The setting is San Diego instead of New York and the surnames are a bit more revealing of the region; other than it, it’s the same superb Neil Simon wit in his stage classic “The Odd Couple.”
Chula Vistan Bill Virchis is serving as producing artistic director for Teatro Mascara Magica’s presentation of an Artista de Honor Production playing at the Lyceum Space in Horton Plaza through Sept. 28.
Virchis said he believes this may be the first staging of “The Odd Couple” with a Latin vibe. The play stars Paul Rodriguez as Oscar and Mike Gomez as Felix.
“It’s cosmetic,” said Rodriguez, who earned fame as a stand-up comic and film actor but is appearing in his first live theatrical production. “We’ve added a Latin flavor, but that’s all. To change anything else would be an injustice to Neil Simon.”
Simon’s Tony Award-winning off-beat comedy premiered on Broadway in 1965, was made into a film in 1968 starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau and later became a TV series starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randall from 1970-75.
“Working with Paul and working with Bill is fantastic,” Gomez explained.
Both actors admit they fit their stage roles.
“I am Oscar,” Rodriguez said. “I’m sloppy, single, divorced, and I still like to play cards.”
“I can see Felix in me, I like to clean,” said Gomez, who is primarily known for his roles in films like “Zoot Suit” and “The Big Lebowski,” and who also originated the Ferengi race in the “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” TV series.
“Three-hours of make-up!” Gomez noted about the “Star Trek” role.
Gomez also appeared in an episode of TV’s “The X-Files.”
Rodriguez admits doing live theater is a big challenge.
“I need to do it,” he said. “I want eventually to teach acting to underprivileged children. Theater acting is real acting. It’s live. If you screw up, you can’t do a re-take. It’s a whole different world. It’s definitely challenging, but it’s rewarding.”
Performances are Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. The final show is Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. Call (619) 544-1000 or visit the website at www.teatromascaramagica.org.
