Originally produced in 1995 at the Manhattan Theatre Club off Broadway, A.R. Gurney’s masterpiece “Sylvia” propelled Sarah Jessica Parker into stardom.
“Sylvia” is a comedy but also a fantastic fantasy about a middle aged man, his wife and their new dog, Sylvia. A strange love triangle ensues to the comedic relief of the entire audience in this play.
Director Roseann Wilshere says “’Sylvia’ is a love story about a man’s bond with one of those mythical animals that appear at just the right moment in old native and folklore tales. The hero or heroine so often meets this creature in the shape of an animal just when they’re at a crossroads in life, an animal that is a guide or spirit guide to finding the best in ourselves ... our propensity to project human characteristics and motives onto our non-human companions is dramatized by having the adopted dog played by a woman.”
In this upcoming production at the Bravo! Theatre “Sylvia” is played by well-known Lakeside actress and comedienne Jayme Littlejohn. She was last seen in town last year as Ricky Roma in the powerful production of “Glengarry Glen Ross” and her one-woman show “Claudia.”
Paul Kloegman plays Greg, the man in his mid-life crisis. Although relatively new to Lakeside, Kloegman is not new to theatre as many have seen from his recent performances as Morrie in “Tuesdays With Morrie” at the Naked Stage and in last season’s production of “Rumours” at Lakeside Little Theatre. His wife Kate is being played by Kathleen Carlson, who last year appeared in My, My How Nice Theatre’s production of “Glengarry Glen Ross.”
Backing up the main characters in the show are three character roles played by retired professional actress Arleen Pace as the mad psychiatrist, Anthony Wilshere as the pet book expert in the park, and Kathleen Morris as the dog accosted friend of the family, Phyllis.
During the run of the show the theater will post pictures of dogs brought by its audience members on their lobby bulletin board. The cast and crew will vote for the top five prize winning photos on the last day of the run and the winners will be contacted by phone and email. If you bring the photo with you and write your name, email and phone number on the back they will donate ten percent of the 200-peso ticket price to local dog charities.
The show opens Thursday, November 3 at Bravo! Theatre on Rio Bravo just south of the Carretera, across the street from La Mission restaurant. It runs until November 13, with shows on Thursdays and Sundays at 4 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at Diane Pearl and Mia’s Boutique.