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EMMY AWARD-WINNER JOHN
LARROQUETTE AND EMMY AWARD-NOMINEE JOE REGALBUTO STAR IN GEFFEN PLAYHOUSE’S
“OSCAR AND FELIX, A
NEW LOOK AT THE ODD COUPLE” BY NEIL SIMON
MARIA
CONCHITA ALONSO AND ALEX MENESES
STAR AS
THE LOVE INTERESTS
JUNE 11 - JULY 27
LOS ANGELES, CA – June
28, 2002 – Geffen Playhouse’s
Producing Director Gil Cates announces a stellar cast for the Geffen’s
production of Neil Simon’s Oscar and Felix, A New Look at The Odd Couple. Peter Bonerz will direct Simon’s update of his Tony
Award-winning classic comedy about two friends, a slob extraordinaire and a
compulsive neat freak, who become roommates after their respective
divorces. Emmy Award-winner John
Larroquette (Night Court) and Emmy
Award-nominee Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown)
will play Oscar and Felix, respectively.
Maria Conchita Alonso (Colors, Kiss
of the Spiderwoman) and Alex Meneses (Dr.
Quinn, Medicine Woman) will play the men’s
love interests, the Costazeula sisters.
Oscar and Felix’s four poker buddies include Ryan Cutrona, Gregory
Jbara, Sam Lloyd and Richard Portnow.
Oscar and Felix began performances Tuesday, June 11 and runs through
Saturday, July 27, 2002 with an official press opening on Wednesday, June 19,
2002. Biographies for the
cast and creative team follow at the end of the release.
“We are pleased to conclude our
2002-2003 season with Simon’s fresh update featuring an extraordinary cast,”
comments Gil Cates. “John
Larroquette and Joe Regalbuto are two hilarious and gifted actors and I am also
pleased to also welcome a top-notch supporting cast to the Geffen Playhouse.”
The Oscar and Felix creative team includes Roy Christopher (Scenic Design), Christina Haatainen Jones
(Costume Design), Daniel Ionazzi (Lighting Design), Jon Gottlieb (Sound Design)
and Elsbeth Collins (Production Stage Manager).
Geffen Playhouse is headed by
Producing Director Gilbert Cates, Artistic Director Randall Arney and Managing
Director Stephen Eich.
Oscar and Felix plays at Geffen Playhouse, located at 10886 Le Conte
Avenue in Westwood. Tickets can be
purchased directly at the Geffen box office or by calling the box office at
310-208-5454. Ticket prices range from $28 to $46. The performance schedule is Tuesdays - Thursdays at 7:30
p.m.; Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 4:00 and 8:30 p.m.; and Sundays at
2:00 and 7:00 p.m. Visit the Geffen Playhouse website at www.geffenplayhouse.com.
OSCAR AND FELIX BIOGRAPHIES
NEIL SIMON (Playwright) is the recipient of three Tony Awards, two
Emmys, a Screen Writers Guild Award and a Pulitzer Prize. He has had his plays adapted to film
more than any other American playwright and has written over a dozen
screenplays himself. He
received Academy Award nominations for his screenplays The Odd Couple, The Sunshine Boys
and California Suite. Mr. Simon’s first Broadway play
was Come Blow Your Horn in 1961, followed by the book for the musical Little Me. In the
1966-67 season, Mr. Simon had four shows, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple
(Tony Award), Sweet Charity (for which
he wrote the book) and The Star Spangled Girl, running
simultaneously on Broadway. In
1983, Simon wrote the first of three semi-autobiographical works: Brighton
Beach Memoirs, followed by Biloxi Blues (Tony Award) and Broadway Bound. His Lost
In Yonkers arrived on Broadway in 1991 and
won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the Tony Award for Best Play. Simon’s other plays include Rumors, Jake’s Women, Laughter
on the 23rd Floor, Proposals, The Dinner Party and
45 Seconds From Broadway.
PETER BONERZ (Director) is making his Geffen Playhouse directorial debut. His work encompasses theater, film and television. He recently co-starred in the film Man on the Moon, appeared as a series regular on Three Sisters and directed episodes of television’s Just Shoot Me. His New York theater credits include Jules Feiffer’s The White House Murder Case, Paul Sills’ Story Theater and The Premise. In Los Angeles, he appeared in Herb Gardner’s The Goodbye People, The Trial of the Catonsville Nine and The Committee. He has directed over four hundred television comedies, ranging from Friends to Murphy Brown. As an actor, he appeared on The Bob Newhart Show and in the cult film Serial.
MARIA CONCHITA ALONSO (Ynes Costazuela) was born in Cuba and raised in
Venezuela, where she became one of Latin America’s most sought-after actresses,
starring in ten soap operas and four feature films. She has since starred opposite some of Hollywood’s top
leading men such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robin Williams, Sean Penn and
Nicolas Cage in films such as Moscow on the Hudson, Colors, Vampire’s
Kiss, Predator II, The Running Man, Caught (for which
she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination), and The House of
Spirits. She made her Broadway debut in Kiss of the Spiderwoman, making her the first non-U.S. born Latina to star on
Broadway. She also appeared in the Los Angeles production of The
Vagina Monologues. Her numerous television credits include
Showtime’s The Princess and the Barrio Boy and Footsteps, HBO’s Teamster
Boss and Chain of Command and the television films High Noon, Sudden Terror, My
Husband’s Secret Life (receiving an ALMA
Award as Best Actress in a TV Movie), Best Actress and A Vision of Murder. She also
guest stars on Showtime’s acclaimed series Resurrection Blvd. Maria has
recorded ten albums (one certified Platinum and two certified Gold), has
received three Grammy nominations and is currently working on her eleventh
album.
RYAN CUTRANO (Speed) has performed at Mark Taper Forum, Shakespeare
Festival/L.A., Old Globe Theatre, the Odyssey Theatre, New York Theatre
Workshop and the Padua Hills Playwright’s Festival. In New York, he performed the acclaimed solo world premieres
of Samuel Beckett’s All Strange Away
and Robert Pinget’s The Hypothesis at
La Mama as well as Beckett’s Fizzels at Performance Space 122. His recent television appearances include The
Practice, Providence, The West Wing, Becker and Jag.
GREGORY JBARA (Vinnie) appeared on Broadway in Chicago, Victor/Victoria, Damn
Yankees, Born Yesterday and Serious Money. His film work includes In
& Out, One Fine Day and The Out-of-Towners. His
television credits include Ally McBeal,
Malcolm in the Middle, Frasier and Cybill.
JOHN LARROQUETTE (Oscar) is a four-time Emmy Award-winner for his role as
Dan Fielding on television’s Night Court. He also starred on The John
Larroquette Show (Emmy nomination) from
1993-1996 and, in 1998, won a fifth Emmy Award for his guest starring role on The
Practice. Last year, he starred in two television movies, Showtime’s
Walter and Henry and Fox Family
Channel’s Till Dad Do Us Part. He also hosted the A&E series The
Incurable Collector. He starred opposite Diane Wiest, Camryn
Manheim and Ann Margaret in the NBC mini-series The 10th Kingdom and executive produced and starred in the NBC television
movie One Special Victory. His numerous film roles include Richie
Rich, Tune in Tomorrow, Second Sight, Madhouse, Blind Date, Summer
Rental, Stripes, Choose Me, Star
Trek III, Altered States, Cat People and Twilight
Zone: The Movie. He began his acting career at a small theater in Colorado
and upon moving to Los Angeles, performed at the Colony Theatre in The
Crucible and Enter Laughing. In 1989, he
performed onstage opposite his wife, actress Elizabeth Larroquette, in Happy
Jack, directed by Ron Link, receiving
several Dramalogue nominations.
He recently completed shooting a Larry Gelbert pilot for ABC called The Corsairs.
SAM LLOYD (Roy) has appeared regionally in Forever Plaid, Little Shop of Horrors, Evita and You
Never Can Tell. His television credits include Scrubs, Spin City, 3RD
Rock From the Sun, Mad About You and Seinfeld.
ALEX MENESES (Julia Costazuela) Alex Meneses was born and raised in Chicago where she studied dance (ballet, tap jazz) and eventually taught dance (beginning at the age of 12) at her aunt's studio. Also in Chicago, Alex enjoyed being a part of the acclaimed Second City improv program, before moving to Los Angeles to study at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. Roles in film and television materialized almost immediately. Feature credits include, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas; Selena; as well as starring roles in the independent films Kissing Miranda; Living in Peril; and My Father's Love. Coming in October, Alex will be seen in Sony Classics Autofocus starring Willem Dafoe and Greg Kinnear and directed by Paul Schrader. Alex's television credits include series regular roles on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; the Showtime series Sherman Oaks; and the Showtime telefilm The Princess and the Barrio Boy (ALMA Award winner). Guest stars include Friends; Dharma and Greg; Suddenly Susan; Family Law; and her very first job in L.A., The John Larroquette Show. But Alex is best known in T.V. land for her recurring character of Stefania, the “gelato girl,” on Everybody Loves Raymond (nominated for an ALMA Award and an American Comedy Award). She also recurs as the Harvard educated tutor on The Hughleys.
RICHARD PORTNOW (Murray) appeared on Broadway in The House of Blue
Leaves and opposite Jason Robards in A
Month of Sundays. He has had recurring roles on The
Sopranos and The Practice and a starring role on the CBS television mini-series Bella
Mafia. His numerous film credits include Laughter on the 23rd
Floor, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Father of the Bride and Barton Fink.
JOE REGALBUTO (Felix) was nominated for an Emmy for his role as ace
reporter Frank Fontana on television’s Murphy Brown. He appeared
in the Broadway and Mark Taper Forum productions of Division Street and has also performed at New York Shakespeare Festival,
Seattle Repertory, Cincinnati Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre and Guthrie
Theatre. Joe’s film work includes
the critically acclaimed Missing, Raw
Deal, Lassiter, Star Chamber, Honkeytonk
Man, Six Weeks and The Sicilian. He starred on the television shows The
Associates, Street Hawk and Ace Crawford
and has appeared on numerous television shows including Ally McBeal, Touched by an Angel
and Golden Girls. His
many television movies include Beyond Obsession, The Queen of Mean,
Fatal Judgement, Love Lives On, Hoover and Divorce
Wars. Joe has also directed numerous episodes of television’s top
rated shows.
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