Veteran San Diego Theater Director William Virchis Revamps Classic With a Latino Twist

When Neil Simon sat down in 1964 and wrote The Odd Couple, he never envisioned this odd of a couple—Mike Gomez as Felix Unger and Paul Rodriguez as Oscar Madison! First, they’re not two white middle-aged men. This odd couple happens to be Latino: Gomez, a disciplined trained thespian with an impressive resume, and Rodriguez, an iconic Chicano stand-up comic.

As theater actors go, few rank higher on the scale of accomplishment than Mike Gomez. And fewer actors have a film resume that matches their theater experience. Mike is one of a handful of actors who created a role, under the direction of Luis Valdez in his original cast of Zoot Suit, then took that same role to Broadway and remained in the feature film version of the play.

Gomez shares the bill with Rodriguez in The Odd Couple starting September 17th to 28th at Horton Plaza’s Lyceum Theater in San Diego, CA. Directed by William Virchis, who is the artistic director for Teatro Máscara Mágica. The production also features John Anderson, Rhys Green, Dave Rivas, Doug Friedman, Erika Toraya, and Danielle Levin.

When heralded director Virchis cast Gomez to pair with Paul Rodriguez, it was brilliant and calculated. No doubt the end result will be an even more fastidious Felix and sloppier Oscar than Neil Simon could have imagined. In this revival of The Odd Couple, we literally have a veteran theater animal in Mike Gomez opposite a freshman theater thespian who just happens to be pop culture super comic Paul Rodriguez.

In an interview with fabled DJ Frazer Smith, aired recently on Los Angeles rock station 95.5 KLOS, Rodriguez admitted to being nervous about the project. “It’s the first play I’ve ever done,” said Rodriguez. “When I do my stand-up act, it’s material I wrote and it’s just me on stage. In theater it’s so different. I have to memorize all my lines and all my cues. It’s really a challenge.”

Paul has nothing to worry about he couldn’t be performing with a better co-star than Mike Gomez.

A native of Dallas, Texas, Mike Gomez comes from a strong theater background and an impressive film and television list of credits. Best known for his film work in Clint Eastwood’s Heartbreak Ridge, Robert Redford’s The Milagro Beanfield War, the cult classic The Big Lebowski, and Yes Man.

I caught up with Mike recently after chasing him from here to San Diego. He’s one busy guy to pin down!

Mike Gomez: No, it never entered my mind, although I’ve always loved the play, the movie and TV series. It is truly a sweet opportunity to play ‘Felix Unger.’ Who doesn’t know an ‘Oscar’ or a ‘Felix’? They represent a part of each and everyone of us. We all have a little of one or both of them. I think, there seems to be a lot of ‘Felix’ inside of me, according to friends and family—or so I’ve been told once they learned I was in the play.

LH: Bill Virchis said he was going to pretty much let the actors add their ‘own salsa’ to the roles. Have you added a Latino twist to the classic neat freak Felix?

MG: My version of ‘Felix’ is going to be different from everyone else based on who I am and how I see the character, and what I ‘discover’ about him as we rehearse and perform the play. I’ve been an actor a long time—blessed to have started studying at 19 at the Dallas Theater Center Academy. It’s a journey that we’re taking and a really exciting one at that. The shoes I’m looking to fill are ‘Felix Unger’s’ shoes.

LH: What’s it like working with Paul Rodriguez, going toe-to-toe with him on stage?

MG: Paul is great to work with, the consummate professional, and a very talented artist. We’ve been in a couple of projects: Cheech Marin’s Born In East L.A. and Resurrection Blvd. But we’ve never actually had a chance to work so closely together. It’s very exciting for me.

LH: Where do you see Latinos going in the entertainment industry from your personal perspective?

MG: I consider myself very lucky because since the start of my career, I have been a working actor in a profession where only five percent (5%) of the 140,000 members of the Screen Actors Guild make a living as actors on a yearly basis. I think what is most important for our Latino community is that we continue writing our own stories to celebrate and document the Latino-American experience in the U.S. We have to seek the opportunities to have more of our stories told. We have to continue giving life to our Latino artists so they can tell our stories.

Thank you, Mike! I am sure you will be delivering a ‘Felix Unger’ like he’s never been seen before.

Can’t wait to see the chemistry between this Latino duo in this version of The Odd Couple. I wish Neil Simon would see it.

For more information on San Diego’s revival of The Odd Couple, http://www.sdrep.org