“The Odd Couple,” a classic Neil Simon comedy that spun off both a film and a sitcom, will return to Broadway early next year with Steve Carell and John C. Reilly as the story’s oil-and-water roommates.
Here’s what we know so far:
When is this happening?
The production is scheduled to begin previews on March 3, with an opening on March 23 for a 15-week run at the Stephen Sondheim Theater. The Sondheim is currently home to the musical “& Juliet,” which is closing Jan. 3.
Simon was born in 1927, so the run will take place during the centennial of his birth.
Who is involved?
Carell and Reilly are both experienced comedic actors, primarily onscreen. Carell has one previous Broadway credit: He played the title role in a 2024 production of “Uncle Vanya.” Reilly has appeared in three Broadway plays, “The Grapes of Wrath” (1990), “True West” (2000) and a 2005 revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
Also in the cast are an array of Broadway veterans: the Tony winners Laura Benanti and James Monroe Iglehart, and Kevin Del Aguila, Rob McClure, Heléne Yorke and David Zayas.
A group of “Hamilton” alumni are behind this production: Jeffrey Seller, a lead producer of that show, is anchoring this producing team, and Thomas Kail, the “Hamilton” director, is handling the same duties here. In a joint interview, Seller said “The Odd Couple” was “the best American comedy ever.” Kail added, “It’s one of the grandparents of everything we watch on television now.”
The project is the brainchild of Mike Karns, who runs social media for “Hamilton” and has a producing venture (The Season) with Steven Tartick, who also works marketing Broadway shows. They are producing “The Odd Couple” alongside Seller, Kail and Emanuel Azenberg, the longtime producer of Simon’s Broadway work.
What is the play?
“The Odd Couple” is about two friends with very different styles who wind up living together; the comedy comes from their conflict. Carell will play Felix Ungar, who is anxious and anal, and Reilly will play Oscar Madison, an easygoing slob.
Mike Nichols directed the original Broadway production, which opened in 1965 and starred Art Carney and Walter Matthau; a 1968 film adaptation starred Jack Lemmon alongside Matthau; and a television series that began in 1970 starred Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.
The play has had two other Broadway productions — a 1985 version, reworked by Simon for female leads, starred Rita Moreno and Sally Struthers, while a 2005 revival starred Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
