By Harry Haun
28 Oct 2005

Most of their conflicts fall on poker nights when Oscar's Riverside Drive apartment is overrun with card-playing cronies. In this version, they seem to be played by a law-firm: Garrett, Frechette, Bartlett and Wilkof (as in Brad, Peter, Rob and Lee). The Emmy-winning Brad Garrett and the Tony nominated Peter Frechette stand by for the two stars, and Rob Bartlett could be warming up in the bullpen as an alternate Oscar. The pad begins as a pigsty and blossoms under Felix's fastidious touch into a House Beautiful.

The after-party space at the Marriott adapted to the culinary demands of Oscar & Co. A food court of sorts was sprinkled around the vast ballroom, featuring Chinese here, deli there, sandwiches of assorted pedigree. The centerpiece for each dining table consisted of a football helmet stuffed with non-nutricious nick-nacks, baseballs and the New York Daily News sports section. One industrious seven-year-old got a baseball autograph from Lane.

The last and most glamorous arrival at the party was made by The Brodericks, he in a tux and she (Sarah Jessica Parker) in a low-cut, clean-lined Peter Soronen gown. You'd not guess from the glam she gave out, but she has been doing 14- and 15-hour days filming the movie version of Rebecca Gilman's racially charged play, Spinning Into Butter, for the film-debuting director, Mark Brokaw, and this was no exception. But she warmed to the role of Backstage Wife, while her husband posed with Lane for the papparazzi. "Matthew is amazing," she trilled. "It's a great American play, and they did a beautiful job tonight."

The two stars, butting heads for their comedy sparks, still have the stage computability that exhibited in The Producers. There's no foil like an old foil, evidently. The fast-and-furious Lane blazes with and italic timing, but Broderick has the really heavy-lifting to do—making his neatnik nebbish hold his own against Lane's tidal rage.

"It's the hardest thing that I've ever done," he is quick to confess. "It's very complicated—a big, long play. To go from suicide to joy, that's a lot to do, y'know."

Lane teases that he and Broderick are putting together a TV special so they can come at the public in three different mediums. The movie version of their Tony-winning smash, The Producers, is about to pounce, nicely synched to their current stage success.

Susan Stroman, who directed them in both versions of The Producers, is in the film's homestretch. "I've got about two more weeks of tweaking and polishing on my final mix, and I hand it over on Nov. 14. Then it opens in New York on Dec. 15, and then nationwide on Christmas Day so it'll be a lovely Christmas comedy for everyone to see.

"Nathan and Matthew's performances are extraordinary in the movie, and they were wonderful tonight. You know, I spent all day staring at their faces in the editing room. I left it to be here tonight, and here they are again. I feel I know every detail about them."

Rumor has it that Stroman is switching mediums because she has won every award the theatre can offer. It certainly seems that way lately. On Oct. 10, she won The Elan Award from dancers and choreographers in New York, and next week she is honored by Primary Stages. In between, this weekend, she heads for the University of Delaware where she will get a doctorate. "After that," she sniffs mockingly, "you can call me Dr. Stroman."

Talk about a trial by your peers. The opening night of The Odd Couple was viewed by Martin Short (who got a Tony for Simon's Little Me), Jerry Seinfeld in glasses with wife Jessica, Kathy Lee Gifford going glamorous in a coat of schoolbus yellow, Regis Philbin and Joy, Emmy winner Doris Roberts (who did Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers), Harry Evans and Tina Brown, columnists Cindy Adams (who stayed for both acts) and Lloyd Grove, "Access Hollywood"'s Pat O'Brien, Tony Danza, Brent Barrett and Gwendolyn Pigeon 40 years later: Carole Shelley.
Shelly is one of four original cast members still alive, and she is one of two original cast members still alive from Absurd Person Singular which is being revived across the street from The Odd Couple. The heads of all three major theatre chains were in attendance: Jujamcyn's Rocco Landesman, both Nederlanders (Senior and Junior) and The Shuberts' Gerald Schoenfeld. And during the arrivals a Nederlander veep, Nick Scandalios, broke ranks and photographed the arrival of The Shuberts' Phil Smith and his pretty blonde Brit wife, Trish Walsh Smith ("Tony Randall always said I was a Pigeon sister," she purred).
The Shuberts played The Odd Couple the first time around ("at the Plymouth—pardon me, the Schoenfeld," self-corrected Schoenfeld). This time it was the Nederlanders' turn, and Scandalios spent the better part of opening night smiling excessively, for some not-so-mysterious reason. "For once," he said, "I'm not at all worried about what the critics will write tomorrow. Knock yourself out, guys, right?" He smiled for miles.

Neil Simon (center) takes in the audience's applause during the opening night curtain call for The Odd Couple.
photo by Aubrey Reuben

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