cast list for *Sylvia*

Jan. 29-Feb. 21 at the Civic's Studio Theater
by Albert Ramsdell ("Pete") Gurney
directed by Brooke Kiener

starring Beth Carey as Sylvia, the dog
Bill Forant as Greg, the dog-loving husband
Anne Mitchell as Kate, the dog-hating wife
and Jerry Sciarrio as Tom, Phyllis and Leslie
(two of which are drag roles, so after *South Pacific* and that Egyptian thing at the Masonic Temple and goodness knows what else ... I'm just saying that Mr. Sciarrio's sexual orientation is clearly muddled and that perhaps therapy might ... oh, Leslie IS a therapist, you say? Well, then. Let the sexually confused physician counsel himself.)

*Sylvia* is a play for dog-lovers. Bobo saw productions at Interplayers in '97 and at NIC (in 2001?) and has read it a couple of times, and gotta say, the final scene makes me cry every time.
There are people who let dogs lick their faces and people who are grossed out by the very thought of dogs licking their faces.
Me, I wanna roll around on the ground in the "dead bug" position (on my back, legs and arms wiggling in the air) and have about three dogs licking my face, sniffing my ...
You get the picture.
That's a slice of canine heaven right there.
Looking forward to it, panting.

*Sylvia* premiered at the Manhattan Theater Club in 1995 in a production featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, Charles Kimbrough (*Murphy Brown*) and Blythe Danner (among many other accomplishments, mother of Gwyneth Paltrow).


[ photo: Cathy Rigby (yes, the gymnast) as Sylvia in an date-unknown production at southern California's La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts; from StageSceneLA.com ]