OLT’s Sylvia is a five-woof winner

 

The thing to remember about the late A.R. Gurney’s charming comedy, Sylvia, is that it’s a love story — admittedly an unorthodox one, but a love story nonetheless.

On the one hand we have Greg, a Wall Street financier heading for a mid-life crisis. On the other hand hand we have Sylvia, the irrepressible pooch he has encountered in the park. In rescuing her from the threatening embrace of the Animal Control brigade and bringing her back to his apartment, he earns Sylvia’s unconditional love.

In the process, he triggers a crisis in his 22-year-old marriage to Kate who think it’s a lunatic idea to keep a dog in a Manhattan apartment and who starts fearing that she’s in danger of becoming one corner of a bizarre romantic triangle.

Gurney’s plays all deal with society — in particular the upper middle class and the fault lines that can splinter even the most secure facade of security and affluence. Sylvia is no exception, and one of the  virtues of Chantal Plante’s engaging production for Ottawa Little Theatre is that it recognizes the need to bring us into a particular culture as it existed some 20-odd years ago. Greg is bored and restless in his job and  conscious of the emptiness of his marriage. Kate is upwardly mobile, a teacher who aspires to higher things, embracing the promise of a job in London, which would wreak havoc in the relationship between Greg and the lovable Sylvia.

That a dog would provide a catalyst for change in a relationship — initially as a potential destroyer —  is a driving issue here. But Gurney was in the merriest of moods when he wrote this play, creating hilarious situations that may seem improbable on the surface but clearly reveal a deep and loving understanding of doggie psychology.

So there’s both absurdity and truth in that memorable moment when the plaintive strains of “Every Time We Say Goodbye” fill the theatre. They’re sung by Paul Williamson (Greg), Amanda Jonz (Kate) and — Emily Walsh as Sylvia.

Yes, the role of Sylvia is taken by an actress, a decision on the playwright’s part that brought him under fire when he completed the play in 1995. Gurney said at the time that several producers had rejected it on the grounds that it was offensive to equate a dog with a woman and that to ask a female to portray a canine on stage was misogynist and sexist. Gurney’s reply was that the play was about the need to connect in an increasingly alien and impersonal world.

Over the years, Sylvia has received multiple productions, and there has been no shortage of actresses anxious to take on the role of Sylvia. At OLT, Emily Walsh may have no tail to wag, but you can constantly imagine that it’s there as she bounces about the stage, securing the affection of both Greg, the saviour she adores, and also the audience. It is a spirited, freewheeling characterization — one that uses an affectionate knowledge of canine behaviour to provide a succession of funny moments — whether it’s sneaking up to deliver a wet nose to Greg’s cheek, or risking Kate’s disapproval by curling up on the living room sofa, or reluctantly — very reluctantly — obeying a “sit” command, or allowing her libido to take over during a walk in Central Park.

As Greg, Paul Williamson submits to Sylvia’s affection with a goofy charm that always seems true to character and to Greg’s essential goodness and decency. The challenge for Amanda Jonz, in the role of Kate, is that she must frequently play the “straight man” to Sylvia’s canine clowning, but as the evening progresses she seizes the opportunity with relish.

The ever reliable Lawrence Evenchick is on hand in three roles — outstanding as Tom, a fellow dog-owner whom Greg encounters in the park: hilarious as Phyllis, a canine-wary friend who goes into hysterics when a welcoming Sylvia pokes her nose into forbidden places; and eerily convincing as Phyllis, an androgynous marriage counsellor who turns out to have her own hang-ups.

Chantale Plante’s direction brings energy and fluidity to the material. Designer Graham Price’s mischievous Manhattan skyline, complete with oversized hydrant, is a joy, and Riley Stewart’s engaging music makes a further contribution to a thoroughly pleasurable production.

 

Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, Ottawa Little Theatre to Sept. 29

 

Director: Chantale Plante

Set: Graham Price

Lighting: Cameron A. Macdonald

Sound: Bradford MacKinlay

Costumes: Guylaine Roy

 

Cast:

Sylvia………………………………………………..Emily Walsh

Greg………………………………………………….Paul Williamson

Kate………………………………………………….Amanda Jonz

Tom/Phyllis/Leslie…………………………………..Lawrence Evenchick