Colusa Stagehands ‘The Odd Couple’ to feature improved lighting, sound system
Colusa Stagehands will present the classic Neil Simon comedy, The Odd Couple, beginning Friday, April 5 and running through April 14 at The Stagehands Theater at the Colusa County Fairgrounds.
Audiences will benefit from a newly installed and upgraded sound system, as well as additional lighting and an upgraded stage.
“We’re very excited to be performing this classic comedy, which has been a part of our popular culture for decades and has delighted audiences since it first hit Broadway in 1965, spawning a successful film in
1968 and a television series in the 1970s,” said Lora Weekes, who is directing the Stagehands play.
“Many of our audience members will be familiar with these lovable characters, including sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison, his neatfreak, neurotic friend Felix Ungar, along with Murray the cop, the bubbly-but-ditzy Pigeon 0$,17(1$1&(
Sisters, and others,” Weekes added. “We think our audiences will really enjoy this show, especially with the theater’s new sound system and improved lighting.”
The cast includes local actors Greg Ponciano, J.P. Cativiela, Thomas Roach, Pat Kittle, Mark Tomey, Daniel E. St. James, Kelli Randolph, and Lora Weekes.
Performances take place at 7:15 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (April 5, 6, 12, and 13) with matinees at 2:15 p.m. on Sundays, April 7 and April 14. Tickets are $15 at the door
($10 for children and students).
The Stagehands have entertained local audiences for 55 years. The group staged its first production, Curious Savage, on November 14, 1969, at what was then the Colusa Junior High School Auditorium.
After incorporating as a non-profit in 1971, the group raised funds to establish a new theater at the county fairgrounds in the former (and by then seldom-used) Junior Exhibit building.
The group held its first performance at the newly constructed theater in 1975 and two years later, they gave their first performance of the The Odd Couple.
Nearly 30 years later, Stagehands reprised The Odd Couple in 2004, that time performing an updated version with a female cast (where, coincidentally, the director of this year’s production, Weekes, played Florence Unger).
This April’s Stagehands performance returns to the original 1965 script for the play, so audience members will be reminded how much has changed since that time, including prices: The characters refer to a pack of cigarettes costing 38 cents, a newspaper costing a dime, and an excursion out for a fancy dinner costing 30 or 40 dollars for a party of four. The play also reminds us of changes in social habits, such as men referring to grown women as “girls” and people commonly smoking cigarettes indoors in social situations.
Over the years,
The Stagehands have produced a diverse set of performances, ranging from original children’s plays like
Our Imaginary Friends and Charlotte’s Web, to murder mysteries such as Ten Little Indians, comedies including A Doublewide Texas Christmas, Arsenic and Old Lace, Lend
Me a Tenor, Rumors, and Plaza Suite, and ambitious musical productions ranging from Guys and Dolls, Finian’s Rainbow, and Hello, Dolly! to The Sound of Music, The Music Man, South Pacific, and Oklahoma!
Devin Kelley, who chairs the theater’s nonprofit organization, said with changes in technology and aging of the theater’s systems over the years, it was time for an upgrade in the sound and lighting.
“We had a wonderful opportunity to invest a moderate portion of our limited funds, supplemented with donated lighting equipment and labor, to accomplish this upgrade,” Kelley said. “Our board recognized that it is important to update our equipment from time to time, so we can continue to provide a wonderful experience for our local audiences. We urge everyone in the community to see our latest production, to become involved in our theater productions onstage or backstage, or to simply become a supporting member of The Stagehands and to get on our mailing list. This kind of support helps ensure that the community theater our town has enjoyed for 55 years will continue to thrive, for at least another 55 years.”
The Stagehands are also pursuing further upgrades to the theater, with plans to update the buildings heating and air conditioning system.