BizBash
  • Production & Strategy
  • Catering & Design
  • Event Tech & Virtual
  • Venues & Destinations
  • Meetings & Trade Shows
  • Sports
  • Advertise
  • Events
Topics
  • Production & Strategy
  • Catering & Design
  • Event Tech & Virtual
  • Venues & Destinations
  • Meetings & Trade Shows
  • Sports
  • Advertise
  • Events
  • Industry Buzz
  • BizBash Lists
Resources
  • On-Demand
  • White Papers & E-Books
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Subscribe
User Tools
Follow BizBash
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconFacebook iconTwitter X icon Pinterest iconYouTube iconTikTok
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Get Featured
  • Press Releases
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Subscribe to Magazine
Follow BizBash
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconFacebook iconTwitter X icon Pinterest iconYouTube iconTikTok
  • Production & Strategy
  • Catering & Design
  • Event Tech & Virtual
  • Venues & Destinations
  • Meetings & Trade Shows
  • Sports
  • Advertise
  • Events
  • On-Demand
  • White Papers & E-Books
  • Podcast
  • Magazine
  • Events
  • Awards
  • Subscribe
  1. Catering & Design
  2. Florals

Felix and Oscar Inspire Odd Couple Opening

The food and decor at the party celebrating the blockbuster Broadway revival of Neil Simon’s comedy mixed pizza boxes with elegant flowers, and fussy food with cookies.

November 2, 2005
Guests arriving at the Marriott Marquis after the opening night performance of the blockbuster Broadway revival of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple found a mix of fussy Felix and messy Oscar touches, as well as specific nods to the production. Suzanne Tobak of Tobak Lawrence Company worked with the show's producers to put together the sold-out show's after-party and looked to Susan Edgar to execute unusual table decor.
Half of the tables in the hotel's Westside Ballroom were decorated with tall, elegant floral arrangements of green and pink hydrangeas poised high over the tables in golden pedestals—a homage to Matthew Broderick's high-minded Felix. Nathan Lane's sportswriter Oscar inspired the centerpieces for the rest of the tables—upturned baseball helmets placed on top of pizza boxes and stuffed with the sports pages, a baseball, and snacks like pretzels, potato chips, and candy bars. Customized, Odd Couple-imprinted poker chips were scattered around both centerpieces as nods to the poker games in the play.

Another inspiration from the plot: When Felix arrives at Oscar's messy apartment, he finds the refrigerator full of green, moldy food, so the party’s tuna salad sandwiches arrived on dyed green bread. (For those that preferred their food the proper shade, there were also turkey sandwiches on white.) A Felix catering touch appeared in the form of BLTs—with the crusts cut off, of course.

Other edible nods to the play showed up in the form of a carving station with London broil and Chinese food stations to illustrate the burnt London broil dinner Oscar and Felix prepare for their sexy neighbors, the Pigeon sisters, and the Chinese food they end up eating instead.

The opposing personalities also appeared at the dessert table, where sophisticated brûlèes were served alongside chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies and cupcakes.

—Mark Mavrigian

Related Stories

Spamalot Opening Has Castle of Spam Cans

Guests See Stars (and Circles) at Tonys Ball
At the opening night party for Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, Nathan Lane's sportswriter character Oscar inspired the centerpieces in the form of baseball helmets, pizza boxes, sports pages, a baseball, and snacks like pretzels, potato chips, and candy bars.
At the opening night party for Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, Nathan Lane's sportswriter character Oscar inspired the centerpieces in the form of baseball helmets, pizza boxes, sports pages, a baseball, and snacks like pretzels, potato chips, and candy bars.
Elegant floral arrangements of green and pink hydrangeas poised high over the tables in golden pedestals were an homage to Matthew Broderick's fussy character Felix.
Elegant floral arrangements of green and pink hydrangeas poised high over the tables in golden pedestals were an homage to Matthew Broderick's fussy character Felix.
As a whimsical nod to Oscar's moldy refrigerator contents, fresh bread was dyed green and used for tuna salad sandwiches.
As a whimsical nod to Oscar's moldy refrigerator contents, fresh bread was dyed green and used for tuna salad sandwiches.
Chinese food stations illustrated the meal the couple and their dates eat after dinner at home is ruined.
Chinese food stations illustrated the meal the couple and their dates eat after dinner at home is ruined.
Latest in Florals
Indiana Pacers
Sports
How ESPN Rose to the Occasion with Intricate Floral Installations to Celebrate the NBA Finals
Inside the New York Botanical Garden’s 2025 Orchid Dinner
Florals
See Inside New York Botanical Garden’s 2025 Orchid Dinner—Celebrating Mexican Modernism
Robertson’s Flowers & Events scored the second-highest amount of points in the Floral category with its exhibit, 'Tending Our Roots.' The design takes inspiration from the proverb, 'One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.” The 'tree of life' figure in the center is drawn from a real-world park in Singapore focused on sustainability and is meant to symbolize the efforts of the current generation in planting seeds for a future filled with environmental benefits. Beneath the canopy is a cityscape 'where our roots connect us through a common weave under the promise of a shared sunrise,' the Robertson's team shared on social media.
Florals
11 Futuristic Floral Designs From the 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show
Speaking of Coachella, at the festival's annual Neon Carnival, sponsor Tequila Don Julio grabbed attention with an oversize, succulent-filled version of its logo, produced by NVE Experience Agency. See more: Coachella 2022: Peek Inside the Festival's Buzziest Parties & Brand Activations
Florals
12 Stunning Floral Installations That Are Sure to Spark Event Design Inspiration
Related Stories
To showcase Departures magazine’s China issue, EventQuest created lounges in traditional Chinese hues of red, orange, and gold.
Florals
Mag Fills Lounge With Ancient Chinese Touches
E5361tropic 01
Florals
DECOR: Leafy Centerpieces Add Tropical Touch
Event designer Jassi Lekach created lounges with white couches dotted with pink and brown throw pillows, and rolling cubes covered with Astroturf and topped with pink votives for the launch of Maria Sharapova's new fragrance at the Angel Orensanz Foundation.
Florals
Sharapova Hosts English Teatime for Scent Launch
Shoppers wound their way through the various beauty counters, body painters, makeup artists, and salespeople at the Saks Fifth Avenue’s annual Brushes With Greatness shopping event.
Florals
Saks Event Pampers Clients, Encourages Sales
More in Florals
Sports
How ESPN Rose to the Occasion with Intricate Floral Installations to Celebrate the NBA Finals
Mr. Flower Fantastic replicated the iconic logos of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers out of flowers in the lead-up to the NBA Finals.
Indiana Pacers
Florals
See Inside New York Botanical Garden’s 2025 Orchid Dinner—Celebrating Mexican Modernism
The Plaza’s Grand Ballroom was in full bloom for the event, which supports global plant research, conservation, and education.
Inside the New York Botanical Garden’s 2025 Orchid Dinner
Florals
11 Futuristic Floral Designs From the 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show
The nation’s largest horticultural event returned with the theme "Gardens of Tomorrow."
Robertson’s Flowers & Events scored the second-highest amount of points in the Floral category with its exhibit, 'Tending Our Roots.' The design takes inspiration from the proverb, 'One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.” The 'tree of life' figure in the center is drawn from a real-world park in Singapore focused on sustainability and is meant to symbolize the efforts of the current generation in planting seeds for a future filled with environmental benefits. Beneath the canopy is a cityscape 'where our roots connect us through a common weave under the promise of a shared sunrise,' the Robertson's team shared on social media.
Florals
12 Stunning Floral Installations That Are Sure to Spark Event Design Inspiration
Talk about flower power. These gorgeous displays of bright blooms and sultry succulents can help unleash your creativity for your next event.
Speaking of Coachella, at the festival's annual Neon Carnival, sponsor Tequila Don Julio grabbed attention with an oversize, succulent-filled version of its logo, produced by NVE Experience Agency. See more: Coachella 2022: Peek Inside the Festival's Buzziest Parties & Brand Activations
Florals
10 Inspiring Floral Designs From the Philadelphia Flower Show—Just in Time for Spring
The nation’s largest horticultural event returned this year—back indoors—with an electric theme.
IllExotics
Florals
See These Inventive Centerpieces from the New York Botanical Garden's Orchid Dinner
The fundraiser celebrated the annual Orchid Show with opulent tablescapes that showcased the elegant flower.
FlowerSchool NY & LA
Most Popular
Event Design & Decor
Step Right Up: 10 Carnival Decor Ideas That Balance Whimsy and Elegance
Experiential Marketing, Activations & Sponsorships
Cannes Lions 2025: 90+ Bold Builds and Big Ideas From the French Festival of Creativity
Brands & Event Pros
Industry Innovators 2025: Sephora
Experiential Marketing, Activations & Sponsorships
Disney+ Leaned Into Y2K Vibes for a 'Throwback' Pop-Up Experience in LA
Strategy
How Over-the-Top Event Invites Can Make a Big Impact
Experiential Marketing, Activations & Sponsorships
See How Disney’s Phineas and Ferb Transformed a Porta-Potty into a Music Festival Activation
Florals
The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad Celebrated Its Floral Partnership with a Rosy Affair
FLOWERBX, the new exclusive floral partner of The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, celebrated their partnership with a floral-themed, intimate evening.
The Ritz-Carlton New York's Intimate Dinner Celebration
Florals
How the Philadelphia Flower Show Bloomed Bigger and Better in 2022
This year’s event celebrated the restorative and healing power of nature and plants with more offerings and activities.
This year's show featured the work of landscape architects, garden designers, and florists, with an emphasis on diversity both in the demographics of exhibitors, including more female exhibitors than ever before, and in their unique designs.
Florals
7 Ways Event Planners Can Navigate the Current Flower Shortage
Struggling farms, supply chain slowdowns and an influx of rescheduled events have created a ‘perfect storm’ in the floral industry. Here’s what event planners should consider as they vet floral vendors right now.
“The floral industry is in a really unique space right now,” explain Danielle Flores-Gary and Katie Hartman, co-owners of Floral Crush, a Los Angeles-based floral design studio that has worked on high-profile events for clients like Event Eleven, Gina Wade Creative and NBCUniversal. (Pictured: a Floral Crush-designed display at Rosé Day L.A. in 2019.)
Florals
See This Summer's Floral Trends—From Anthuriums to Zinnias
Here’s what floral designers are working with this season.
“Dried flowers are coming back this year after a long hiatus. They will be popular for design due to their longevity, deep rich colors and added visual texture. Among the many popular dried flowers making a comeback are mini pampas grass, star grass, avena and helichrysum, which will be a popular species that designers are leaning towards integrating into arrangements with live flowers.” —Seth Pearsoll, director of design, shows and events for the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (Pictured: The Samantha from East Olivia's spring collection)
Florals
Event Design Inspiration: 10 Over-the-Top Floral Installations
Steal some ideas for your spring and summer soirees from these larger-than-life floral arrangements seen at past events.
In 2018, Luxe Linen asked local designers and florists to create a tablescape around a swatch of fabric from its colorful new line of linens. Held for the first time at the Petersen Automotive Museum’s rooftop, the product launch drew more than 400 high-end event planners, designers, florists, members of the media and more. Designed around Luxe’s bright new Riley linen, this vibrant, summery table was a team-up between Jennifer Naylor Catering & Special Events and Mark’s Garden. See more: Get Inspired by 15 Colorful Twists on a Tropical Theme
Sponsored
Event Planners Are Thinking Micro To Bring Back Live Events
Coastal Cool - One of many hyper-curated tablescapes from Hestia Harlow, the newly launched event platform that's creating a revolution in our industry.
Page 1 of 49
Next Page
BizBash
Follow BizBash
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconFacebook iconTwitter X icon Pinterest iconYouTube iconTikTok
  1. Privacy Policy
  2. CCPA: Do Not Sell My Personal Info
  3. Contact Us
  4. Site Map
© 2025 Connect Biz, LLC. All rights reserved.