HERITAGE THEATRE FESTIVAL PRESENTS NEIL SIMON’S CLASSIC COMEDY THE ODD COUPLE

Show To Open July 28 and Features Longtime Heritage Fan Favorites Evan Bridenstine and John Paul Scheidler From The Popular “Tuna” Series

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – July 14, 2016 – One of the most popular comedy duos in Heritage Theatre Festival history will come together to present one of the most popular duos in American comedy history when actors Evan Bridenstine and John Paul Scheidler (known for their work in the Tuna series) return to Heritage to play Felix Unger and Oscar Madison in Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple. The show opens at the Culbreth Theatre on July 28.

Neil Simon’s comedy classic The Odd Couple takes us into the world of slovenly sportswriter Oscar Madison and fiercely fastidious Felix Unger, a pair of divorced New York roommates. The two pester, annoy, and exasperate their way to hilarity and an unlikely friendship. This beloved comedy was first seen on Broadway in 1965, then in the Oscar-nominated 1968 film with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, and then shared with millions through the hit TV sitcom starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall. The story is currently being told again in a CBS sitcom starring Matthew Perry.

The Odd Couple, by Neil Simon and directed by Dave Dalton, will be presented in

the Culbreth Theatre from July 28- 30 and August 3-6 at 7:30pm, and on July 30 at 2:30pm. Tickets for the show are $25 if purchased prior to July 28 and $30 if purchased after that date. Student tickets are $15. Single tickets for the Heritage Theatre Festival season are available at the UVA Arts Box Office (located in the lobby of the Drama Building), online at www.heritagetheatrefestival.org, or by phone at 434-924-3376.

“This show is a lot of fun,” Dalton said, “and it is hilarious in surprising ways. I think that the joke of two individuals who are so mismatched sharing the same space in some ways originated with these characters. We are so used to it now that I was actually surprised at how fresh and unexpected this comedy is.”

This freshness is only added to by having an established comedy team as his leads, Dalton said. “They are so much fun to work with, and it is great that they have such a working knowledge of each other, and are able to play off each other so effortlessly.”

Part of the rehearsal process, Dalton said, has been devoted to finding the human side of characters who have become such a part of the cultural landscape. “I see this as a hilarious comedy with a lot of heart. I think Simon does an incredible job of creating comedic archetypes that also have hearts and souls. What some might dismiss as a light comedy actually has a lot of need and desperation and seeking of fulfillment.  For all its comedy, at the heart of this play is a sort of loneliness that makes one  understand and ultimately care about these characters.”

The 2016 Heritage Theatre Festival fun will conclude with The Wonder Bread Years, a wistful and funny one-man show from Seinfeld writer Pat Hazell that celebrates life in 1970’s America, opening on August 2 in the Ruth Caplin Theatre.

The Heritage Theatre Festival is hosted by the University of Virginia Department of Drama, and the Heritage 2016 Season is presented by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the UVA Department of Drama, the University of Virginia College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts.

The Heritage Theatre Festival’s production of The Odd Couple is supported by C-VILLE Weekly.

Parking for Heritage Theatre Festival performances is available at the Culbreth Road Parking Garage, conveniently located alongside the theaters.

To access photos of this production, visit https://virginia.box.com/s/o2zbn6gu1owkikjahc4bhliqsv5lqw9d

For more information on Heritage’s 2016 summer season, visit heritagetheatrefestival.org.