob under the same roof as a man who can’t leave a mess alone is all Simon needs.
Ben Pitts brings an easygoing gruffness to Oscar, while Erik Bloomquist makes Felix fussy, anxious, and constantly on the verge of some new bodily crisis. His allergies, stiff neck, wounded sighs, and need to straighten everything provide a steady stream of laughs. Bloomquist keeps those details funny without letting Felix turn into a list of quirks. Pitts is at his best when Oscar’s patience finally disappears, but he never loses the concern beneath the anger. Even when these men are driving each other crazy, we believe they’ve been friends for years.
The physical comedy is some of the evening’s best work. A vacuum cleaner, a ruined meal, and a glass that may not survive an argument all get pulled into the battle between Oscar and Felix. Simon’s dialogue still moves quickly, and Stephen DePasque, Neil Fuentes, Max Evans, and Dominic Paolillo play the poker scenes with the loose familiarity of men who have been sitting around that table and repeating the same jokes for years.
Desi Amato and Penny Amara arrive like a burst of color as the Pigeon sisters, Gwendolyn and Cecily. Jimmy Johansmeyer’s outrageous costumes announce them before they’ve said a word, but the actors don’t disappear behind the clothes. They bring big personalities and terrific timing to an awkward evening with Oscar and Felix. The women are written broadly, and parts of the scene feel very much like comedy from another era, but Amato and Amara commit to every bit of it.
The play’s ideas about divorce, women, and male friendship don’t always sit comfortably in 2026. Jokes about Felix’s distress land differently now than they did when the play premiered in 1965. Santagata doesn’t try to force a modern message onto the script. He maintains a lively pace and lets the funniest moments grow from the collision between these two impossible roommates.
Jamie Burnett’s scenic design creates a wonderfully cozy apartment for Oscar to neglect and Felix to clean. It’s comfortable enough to make the mess almost inviting, but detailed enough that Felix’s fussing never feels like pointless busywork. The set also leaves plenty of room for all the chasing, cooking, cleaning, and destruction.
The Odd Couple shows every one of its 61 years in places, but the audience never stops rooting for Oscar and Felix. Pitts and Bloomquist understand that these men need each other almost as much as they irritate each other, and their friendship keeps the story alive. A few jokes may make you shake your head, but plenty can still make you laugh.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Through October 11
Legacy Theatre
128 Thimble Islands Road
Branford, CT
For tickets and information:
CAST & CREATIVE:
Neil Simon - Playwright
Eric Santagata - Director
Jamie Burnett - Scenic and Lighting Designer
Colleen Callahan - Props Designer
Jimmy Johansmeyer - Costume Designer
Michael Skinner - Sound Designer
T. Rick Jones - Production Stage Manager
Meghan Turner - Assistant Stage Manager
Diane Sobolewski - Production Photography
Stephen DePasque - Speed
Neil Fuentes - Murray
Max Evans - Roy
Dominic Paolillo - Vinnie
Ben Pitts - Oscar Madison
Erik Bloomquist - Felix Ungar
Desi Amato - Gwendolyn Pigeon
Penny Amara - Cecily Pigeon