16 Jun Couple adopts dog, shenanigans ensue
Even though it’s just getting going, the dog days of summer are arriving early at Theatre Aspen.
The company’s 43rd summer season opens Tuesday with A.R. Gurney’s comedy “Sylvia,” a tale about marriage, middle age and the unexpected ways that a four-legged friend can transform a life.
Running through June 27 at the Hurst Theatre, the production reunites a cast of Broadway veterans under the direction of Tony Award-nominee Hunter Foster.
“I’m thrilled to be directing ‘Sylvia,’ my seventh production at Theatre Aspen,” Foster said. “‘Sylvia’ is about the wonderful relationships people have with their dogs, but also about reconnecting with the world around us and the people that we love. It’s funny, heartwarming and hopefully a story we can all relate to, dog owner or not.”
“Sylvia” follows the story of Greg, a recently transplanted New Yorker and financial trader facing an uncertain future after years of raising children in the suburbs. When he discovers a stray dog in the park and brings her home, he and his wife’s lives are instantly upended.
The dog’s name is Sylvia, and before long the hound becomes the focus of Greg’s affection — much to the frustration of his wife, Kate.
What follows is a tug-of-war over loyalty, love and attention as Sylvia becomes both a source of comfort and a source of conflict.
According to Concord Theatricals, the company that licenses the play, “Sylvia” premiered off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club on May 2, 1995. Directed by John Tillinger, the production featured Sarah Jessica Parker, Charles Kimbrough, Blythe Danner and Derek Smith. The play had its Broadway premiere at the Cort Theatre on Oct. 2, 2015. Directed by Daniel J. Sullivan, the production featured Annaleigh Ashford, Matthew Broderick, Julie White and Robert Stella.
The play was originally written for Parker, whose performance earned her a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play.
In Theatre Aspen’s production, Broadway veteran and award-winning voiceover actress Jen Cody takes on the title role, bringing human emotions and canine instincts together. Cody is joined in the cast by Tony Award-nominee Erin Dilly (“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”) as Kate and Jim Stanek as Greg. David Beach (“Mamma Mia,” “Urinetown”) takes on multiple roles as Tom, Phyllis and Leslie.
Beach is making his Theatre Aspen debut. He believes audiences will recognize more of themselves in the play than they might expect.
“There’s a lot of funny stuff about dogs, but it’s actually very moving too,” he said during a recent interview. “People who really love dogs really love this play but it’s also about relationships and how people connect.”
Beach takes on one of the production’s most demanding assignments, portraying three separate characters — Tom, an over-the-top dog owner he describes as a “Bowser-ish” presence at the dog park; Phyllis, an Upper East Side socialite; and Leslie, a marriage counselor who helps Greg and Kate navigate the chaos Sylvia brings into their lives.
“There are four actors in the play, but six characters,” Beach explained. “I play a guy in the dog park, an Upper East Side matron and a therapist who is exploring her own gender identity. So I appear throughout the play.”
The role-switching is part of what has made “Sylvia” a favorite among actors. The multiple characters provide comic relief while also offering different perspectives on the central relationship.
During the interview, Beach switched from character to character as he described “Sylvia.”
“Everything’s so crazy right now that it might be fun just to go and laugh your little butt off,” he said while speaking in character as Phyllis.
As Tom, the dog-loving park regular, Beach offered another takeaway: “It’s important to love your dog.”
And as Leslie, the therapist, he suggested audiences “take a deep breath and explore their love of dogs and theater and getting together at a fun place in the summer.”
The production has become something of a reunion for its cast and creative team. Foster has previously performed in “Sylvia” as an actor, while Cody has appeared in multiple productions of the play. Beach, Cody, Foster, Dilly and Stanek have worked together in various combinations over the years but never all together at once.
“Our stage manager often has to tell us to stop catching up on old times and get back to work,” Beach said.
He said working with Theatre Aspen has been a bucket list opportunity of sorts. To Beach, who grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and has spent decades working in New York theater, television and film, summer theater holds a special appeal.
“Regional summer theater is a mainstay for so many actors,” he said. “And you hear about Aspen as this special place to go and work. I grew up seeing summer theater, and I love seeing great theater in a beautiful place with nice people. It sort of makes me feel like I’m going back to theater camp. It’s the purity of the love of theater.”
Theatre Aspen has several events set up around the first week of the production of “Sylvia.” On Monday (June 15) and also on June 22, a “Yappy Hour” is planned for the Hurst Theatre lobby from 5-6 p.m. featuring cocktails, mocktails, pup cups and toys.
On Thursday (June 18) at 6:15 p.m., Isabel Klee, bestselling author of “Dogs, Boys and Other Things I’ve Cried About,” will engage in conversation and a book-signing in the Hurst Theatre lobby.
At the Aspen Saturday Market on June 20, there will be a meet-the-cast event at the Aspen Animal Shelter tent from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. And at 5 p.m. June 22, a canine cabaret will be held at the Hurst Theatre, where the cast of “Sylvia” will sing songs in honor of pets.
Tickets for “Sylvia” are available at theatreaspen.org.