By George Basler
In Sylvia, Anna Tagliaferro gives a performance that chews up the scenery. That could be a criticism, but, in Tagliaferro’s case, it’s a compliment. She’s lively, funny, goofy and even a bit touching, even while her character nibbles on some old shoes. And she does it on all fours.
Tagliaferro plays the title character, a shaggy mutt, in the play that opened this past weekend (Sept. 29-Oct.1) for a three-weekend run at the Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center in Owego.
Greg (Rick Kumpon) finds Sylvia wandering in the park and brings the pooch — half Labrador, half poodle — to his upper middle-class apartment in New York City.
Greg’s wife, Kate (Hillori Schenker), greets that move with as much enthusiasm as finding a cockroach on the floor as she makes the logical point that their apartment is not suitable for a rambunctious dog. Kate and Sylvia square off in a battle of the species, so to speak, with Greg spending more and more time with Sylvia while Kate fumes over the mute she derisively calls “Salvia.”
The play is the work of A.R. Gurney, an American playwright and novelist known for his witty studies of upper-class WASP life in contemporary America. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1995 and ran on Broadway in 2015-16.
The Ti-Ahwaga Community Players production is breezy and laugh-out-loud funny. Director Ryan Canavan successfully keeps the action humorous without letting it become overly silly and cartoonish. Kumpon, Schenker and Tagliaferro all give standout performances. So does Deirdre Nolis who plays three supporting characters: a fellow dog owner, whom Greg meets in the park; Kate’s snobbish society friend, and a weirdly androgynous marriage counselor whom the couple visits.
While Sylvia is basically a comedy, it also contains some observations about mid-life crises and the stresses inherent in long-term relationships. In the play Greg is looking for something to latch on to as relief from his increasingly frustrating job at a financial institution. Kate, on the other hand, is excited about the new opportunities in her career as an educator and doesn’t want a dog around to complicate things. The couple are at different points in their lives, and fissures are showing. Sylvia is a catalyst that widens these fissures.
Much of the play’s humor comes from Tagliaferro’s virtuoso performance as she integrates animal behavior with some very human observations. Tagliaferro bounds loopily across the stage, jumps on furniture, rolls on her back and periodically scratches herself for fleas. In between, she makes pithy comments that convey what Sylvia is thinking, or what we humans like to think dogs are thinking.
A case in point: Sylvia says “Excuse me, I have to take a message,” and then sticks her nose to the ground to exuberantly sniff that “message.” Some of her comments are emphatically raunchy and not recommended for children’s ears. Sylvia also develops a “hot to trot” relationship with Bowser, a canine she meets at a dog park.
Other cast members give solid support. Greg’s growing attachment to Sylvia could seem to be a creepy obsession if not played right. But Kumpon makes the character relatable and sympathetic as he looks for something to counteract his growing dissatisfaction. You end up liking the guy and understanding his mid-life crisis.
Schenker, in some ways, has the most difficult role in the play. She plays “the heavy,” who wants to bounce the adorable Sylvia from the apartment. In Schenker’s hands, the character is tightly wound, for sure, but never shrewish. It’s a finely tuned performance.
Schenker even has a few moments to show off her comic skills. One comes at the end of Act I, when she gets down on her hands and knees to have a faceoff with Sylvia over Greg’s obsession with the pooch. As directed by Canavan, it’s a joy to behold.
Finally, Nolis skillfully provides another level of comic relief. She is especially funny at the therapist. Nolis plays the character with a bizarre lack of emotion that shows the therapist has more psychological hang-ups than the couple she is counseling. It’s deft and hilarious.
Credit also goes to costume designer Julia Adams, who has come up with some delightfully eccentric outfits for Sylvia.
For sure, the middle-aged angst of aging WASPs has become a worn-out topic. It’s almost a cliché at this point. What makes Gurney’s play fresh is bringing the dog into the picture. It’s a gimmick, for sure, but a gimmick that works much of the time.
Still, it’s best to keep your thinking cap at home. If you do, the Ti-Ahwaga production provides a large dose of enjoyment and a nicely sentimental moment at the end. Dog owners should love the show and non-dog lovers should have a good time as well.
IF YOU GO: Sylvia will be performed weekends through Oct. 15 at the Ti-Ahwaga Performing Arts Center, 42 Delphine St., Owego. Performances are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets at $25 ($20 for 65 and over and students) can be purchased at www.tiahwaga.com or by calling the box office at 607-687-2130.
