The Odd Couple

Written by: Neil Simon
Directed by: Joe Mantello
Cast: Matthew Broderick (Felix Ungar), Nathan Lane (Oscar Madison), Rob Bartlett (Speed), Olivia d'Abo (Gwendolyn Pigeon), Peter Frechette (Roy), Brad Garrett (Murray), Jessica Stone (Cecily Pigeon) and Lee Wilkof (Vinnie).
Synopsis: Felix and Oscar, two divorced men, decide to share an apartment, only problem is there are as different as chalk and cheese. Felix is a hyper- allergic, fanatic for organization and cleanliness, while Oscar is a cigar-smoking, compulsive slob. The characteristics that drove each of them to leave their wives soon have them at each other's throats.
 

What the critics had to say.....

BEN BRANTLEY of the NEW YORK TIMES says �Mr. Lane is "doing" macho and slovenly; Mr. Broderick is "doing" repressed and anal-retentive. That's different from being slovenly or anal-retentive. And the gap between doing and being fatally exposes the cogs and gears of Mr. Simon's impeccably assembled comic clockwork. �
HOWARD KISSEL of the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS says "Lane falls back on his stock mannerisms - the look of outrage with a conspiratorial glance at the audience, the braying Broderick seems totally at a loss. Neither of them - nor director Joe Mantello - appears to have given any consideration to the characters Simon has written."
CLIVE BARNES of THE NEW YORK POST says "Steal tickets if you can - the chemistry's still there."
MICHAEL SOMMERS of STAR-LEDGER says "Everybody who visits "The Odd Couple" should expect a fine old time with some dear old friends."
ROMA TORRE of NY1 says "The 40-year-old �Odd Couple� has not aged terribly well, and it doesn't help that its star power is diminished by half. Still, Nathan Lane is so good he could play both parts. Pity he can't tear himself in two."
MICHAEL KUCHWARA of ASSOCIATED PRESS says "Does anyone do a comic explosion better than Nathan Lane? Not likely. And the proof of Lane's combustible expertise can be found on stage at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where the actor is erupting nightly as the perpetually sloppy Oscar Madison in a laugh-filled revival."
FRANK SCHECK of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER says "While sometimes prone to overplaying, the actor is here admirably restrained, conveying the broader aspects of Oscar's personality while remaining winningly human. His co-star is not quite as successful. Again employing the strangulated, whiny voice and spastic movements that he employed in "The Producers," Broderick delivers a performance that occasionally feels stiff and forced. "

External links to full reviews from newspapers

New York Times
New York Daily News
New York Post
Star-Ledger
NY1
Associated Press
Hollywood Reporter