The Palos Village Players Light Up The Stage With "The Odd Couple"

Kimberly Dignin
April 27, 2025

What a great opening weekend for The Palos Village Players (PVP),
“The Odd Couple: Female Version,” at the Palos Park Recreation Center. This hilarious play, with lines that could only be quintessentially Neil Simon, created waves of laughter throughout this weekend’s audiences. Simon’s adaptation of the original, which received four Tony Awards on Broadway, is taking Palos Park by storm. The female adaptation takes Oscar and Felix and turns them into Olive and Florence, a mismatched pair who find themselves in the precarious situation of becoming roommates.

The show is playing one more weekend at The Palos Park Recreation Center, 8901 123rd Street, May 2nd and May 3rd at 7:30 P.M. Ticketing information can be found at https://our.show/pvpoddcouple

When asked about her experience in directing the show, Julie Zebleckis of Bolingbrook commented, “It has been amazing. This is a show that was not my favorite, I liked it but I didn’t love it, but these actors have made me love this show so much because they’re all so good. They make me laugh, get all goose bumpy and just feel good about friendships.” Zebleckis is working with assistant director/producer Nicole Correll of Palos Heights and co-producer Peter Buchasz of Wood Dale.

The show centers around Florence Ungar, a tightly wound perfectionist with good intentions, played by Gina Dicksen of Tinley Park. Florence finds herself homeless after her husband leaves her. Her closest friend in the world, Olive Madison, a carefree, disorganized woman, with a sharp sense of humor, played by Gina Lutvi of Oak Lawn, lets Florence move into her New York apartment. As much as they want things to work out, chaos soon ensues, to the delight of the audience.

In a show based on close friendships, the real life Olive and Florence, Gina Lutvi and Gina Dicksen have been friends on and off of stage since the spring of 2017, when they starred in “Vanya, Sonia, Masha, and Spike,” at PVP. “Getting to do this show with my dear friend has truly been a gift. Gina [Lutvi] and I already have such a great connection offstage, and that real-life friendship brings something extra special to our performances as Olive and Florence,” Dicksen said of working with her friend. “We got married within a week of each other. We both have two kids, and each of our’s are just about a month and a half apart in age, which definitely brought us closer–and our husbands get along great too—so it’s been a true family friendship in every way.”

When asked if they are opposites like their characters, Lutvi answered, “Not to the extreme of Florence and Olive. I wouldn’t say we’re exactly alike, but I think our personalities complement each other. Gina [Dicksen] is definitely more outgoing than me and she has a much better sense of style, but I think we are similar in a lot of areas that solidify a friendship like values, outlook, and sense of humor”.

The show also stars Olive and Florence’s group of close knit friends, who range from passionate and protective to sassy and clueless, and who are a great group of actors: Meg Seth of Oak Forest, Mary Pierson of Lockport, Stephanie Martin of Homewood, and Mariam Vanderhyde of Evergreen Park. Let’s also not forget the potential love interests who live upstairs: Sean Henry of Beverly and Justin Anderson of Orland Park. The whole cast deserves a standing ovation.

Tickets can be purchased at the door or at
https://our.show/pvpoddcouple

The Palos Village Players also has a dinner and a show package. Dine at Barraco’s Restaurant on Harlem, in Orland Park, and see the show before or after. Special pricing for this deal can be found on the ticketing website.