Tail-wagging fun in Golden West’s ‘Sylvia’

Tom Titus

The enjoyment of live theater, it has been decreed, depends on the

audience’s willing suspension of disbelief. And in no case does that

rule apply more accurately than when playgoers are asked to accept

the premise that an attractive young actress is, in fact, a dog.

Yet, this is the crux of A.R. Gurney’s comedy “Sylvia,” now on

stage at Golden West College. Sylvia not only is, quite literally, a

dog, but a talking pooch who communicates freely with her new owner

and his wife -- earning the undying loyalty of the former and the

unwavering enmity of the latter.

The result is, forgive the pun, unleashed hilarity as four

terrific actors bring this goofy fantasy to crackling life on the GWC

stage. Director Tom Amen and his able cast touch all the funny bones,

as well as the sore spots, involved in canine ownership to which

audiences of all ages, but especially dog owners, will thoroughly

enjoy.

The central figure in this rollicking romp is Greg (Michael

Bielitz), a Manhattan advertising executive who discovers Sylvia

(Christa Mathis) running loose in the park and, on the spur of the

moment, adopts her without seeking any input from his wife Kate

(Cleta Cohen), whose dislike of four-legged pets rivals Greg’s

affection for them.

This triangle grows more and more, well, biting as Sylvia makes

herself somewhat of a nuisance around the apartment while

simultaneously deepening Greg’s affection for her. Greg, it seems,

has become a new man, thanks to Sylvia, with a healthy new outlook on

life, and he’s not about to revert to his former attitude.

Bielitz deftly underplays the dog fancier Greg, earning audience

appreciation simply by a reactive eye-rolling or facial twitch. He’s

especially effective in his scenes at the dog park as he’s

enlightened by a fellow dog owner (Mark Bedard in just one of his

three characters) about making the canine scene.

The real comic punch, however, is provided by Sylvia, and Mathis

is an unrestrained delight in the title role. With no canine

accouterments other than a collar and occasional leash, Mathis takes

over the stage literally by leaps and bounds. Her sparkling energy

propels this off-the-wall comedy and her impersonation of a lovable

mutt is beautifully and creatively fashioned.

Although Kate is, by process of elimination, the heavy in this

story, Cohen wins her share of audience empathy with her entirely

reasonable objections to Sylvia’s presence. A professor of

Shakespearean literature (who closes her scenes with a quote from the

Bard), Cohen is as adamant in her objections to Sylvia as Veta Louise

Simmons is in another wacky comedy, “Harvey,” in her campaign against

her brother’s invisible rabbit.

Bedard, a fixture on the Golden West stage these past few seasons,

excels as the macho dog owner, then puts in a rollicking scene as one

of Cohen’s tippling female friends named Phyllis. Finally, he is a

real hoot as a gender-questionable psychiatrist who appears in need

of having his own head shrunk.

Against the backdrop of Sigrid Hammer Wolf’s striking New York

apartment setting and the park where dogs are exercised (the

orchestra pit), “Sylvia” plays out with a touching, Walter Mittyish

appeal, thanks to Bielitz’s well-crafted character sketches, as well

as a farcical delight, due primarily to Mathis’ freewheeling and

imaginative interpretation of the title role.

Give the “best in show” blue ribbon to Golden West College for

“Sylvia.”

BACKSTAGE

Turning a tad personal, my special lady Jurine, a splendid singer,

is looking for women interested in forming a small vocal group to

entertain on a volunteer basis at local hospitals and retirement

homes. Those seeking further information can send an e-mail to

[email protected].

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.