By Nadja Hansen

For its last play of the season, the Waterfront Playhouse chose “The Odd Couple, the Female Version,” yet another spin on the original and reworked by Neil Simon himself during the early 1980s.Olive Madison and Florence Unger may play Trivial Pursuit instead of poker but are otherwise female replicas of Oscar and Felix. They are friends, roommates and drive each other crazy.While a bit over the top at times, Gerri Louise Gates is very believable as the sloppy, grouchy but lovable Olive.Robin Lane’s portrayal of the neurotic Florence is compelling. You do want to throttle and hug her at the same time.While the entire supporting cast works well as an ensemble, Connie Hurst as Mickey, the overly protective cop, stands out, as do George DouVille and Rock Solomon in the roles of the Spanish brothers who are upstairs neighbors and objects of Olive’s concupiscence. Directed by Cameron Murray, the action proceeds at a lively clip.Terry Tucker is the set and lighting designer and the costumes are by Alice Parker.It would be hard not to like a Neil Simon play with its snappy dialogues and oneliners. “The Odd Couple, the Female Version” is no exception but there have been so many variations on the same theme through theater, film and television that it is hard to decide whether it just seems stale or is seriously suffering from overexposure.Is it entertaining? Yes. Is it funny? Yes. Do you gain new insights? No. It’s the same scenery from a different angle.”The Odd Couple, the Female Version” runs until May 30 at the Waterfront Playhouse at Mallory Square. Performances, Tuesday through Saturday, start at 8:30 p.m. The tickets are $27 and can be purchased at the box office, 2945015 or go to the web site: www.waterfrontplayhouse.com for more information.