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Sylvia is a play about a dog. At least, that's how the play has come to be known. The comedy by A.R. Gurney, the author of Love Letters and The Dining Room, delves into the bond between man and man's best friend in such an affectionate and realistic way that people can't help but focus on its canine lead. "Everyone thinks it's about a dog, and it is, but it's not about a dog. Anyone who has ever loved a dog will love the play because it captures the personality of the dog and the dog's position in the family," says Marcia Frederick, who is directing Sylvia at City Lights Theater Company, where it will open on Jan. 25. "But Gurney is such a great playwright that the play is on so many more levels. It's about so much more than a dog," Frederick says, "We're still discovering stuff about it."
The play tells the story of empty-nesters Greg (Steve Lambert) and Kate (Shelley Lynn Johnson) who have moved from the suburbs to New York City to begin enjoying mid-life sans children. But after Greg takes in a stray dog named Sylvia, his devotion to the new pet, which grows to the near exclusion of all else, begins to threaten his marriage.
Even though the titular character is a dog, don't expect anything with four legs and fur to be guilelessly stealing scenes in Sylvia. This dog may be more in touch with humanity than some of the humans in the play are and accordingly, the role is played by an actress (Sarah Jessica Parker originated the role in New York). For City Lights, Bay Area actress Jacqueline Hillsman portrays Sylvia. "It's not a normal, standard role, when it comes to preparation. A lot of it is in here," Hillsman says, gesturing around the theater as she describes how a great deal of her character's development has revealed itself during rehearsal. In keeping with Sylvia herself, who acts largely on her instincts, finding the character has been something of an instinctual process. "She definitely is very different than any other role. A reason why it's a dream [role] is you get to be everything in it. Even though she has all this instinct and vitality and she's running around all the time, she also gets to be sexy, she gets to be a woman. She's very intelligent," says Hillsman.
Although sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, Gurney may be suggesting that a dog is often more than just a dog. In the play, Sylvia describes herself to Greg as representing the mysterious, intriguing "other" for him. "Greg is seduced, and most of us are at some point in our lives, by wanting 'the other,' the thing we never went after," says Frederick. "For Greg, Sylvia is a great liberating character. This dog gives him a kind of freedom that he doesn't have in his job and he uses her in that way, to work out something of this problem."
It seems clear that there's more going on in Sylvia than puppy love being a panacea for a midlife crisis, but what the play has to say may be left to each audience member to decide. Says Frederick; "Gurney doesn't have any answers. He doesn't say 'here's the answer,' just 'here's the issue, here are some ways to look at it. You decide.' And everybody walks off and says 'Oh it was a wonderful play about a dog.'"
Or in other words, Sylvia is more than just a play about a dog.
Sylvia runs Jan. 25Feb. 22 (with previews Jan. 2324) at City Lights Theater Company, 529 S. Second St., San Jose. Tickets are $15$25. For tickets or more information, call 408.295.4200 or visit www.cltc.org
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