Jo Anne Worley and Cindy Williams Star in Surflight's The Odd Couple; Complete Cast Announced

By Michael Gioia
03 Aug 2011

Cindy Williams
Cindy Williams
Photo by Aubrey Reuben

New Jersey's Surflight Theatre presents the female version of Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple, starring television favorites Jo Anne Worley ("Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In") and Cindy Williams ("Laverne & Shirley"), beginning Aug. 4.

Directed by Billy Van Zandt, The Odd Couple (Female Version) will run through Aug. 21 and also features June Gable (Candide) as Sylvie, Lynne Marie Stewart (The Pee-wee Herman Show) as Vera, Sandy Rosenberg (Mamma Mia!) as Mickey, Megan Thomas as Renee, Ruben Ortiz as Jesus Costazuela and Jonathan Weiner as Manolo Costazuela.

In The Odd Couple, according to press notes, "even the best of friends can make the worst of roommates. Messy Olive Madison (Williams) and neat freak Florence Unger (Worley) come to live together following their respective failed marriages. Along for the ride are a circle of Trivial Pursuit-playing friends and a pair of neighbor brothers recently arrived from Spain."

Members of the creative team include scenic designer/technical director Charlie Smith, costume coordinator Caitlin Reed, lighting designer Marciel Greene, sound designer Nevin Steinberg, sound engineer Tae Jong Park and production stage manager Bill Gilinsky.

Neil Simon's The Odd Couple premiered on Broadway in 1965. After its long run on Broadway, The Odd Couple was turned into a film in 1968 and then became a popular television series on ABC running from 1970 to 1975, starring Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. In 1985 Simon responded to the continued popularity of his odd pair by writing a female version for Broadway, in which all the characters' genders were reversed.

Surflight Theatre is located at 201 Engleside Avenue, Beach Haven, NJ. For more information and tickets, call (609) 492-9477 or visit www.surflight.org.