Reprise! Broadway’s Best
Special Event
by Neil Simon
A staged reading starring
Martin Short Jason Alexander
Two Performances Only!
Friday, January 25 and Saturday, January 26
Wadsworth Theatre
Martin Short and Jason Alexander will star in a staged reading of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” for two performances only, January 25 and 26, at the Wadsworth Theatre. Short and Alexander are reunited for the first time since they appeared in the Los Angeles production of the hit musical “The Producers” and their appearance in what is perhaps Broadway’s best known comedy, marks one of the few times that two well known stars have appeared on a Los Angeles stage in the show.
Short and Alexander both have great experience playing Neil Simon - Short starred the Broadway musical of "The Goodbye Girl" and the Roundabout Theatre revival of "Little Me" while Alexander appeared on Broadway in Simon's "Broadway Bound," and in the very first Reprise! show "Promises, Promises."
“The Odd Couple” is a special event of the 2007-2008 season from Reprise! Broadway’s Best, which is headed by Mr. Alexander who is its artistic director.
It was always thought that Neil Simon, who had previously scored a Broadway triumph the season before with “Barefoot in the Park,” took his inspiration from his comedy-writer brother Danny Simon, who became roommates with theatrical agent Roy Gerber after recent divorces.
James Robert Parish in his Mel Brooks biography “It’s Good to Be the King” noted that Simon also could have also observed at close range the three months that writer Speed Vogel lived as roommates with Mel Brooks, who was separated from his first wife. Later of course Simon took his brother Danny and his own family as the inspiration for “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Broadway Bound.”
During its original Broadway run of 966 performances, “The Odd Couple” won the Tony Awards for Best Play (1965), Best Director Mike Nichols and Best Actor Walter Matthau, who playing opposite Art Carney, fully established his career as a major American actor. The very successful film was made with Matthau repeating his stage triumph opposite Jack Lemmon, followed by an even more successful television series with Jack Klugman, who had originally replaced Matthau on Broadway, and Tony Randall. Immediately following the last season of the primetime series, two animated dogs – Spiffy, voiced by Frank Nelson and Fleabag, voiced by Paul Winchell -- were “The Oddball Couple,” seen on Saturday mornings for two years. Later a second TV series that paired Ron Glass and Desmond Wilson ran for 13 episodes.
In the mid-eighties and two seasons ago “The Odd Couple” went back to Broadway - first with Sally Struthers and Rita Moreno in the leads, and more recently with
The next to the last opening of the 1964-1965 season was “Flora, the Red Menace,” producer-director Harold Prince’s third Broadway musical of the season (he also produced “Fiddler on the Roof” and directed “Baker Street,” a short lived musical about Sherlock Holmes). “Flora” is the final attraction of the 2007-2007 Reprise! Broadway’s Best season May 6 to 18 (press opening May 7), which also includes “Li’l Abner” February 5 to 17, 2008 (press opening February 5).
“The Odd Couple” will have two readings Friday, January 25 at 8 pm and Saturday, January 26 at 8 pm at the Wadsworth Theatre,
About The Cast
Martin Short, born in
Award), in the Encores! Series in Neil Simon’s Promises, Promises and in Fame Becomes Me. In
In 1982, he joined the “SCTV Comedy Network” where his work garnered an Emmy Award. Short's ability as a comedic chameleon brought him to "Saturday Night Live,” where his standout performances included Ed Grimley, Jackie Rogers Jr., legendary songwriter Irving Cohen and lawyer Nathan Thurm. He co-wrote, produced and starred in three highly acclaimed television comedy specials: "Martin Short's Concert for the North Americas" (Ace Award); "I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood" (Ace Award); and "The Show Formerly Known As The Martin Short Show” (Emmy Award). He co-starred in the miniseries “Merlin” (Emmy nomination) and “Alice in Wonderland” as the Mad Hatter. In the fall of 1999 he hosted the daily “The Martin Short Show” (nine Emmy nominations). From 2001-2003, Short co-wrote, produced and starred as star-interviewer extraordinaire Jiminy Glick in “Primetime Glick” (Emmy nomination).
Short made the jump to the big screen in 1986 with Three Amigos and Innerspace. Among his other films are Three Fugitives, The Big Picture, Clifford, Father of the Bride (1 & 2), Mars Attacks and Jiminy Glick in La La Wood. In 1994, Short was awarded
Jason Alexander is probably best known for his 9 year, award–winning stint as George Costanza on the hit TV series, “Seinfeld”. However, those who know him only as George will be surprised to learn of his extensive background as an actor, director, producer and writer. Besides “Seinfeld” his television credits include: Bob Patterson (prod./co-creator); Listen Up (prod.); the TV films of Bye Bye Birdie, The Man Who Saved Christmas, Cinderella, and A Christmas Carol; guest appearances on “Newhart,” “Friends,” “Monk,” “Star Trek-Voyager,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and multiple episodes of the animated series “Duckman,” “Aladdin,” “Dilbert” and “Dinosaurs.”
His film credits include: Pretty Woman;
On the
For further information on Reprise! Broadway’s Best, please visit www.reprise.org
Tickets go on sale November 26 and may be purchased online at ticketmaster.com, by phone at 213-365-3500 or 714-740-7878, or by visiting a Ticketmaster outlets, and at the Wadsworth Box Office, Located on
