Washington Post - Recommended
"...So the show leans on nuances of character and situation, the undercurrent of absurdity and ache of men without women . . . and yet the laws of comedy are still in play. Whiddon choreographs wonderfully intricate cleaning business for Shiffman's restless Felix, who gives a sprightly rhythm to the show as he purposefully bustles in and out of the kitchen's swinging door. Lise Bruneau and Helen Pafumi are giggly delights as the Pigeon sisters, the lusty English lassies of the second act (of three); with their mod-colored dresses and broad double-entendres, they seem to have traipsed in from an Austin Powers movie."
Washington Examiner - Highly Recommended
"...One reason certain Neil Simon comedies can be performed season after season without boring us is that Simon is the Jane Austen of modern New York conversation: He understands dialogue. And when a group of seasoned actors, like those currently at Theater J, gather to perform Simon’s “The Odd Couple,” the art of conversation takes over, wooing the audience with its quick, sharp-witted patter."
MetroWeekly - Recommended
"...The play is about relationships and marriage and the immense pressures felt when the person you love more than anyone else in the world is also the only person capable of pushing you to the point of committing murder. Simon was not only thinking about what it was that brought a family together, but how to deal with things when it was torn apart."
WeLoveDC - Highly Recommended
"...The play’s success has created an Odd Couple franchise that has resulted in two films and a notable TV series. Theater J pays homage to Simon’s comedy with the original version of the show that results in a trip back in time. The entertaining romp still makes audiences laugh today as it did back in 1965. At the center of it all are stars Rick Foucheux and J Fred Shiffman whose performances as Oscar and Felix are a must-see."
Washington City Paper - Somewhat Recommended
"...There’s more business of all sorts, I should note, than in most of what passes for full-length comedy these days. At three acts and two-hours-twenty, The Odd Couple makes the modern one-act seem like a sitcom; its rhythms are more relaxed, its situational setups more unhurried. That opening poker banter? It seems like forever before we actually meet Oscar and Felix, and it’s well into the second act before their head-butting really rises to truly anarchic heights."
Washingtonian - Highly Recommended
"...Neil Simon is a very funny guy. His comedy about two middle-age divorced men living together in New York City was a smash on Broadway, spawned both a hit movie and a long-running TV series, and still tickles the funny bone. Never was a better marriage made in humor heaven than the union of Felix Unger and Oscar Madison. Now it’s onstage again at DC’s Theater J."
BrightestYoungThings - Recommended
"...Nothing is forced for a laugh on Theater J's stage. Instead, the actors seem to gracefully adapt the characters to fit their own chemistry. Rick Foucheux doesn’t try to overplay his hand as Oscar (the masculine foil to J. Fred Shiffman’s Felix). Shiffman does an amazing job playing a neurotic, anal-retentive sissy without going overboard and making the whole audience want to jump out a window with him. Shiffman and Foucheux’s understated performances allow their relationship to naturally evolve. Rather than just laughing at the tumultuous tension that exists between the two characters, the audience is able to invest itself in the bond they share as two lonely men trying to figure life out without their families. When I wasn’t giggling at Shiffman’s antics, I was rooting for their arrangement to work out."
Washington Jewish Week - Highly Recommended
"...Director Jerry Whiddon handles his high-octane cast of Washington actors -- Rick Foucheux as Oscar, J. Fred Shiffman as Felix, and the rest of a stellar assortment -- like a masterful choreographer: Every line, nod, pregnant pause, annoyed shrug or sniffle has its moment."
Two Hours Traffic - Recommended
"...So here’s the thing – I did not particularly enjoy Theater J’s production of The Odd Couple. BUT, what you need to know is that my lack of enjoyment stems completely from my personal preferences about theatre and not due to any fault in the cast or crew. On the contrary, I can recognize that this is a superbly directed and acted production. I can pretty much guarantee that every person in the world would like this production more than I did, but that’s simply because Neil Simon’s humor is too innocent, the set up too formulaic for me. When the rest of the audience guffawed, I merely cracked a smile. That being said, I must tell you that this production does everything right."
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
Oscar Madison (Rich Foucheux) and Felix Ungar (J. Fred Shiffman) are not stock comic characters, cranky and neurotic in turn, but unhappy men with deep emotional problems, who are as dependent on each other as partners in a three-legged race.
