Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar are American icons. They humorously escorted a generation of stage, film and television viewers through an era jumbled by shifting gender and marriage roles in both the home and office. We laughed as the two adult men bickered, shouted, pouted and raged before finally accepting the impossibility of peaceable cohabitation. With “The Odd Couple,” Neil Simon defined the outcome of divorce for men in the 1960s.

Five years ago, Simon adapted the stage script for a female cast. Felix became Florence (played by Sally Struthers) and Oscar became Olive (Rita Moreno). The show, though mildly successful, lost its cogency … and its plot.

The Camden Civic Theater is currently presenting the female version of the play, so when the curtain opens to the Madison apartment on Riverside Drive in New York, don’t be surprised to see a group of rowdy, shameless women playing Trivial Pursuit instead of five-card stud.

There’s definitely something missing here. It may be the backward baseball hats, or the empty beer cans strewn across the floor. But it’s more likely that Simon’s play really only works because it is about men. Burps and beer and crudities are all well and good for women, but the roles of the slovenly writer and his finicky roommate work because they are men who learn that compromises come in all sizes and sexes. Change the roles to women and the issues change.

At the end of the female version, the women get preachy about “self-respect” and the difference between “liking” someone and “needing” someone. As the curtain goes down on the final scene, the women join in a chorus of “Big Girls Don’t Cry” that’s corny and whiny, and lacks the dignity of the original version. A viable play could be written about women during this era, or women as roommates, or women as anything, but it should be a whole new play, not a rewrite.

Even though the Camden production is a competent community presentation, it, too, suffers from a scarcity of comedic punch. However, this is no fault of actress Jean Ambron (Olive) whose comic timing and natural ability hold the cast and the show together. Despite a slightly stilted New York accent, Ambron is believable and entertaining.

Unfortunately, Lila Duffy as Florence isn’t as convincing. A combination of meaningless stage business, carelessly delivered lines and exaggerated physical posturing make her character irritating. But, in all fairness, the role is a tough one because there’s nothing particularly original or funny about the stereotypical woman who is compulsive about housework and gourmet cooking.

Florence Marshall Christie, as the aged, naive Vera, hilariously delivers several one-liners that liven up a frequently dull script. Barbara McCrae, Jean Wells and Mary Lou Curtis enjoy themselves as supporting cast members. Dan Canfield and Hank Daum as Spanish brothers who live upstairs rely on “wild and crazy” bits and racial stereotypes for laughs, and occasionally get a few, but for the most part aren’t very funny.

“The Odd Couple” plays at 8 p.m. Oct. 6, 12 and 13 at the Camden Opera House. For reservations, call 236-2230.