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Sylvia Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote a musical that is totally about cats. So you have to wonder, where's the musical for dogs? Maybe Snoop Doggy Dog will write one for man's best friend one day. Until that time, at least we have a play dedicated to the canine, thanks to A.R. Gurney, who has written a love opus for a particular dog named Sylvia. The play introduces a husband who has brought a stray dog home to his New York apartment, which we come to find out does not please the wife at all. In fact she finds this animal a threat. We see what happens to this marriage, all thanks to that female pooch named Sylvia. While the play has plenty of laughs, the script seems to drag and lose focus midway through act one. Gurney does not stay on the right path when he enters into deep, psychological monologues that tend to veer off course. Gurney's use of Shakespeare's quotes to end several scenes feels lackluster, as though he didn't know how to end the scenes. Mind you, this has nothing to do with the cast or direction; in fact this company overrides some of the uninspired dramatic script and keeps the audience still interested. Circle theatre has produced a winning production, which we come to expect from this high quality company. George H. Brown directs his company at a brisk pace. Brown also uses the areas surrounding the acting space in clever blocking situations. He knows where to exert the expositition to arrive at the best parts of the script. There are some updates to names and places within the script that add a nice dose of freshness to it, such topical references as Arthur Andersen, the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and even Robert Blake, which resulted in loud guffaws from the audience. Brown has cast Gurney' s play with a very talented foursome. Mark O'Dell has three roles to work with, and he succeeds in providing three separate identities for each of them. For Tom, he somehow is reminiscent of white rapper Eminem, right down to the walk; For Phyllis (my personal favorite of the three), he actually looks like Nancy Reagan; as for therapist Leslie, he is half man, half woman. O'Dell has an engaging stage presence and uses his comic timing and facial expressions to whimsical effect. Lisa Fairchild is given the role that does seem to be the villain (in the eyes of Sylvia, of course). As Kate, Fairchild has the tough task of making the audience feel empathy for her since she hates the central character. She succeeds in accomplishing the task. She has her comedic moments as well, including a seething, yet quite farcical tirade in act one, all the while getting drunk. Fairchild's Kate shows honest compassion and care over her marriage. She may be written as the "meanie" in the script, but Fairchild brings humanity to the role, thus keeping Kate from becoming one tone. Greg is given a facetious performance by Kim Titus. Greg is married to Kate, which reflects real life, as Titus and Fairchild are married. Both feed off each other with festive chemistry and pace. Titus provides his character with equal servings of laughter and dramatic moments. He shows, both visually and with his acting craft, the struggle that faces him in his position between his wife and his dog. Titus connects with everyone around him with unbreakable chemistry. The actor also shows with great comic effect how pigheaded Greg is in separating his wife from his canine's emotional needs. He is very entertaining to watch on stage. All these characters revolve around Sylvia, played by Nicole Case. My introduction to this actress's work was in last season' s Memory Of Water, in which she gave a superb production. Already this season she has given another first rate performance in Circle's amazing production of Three Tall Women. Now she gives us a rip roaring, exuberant performance as the canine who wreaks havoc on a marriage. Case is the nucleus of the piece, and yet she provides munificent energy, focus, and chemistry with each of her castmates. Case is a unique and beautiful actress who can enter the worlds of comedy and drama with equal brilliance. The actress uses her face to create simply adorable puppy eye looks. The actress contorts and forms her entire body to reflect the movements of a real dog; even her "hey's" sound like a dog's bark! Kudos are also handed out to the apple green scenic design by Bill Newberry, John Leach's apropos lighting design, and Barbra Cox's tasteful costumes. Even cat lovers will enjoy this production, just don't let fluffy or Morris the cat know you saw a comedy that dealt with the enemy, the dog! Sylvia plays through July 6 at Circle Theatre, 230 West Fourth Street in Sundance Square's Entertainment District. Thurs & Fri at 7:30 p.m., Sat. at 4:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Call 817-877-3040 for tickets Sylvia Director...............................George H. Brown Cast |
