The Fussy Side of Friendship

You might have noticed a new sitcom is coming out starring Kelsey Grammar and Martin Lawrence. It’s an Odd Couple-inspired thing with the potential to pound a final nail in the coffin for Neil Simon’s 1965 hit play. That singular piece of theater has served as plot fodder for everything...

By Jennifer Davis-Lam

March 21, 2013

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

You might have noticed a new sitcom is coming out starring Kelsey Grammar and Martin Lawrence. It’s an Odd Couple-inspired thing with the potential to pound a final nail in the coffin for Neil Simon’s 1965 hit play. That singular piece of theater has served as plot fodder for everything from the dial to the screen, from Breaking Bad to 48 Hours. Still, most of those copies are just that: watered-down versions of the original. No buddy situation plays on tension as well as Simon’s fussy friendship between Felix and Oscar. If you’ve never seen The Odd Couple, you owe Neil Simon the royalties. The Dallas Theater Center does justice to the hilarious little play about Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison -- two good friends who make terribly mismatched roommates -- in its production at the Wyly Theater, 2400 Flora St. Pay tribute to the seminal buddy comedy at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets range from $15 to $66. The show runs until April 14. Pick your seat at dallastheatercenter.org.
Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 2 p.m.; Tuesdays-Thursdays, Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Starts: March 15. Continues through April 14, 2013

KEEP THE OBSERVER FREE... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.