A "Brig" to Simon

Took notes on the production of "The Brig" I was reviewing (my review will appear next Friday in the Daily News) on a press invitation for the next production scheduled at that same theater, Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys" with Hal Linden and Allan Miller. In fact the two productions will overlap.

Where else -- make that nowhere else -- but at the Odyssey Theatre.

Ron Sossi's gem on Sepulveda Blvd., now in its 39th year, can jump between a one woman show about Sylvia Plath to "The Brig," Kenneth H. Brown's too realistic depiction of life in a Marine corps military prison to Brecht's "A Man's a Man" to the two person Alberta Hunter tribute "Cookin' at the Cookery." The Odyssey website, www.odysseytheatre.com further boats guests productions of David Auburn's "Proof" and Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler" with Dina Rosenmeie and Seymour Cassell.

Truly, the most surprising thing on the Odyssey schedule is, in fact, the Neil Simon play. I wouldn't have expected anything so conventional/popular to take up residence amidst the Brecht/Plath/Brig, etc. Then again the director, Jeffrey Hayden (Mr Eva Marie Saint to you), brought in some pretty decent audiences with his productions of August Wilson's "Fences" and Eugene O'Neil's "Desire Under the Elms."

Mr Sossi's program introduction, then makes a certain amount of sense. "Don't worry," he writes, "If you ever hate something we do, rest assured you won't see more of the same!"

Amen, brother!