In this ‘Odd Couple,’ the genders are flipped but the laughs are the same

Once over dinner years ago, playwright Neil Simon reportedly was asked if he could name a famous actor who hadn’t appeared in “The Odd Couple.”

Simon, who penned the classic tale of two polar opposite friends, jokingly said Elizabeth Taylor.

Then, he was inspired.

“It occurred to him that he could re-write (the play) for two women,’ said Michael Kelley, who’s directing a local production of Simon’s female version.

The Richland Players show opens Friday.

“You’ll recognize the characters, but you won’t recognize the lines, which is great. It’s like a brand-new new play,” Kelley told the Herald.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7-8 and 14-15, and at 2 p.m. Sept. 9 and 16.

The show stars Cindy Juntunen as Olive Madison and Samantha Weakley as Florence Unger.

J. Spyder Isaacson and Michael Aardal take on the roles of the Constanzuela brothers.

While Kelley is making his Richland Players debut with the show, he’s far from a theater novice. He’s been a professional theater director since the early 1970s, helming more than 120 productions.

He ran a theater in the Seattle area for years, working with his wife, the actress Melissa Timms, and his brother Roger, a musical and technical director.

They both died in recent years.

After their loss, theater was painful work, and Kelley left the West Side, settling in the Tri-Cities.

But he eventually found his way to Richland Players.

It’s been rewarding to connect with the group, he said.

“I am now finding that what I enjoyed about theater in the very beginning – well over 40 years ago – is what I’m enjoying now,” he told the Herald.

It’s the “simple stuff” of helping actors to breakthroughs, of creating something together, he said.

The Players’ production is a lot of fun, he said.

The cast and crew are dedicated and skilled. “You can hear it in my voice, I’m proud of them,” Kelley said.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, seniors and military service members.

The theater is at 608 The Parkway.