By Dale King
The literary device known as the “willing suspension of disbelief” is “an essential element when experiencing any drama or work of fiction,” said poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who coined the phrase in 1817. “We may know very well that we are watching an actor or looking at marks on paper, but we wilfully accept them as real in order to fully experience what the artist is attempting to convey.”
Sylvia, now playing at the Delray Beach Playhouse, is one play that stretches that theatrical ethos to the hilt.
Sylvia is the story of a dog by that name, and of the couple that adopt her. A. R. Gurney, the playwright who also gave us Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour, The Dining Room and Sweet Sue, asks the audience, at least in this case, to believe that a young brunette actress named Christina Jolie Breza — a graduate of Florida Atlantic University with a bachelor’s degree in theater — is actually a four-legged, furry stray who catches the eye of Greg (Michael DeGrotta), a 40-something guy who quickly succumbs to her charms.
It’s love at first sight for both, much to the chagrin and ongoing contempt of his wife, Kate (Marcie Hall). As her ire gets higher, Kate, with derogation, calls Sylvia “Saliva” and chides her for “chewing a hole into a 22-year marriage.” Unlike ordinary canines, Sylvia is imbued with the capacity to talk — and gives the insults right back as she and Kate go nose-to-nose (so to speak) in an ongoing battle of wits and words.
The play takes place in an upper middle-class section of Manhattan circa the mid-1990s. The fact that Sylvia is a dog is done purely for laughs. But she does help Greg and Kate bring their feelings about each other — which need mending — to the fore. Both are stressed. Greg hates his boss and would do anything — including spend afternoons with his newly acquired buddy — to skip work. Kate is a teacher who spends a lot of time drifting away from her task of creating a curriculum. For them, Sylvia is truly a therapy dog.
Despite some shortcomings, the show is well worth seeing. It features the gentle touch of veteran director Randolph DelLago, which is always a good thing. In addition, scenic designer Cindi Taylor has gone to great lengths to create a modernistic, three-tiered “condo” stage. The upper level is decorated with a white couch, a great swivel chair and an elegant glass and metal desk. It epitomizes social climbing.
Sylvia injects multiple doses of silliness into the basic premise of reality. Its emphasis on an inter-species relationship may make some in the audience a bit uncomfortable. Also, the finale, though tender, is a little melodramatic for the circumstances that precede it.
DeGrotta and Hall are familiar faces on the Delray stage, and bring a cozy, homey feel to the production. Back after a stellar performance in 12 Angry Men, DeGrotta meanders from mellow to melancholy in this tale that is more about middle age and its mid-life crises than it is about a dog. Ditto for Hall, who has TV, vocal and summer stock credits on her side, in addition to her frequent roles at Delray.
And that brings us to perhaps the most versatile actor in Sylvia, Mark Hetelson, whose visage is also well-known to the Delray gallery. He shows up in three different roles. He is Tom, owner of a dog named Bowser who is the object of Sylvia’s eye at the park — at least until she’s spayed. Then, he arrives front and center as Phyllis, one of Kate’s friends from the education field. And later, he’s back as marriage counselor Leslie, a gender-unspecific professional whose advice to Kate, after hearing her many laments about Sylvia, is “to shoot the dog — right between the eyes.” Then, Leslie runs off “to see my own shrink.”
In her role as Sylvia, Breza is a hoot, a flamboyant fireball who takes her love for Greg to great lengths. She should definitely come back to the Delray stage and play some human roles.
All in all, there are some really funny parts in this show – and some tender ones as well. Sylvia’s use of occasional four-letter words and other expletives makes the audience laugh in spite of themselves.
Sylvia runs through June 2, ending the 2012-2013 season for Delray Beach Playhouse, 950 NW 9th St. (Lake Shore Drive), Delray Beach. For tickets, call 561-272-1281.