"Sylvia"

July 12, 2016 — The Barnstormers are in their 86th year this season, and their current home, Tamworth, New Hampshire, is celebrating its 250th anniversary, having been incorporated in 1766.  I traveled to the Barnstormers for the first time this season to see A. R. Gurney's "Sylvia."

Do you talk to your dog? Does your dog talk back? In Gurney's cleverly conceived comedy, "Sylvia," the dog is played by a human, and has conversations, some loving, some acrimonious, with the humans in her life. Other than that, she behaves...well...like a dog. Shayna Vercillo is Sylvia, a stray dog picked up by Greg (Blair Hundertmark) one day on a walk in the park. Greg is captivated by Sylvia and she bonds with him. Greg's wife, Kate (Madeleine Maby), is not so smitten with Sylvia.

Greg's devotion to Sylvia eventually puts his marriage in jeopardy. He has a chance meeting with a stranger in the dog park (Doug Shapiro), who's full of "expert" advice on how to manage a dog and marriage, his dog advice the more reliable. For example, he urges Greg to wait until Sylvia is in heat once before having her spayed so she'll have a female identity.

Later, Shapiro has his second turn as Kate's friend Phyllis (yes, Phyllis! Shapiro in drag alone was worth the price of admission). Phyllis' encounter with Sylvia is a disaster and is the last straw in Kate's view.

Still later, Greg and Kate have a session with a marriage counselor (Shapiro again, this time of uncertain gender). Their session leaves the counselor so confused, he escapes for a meeting with his (her?) own shrink.

Hundertmark and Maby, both good actors who make frequent appearances at the Barnstormers, were over-shadowed in this production by Vercillo's over-the-top performance as Sylvia, and Shapiro, one of the funniest men in New Hampshire theater, was way over-the-top, as usual, in his three roles.

Directed by Paul Mroczka, with an attractive set by Randall Parsons, the play, through all the chaos and laughs, has its tender moments. Check out Doug Shapiro's website. He's a very funny guy:

http://www.dougshapiro.com