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Show V There's no need to leave the Basin for excellent theatrical entertainment this summer. Bottle Hollow Dinner Theatre's The Odd Couple has it. A crowd of 104 people awarded the cast a standing ovation eight-perso- n Thursday, July 16, for their opening night performance. The evening began at 7 p.m. with a buffet-styl-e dinner. A variety of foods and service was patrons, greeted wsrm and friendly, as well as efficient A comfortable, contented audience sat back to enjoy the play after a fine meaL The curtain opened on Director Nels Carlson's version of Neil Simons The Odd Couple at 8 p.m. Ward Hicks and Kit Anderton shined in their roles as Felix and Oscar, two men who are both divorced, but have little else in common. Hicks' portrayal of Felix brought laughter from the audience again and again as he ran around cooking, cleaning, and crying. He was perfectly frail, nervous, upset sensitive, allergic, and all in all, impossible to live with. The audience loved him, and Oscar, of course, put up with him long as he could. "It's a character I can relate to, Hicks said after the show. I really enjoy it. Kit Anderton was strong and consistent in his role as Oscar. Tve never really played anything quite like this part before," he said, I really enjoy it He is the sloppy, inconsiderate, slob Oscar should be, in a way that at first seems deplorable. But as the plot progresses, he becomes more likeable and understandable; not because his character changes much, but because Anderton relates well to the audience. His ability to portray feeling through facial expressions is one of his strong points. He puts on more faces during the production than you can count, and each me is equally as resdable to the audience. By the end of the first act, Oscar had won over the audience as he invites Felix to move in with him because he cant stand living alone. Felix first refuses, but finally Tm accepts, as Oscar shouts, proposing to you. Whst do you want -a ring?I After Felix moves in, the audience sees a classic example of how two ' people can let each other's idiosyncrasies destroy their relationship. "Oscar and Felix have the same problems as in a marriage," Hicks commented. Carlson said the play is about marriage and divorce and "how not to do them." He described it as "a serious The Odd Couple -- worth it! study in communication, it creates a constant humor and yet an afterthought of truth in society today." Carlsons description proves true as Felix and Oscar annoy one another to the point that Oscar cried out, "Let's get an annulment!" The Odd Couple truly is a commentary on marriage, but its text is hidden in humorous lines. The play makes you think while you're laughing. Curtis Tucker is grest as Vinnie, one of the poker players who meet weekly in Oscars apartment. He is Vinnie on the stage, so you forget that he's really Curtis Tucker. He is at home with his part, and his timing is excellent His part though small, becomes one of the more memorable ones because of Tuckers performance. Murray, the cop (Kip Gardner), is Thursday, July 23. 1981 Oscar likeable as a concerned friend and worrier. J.R. (Chunky) Murray and Darrell Jones are good in their roles as Roy and Speed, two more poker players. The English Pigeon sisters, played by Mary Lee Anderton and Mieki Sue G lines, are vital to the at ory as Felix1 first contact with women since his separation from his wife. They do well with their London accent and change moods with admirable speed. Their antics bring smiles from the audience and fear from Felix. One of the show's strongest points, aside from the acting, is the precise timing. The show moves rapidly enough to keep interest peaking, but not so rppidly that lines are missed. ' Scenery and props are appropriate, d and believable. For example, since the play takes place in well-planne- 18 reads an actual New York City, issue of the New York Times during me scene. One problem with the production is the seating arrangement. The stage sits only a little above the rest of the level floor. In order to see, unless you're on the front row, you have to look between heads. But there are only four rows of tables, so there are really no bad seats in the house. The entire event Ukes about three and a half hours, and tickets are $140, S1&50 and S12.50, and well worth it In fact, it's a show worth seeing twice. It reslly only takes one word to describe Bottle Hollow's The Odd Couple: Professional. Remaining performances are July 24. 25, 8L Aug. 1. 7. 8, 13. 14. 21, 22, 28, 29, and September 4. 5. u Watches his roommate, Oscar, deliberately mess up their freshly cleaned apartment in Bottle Hollow's "The Odd Couple." Felix (right) is played by Ward Hicks, and Oscar is played by Kit Anderton. AN INDIGNANT FELIX Humor, work part of show Every night that Bottle Hollow Dinner Theatre presents The Odd Couple, the audience watches, laughs at, and enjoys the program, but they have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. "Sometimes the show backstage is funnier thsn what's on stage, said Nels Carlson, director. "Somethings always going wrong, continued. "Someones alwsys coning up to me and saying, Whst do good news or the you want first-t-he bad newsf I always say, apare me. Carlson said that now the company has put on a few shows, the deadlines have all been met and the cast and crew can enjoy the ahow more. "We he V .1 ' 4 ' 4 V V -- v K provided by: Duchesne Area Chamber of Commerce A' -- A 7.00-9:00a- m k Children .$ Adults. $2.00 Family. $ 10.00 I 00 MIXED Roy Park 9:00 am 5:30-7:30p- m mu Oitrn Jvpp C iineii .vtririin'b e. Children. Strawberry River South of SoJ -'o Adult?. -- 10:00am CHILDRENS PARADE WARD HOUSE - ROY smoothly." During one scene in the show, Oscar throws a plateful of linguini off stage. There is a garbage can back there to catch the plate, but one night during rehearsal, "When Oscar threw the linguini off stage," Carlson said, "it missed the trssh can and got all over Chunky (Murray) and Alice (Hall) the prop mistress. Ward Hicks, who plays the part of Felix, said, "When you're doing a production or rehearsal, you never know what will happen." Several times throughout the show, Oscar "backs up FeUx all over the stage. You can't see when you're backing up, Hicks said. "Sometimes he backs me right off the stage. At me rehearsal shortly after the furniture for the set hadjbeen set up, Carlson wsrned cast members to be careful with the furniture because it was borrowed. "Right after he got through saying that, Hicks said, "someone knocked into a lamp and it crashed into a thousand pieces." Felix gets hit in the face with water during one act, and once when it hit "I had my mouth wide open, ready to say a line, and it went right in my mouth. I gargled the line and it took me a moment to get my breath," Hicks said. It was a perfect shot I never know where that water's going to go." A lot of technical mistakes like the ringing at the wrong time and Kne cues getting mixed up are common, but Hicks said they've presented no problems so for in this production. The "backstage people are an important part of the production, according to Hicks. "We couldn't do it without them." Those are the people who set up the props between scenes, mske sure the scenery is just right for esch act, and help actors dress when there are fast changes. You ean't see backstage sometimes, Hicks said. "One time during a fast change, I had a Hue suit on and they brown coat on me. He caught it before he went on stage. "Youve got to be on your toes all the time," he said. "You've got to be ready every second. But the esst makes it fun, according to Hicks. The cast is just super. They're great to work with. Mary Lee Anderton, who plays the part of one of the Pigeon sisters, agrees. "Everybody gets along. We've been very lucky in this show, she said. "If everybody doesn't work you don't hove a ahow. You need that unity. It has to be a team project, so to speak. Being in a show like The Odd Couple" isn't easy. The thing that people don't realize ia how much dedication it takes, Anderton said. "We rehearsed six nights a week for at least three hours a night from the first of June. That's a lot of hours to be there. Neb Carlson explained that before any perfecting can go iqjto the show, it takes a while for the cast to learn their lines. "At first we just kept grueling on lines, he said. "Then we can go on. People see the finished product and they don't know how much work goes ea on FJSHM just have to keep everything moving Roy Park 8:00pm JULY 23824 A Family mvm Fairgrounds PARK .$ 1.50 $ 3 .00 .$ lO.OO into after l:00-3:00p- m MEET Pool Faira rounds it "Mary Lee was really sick last week, Carlson said, "now Kit's sick." Mary Lee Anderton and Kit Anderton, who b east as Oscar, are married. Mary Lee had a temperature of 101 opening night, and she hsd pleurisy. The second night I couldn't bugh, she said, "but the show must go on." After rehearsing funny lines for weeks, they "cease to be funny Carbon said, "until you get an audience. Then it's a whob new show again. TVs a lot of work," Hicks said. "It's worth it once you get it put together. The audience makes it live makes it exciting. - |