Show Title: The Odd Couple
Author: Neil Simon
Director: Raugi Yu
Studio: Richmond Cultural Center
Run of show: July 17 - 27 (Richmond Cultural Center)
August 13 - 21 (Roundhouse Performance Center)

Reviewed By: Christine Lee (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada)

My interest in the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theater's production of The Odd Couple was sparked when my friend handed me Chinese invitations and informed me that Chinese subtitles would be provided during the show. While this classic play has seen many adaptations and spin-offs since its success on Broadway in 1965, the idea of incorporating an Asian-immigrant theme and having a predominantly Asian cast perform The Odd Couple is a fresh take and remarkable attempt by the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theater to be relevant to Asian-Canadian audiences in Metro Vancouver.

In The Odd Couple, obsessive neat freak Felix Ungar is divorced by his wife and with no place to go, moves in with his long-time poker buddy, the sloppy and disorganized Oscar Madison. The play centers on the chaos and hilarity that ensues as these two New York City divorcees' opposite lifestyles clash in a domestic setting. While no changes have been made to Neil Simon's original script, the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theater's interpretation of the play introduces Felix as a new Asian immigrant with a traditional Asian mindset and Oscar as a "white-washed" Asian with Western values.  

With the exception of one Caucasian actor, all the roles for The Odd Couple are performed by Asian-Canadians. The cast has an interesting multicultural heritage including Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Filipino. I found it extremely refreshing to see Asian-Canadian actors perform in non-stereotypical roles and overall they rose to the occasion splendidly. In the beginning I felt a lack of energy from Ron Yamauchi as Oscar but once his poker buddies came on stage, the play came alive. I noticed that Oscar's poker buddies came on stage with Asian music playing in the background; this is but one example of the subtle yet ubiquitous Asian theme scattered throughout the play. Other examples would be the Asian artwork in Oscar's apartment and the popular Asian snacks the actors ate. 

Tom Chin was comical as the overly anxious poker buddy Vinnie and Ed Fong gave a memorable performance as Oscar's accountant Roy. The stars of the show were undoubtedly Ron Yamauchi as Oscar and Jimmy Yi as Felix; they shared incredible chemistry in their fast and furious exchanges and brought much laughter to the audience. In the second act, Carmine Bernhardt and Lissa Neptuno were superb as Gwendolyn and Cecily Pigeon, two British sisters living in the apartment above Oscar and Felix. Their shrill laughter and silliness was greatly entertaining and brought the energy of the play even higher.

Throughout the entire play, Chinese translations were projected on a small screen above the stage using an LCD project and a laptop. Although The Odd Couple contains pop-culture comments that would not have made sense if translated directly, an excellent job was done at capturing the meaning and effect of the dialogue. I found the subtitles easy-to-read and almost completely in sync with the performances on stage. 

As an Asian-Canadian, I applaud the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre for taking a bold step in interpreting this play in a way that reflects an Asian-Canadian cultural theme. The distinctive cultural theme of the play made the production more memorable and I believe it will be an interesting experience for everyone regardless of their cultural background.