Isn’t that ‘Sylvia’ just too cute?
Wanted: a theater actress not afraid to crawl around on all fours, pant provocatively and lick the faces of total strangers.
That’s exactly what you get in the canine heroine in La Mirada Theatre’s high-spirited but misconceived revival of “Sylvia,” the 1995 comedy by A.R. Gurney. The play stars Cathy Rigby in the title role -- a stray poodle that causes big marital problems when she’s taken in by a wealthy Manhattan couple.
“Sylvia” makes literal a fact known to (though perhaps not admitted by) dog lovers everywhere: We treat our beloved pets as human beings, lavishing on them the affection one normally reserves for a paramour. The play requires Sylvia to walk and talk like a human -- in other words, to incarnate our anthropomorphic ideal of the animal rather than the beast itself. And this is where La Mirada’s production miscalculates. Sylvia, as performed by Rigby, constantly reminds us that she really is a dog, crinkling her nose and letting her tongue hang out in a cloying display of cuteness.
The play opens on a glorious fall day in Central Park. Sylvia has just met Greg (Robert Yacko), a successful commodities trader experiencing a midlife crisis. Greg quickly decides to adopt Sylvia, much to the consternation of his wife Kate (Suzanne Ford), a workaholic English teacher who has no patience for the animal’s sloppy displays of affection.
“Give a dog a woman’s name and you start to treat her like one,” observes Kate. Sure enough, the dog begins to resemble a mistress, monopolizing Greg’s attention with emotional entreaties. The four-legged home wrecker remains cheerfully oblivious to the trouble she’s causing, and the play becomes a domestic squabble-fest pitting humans against animals. (At this point in the play, it’s hard not to think of Edward Albee’s infinitely superior drama “The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?” about a man’s illicit affair with a barnyard animal. At the very least, the two plays would make a fascinating double bill.)
“Sylvia” calls for Rigby to wear human clothes -- a sweater, patched jeans and old boots, according to the stage directions. La Mirada’s production adheres to this simple instruction but fails to grasp the larger subtext: Sylvia is a pooch in human form and should be played as an alluring dream girl for Greg’s infatuation to make sense. Rigby’s performance shatters the play’s carefully constructed illusion by indulging in canine antics that seem infantile and somewhat condescending to the audience. Director Joel Bishoff might as well have outfitted his leading lady with a snout and furry tail.
If little else, Rigby, 54, proves that she’s still in fantastic shape. The former Olympic gymnast bounces around the stage with impressive dexterity. It’s refreshing to see Rigby apply her physical gifts to a role other than Peter Pan, though the subtleties demanded by “Sylvia” ultimately lie beyond her limited acting range. (The role was originated in New York by Sarah Jessica Parker.)
There’s little doubt that “Sylvia” is a potentially subversive comedy about man’s irrational attachment to domesticated animals. But the production has neutered the play of all satirical power and wit. In more ways than one, this “Sylvia” is a dog.
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‘Sylvia’
Where: La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Call for exceptions.
Ends: Nov. 18
Price: $45 and $37.50
Contact: (562) 944-9801 or www.lamiradatheatre.com
Running time: 2 hours
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