Labradoodle is Lead in 3Monkeys Production

By Daniel Leibman

Last weekend, I was hoodwinked into going to the theater. Not hoodwinked, exactly, cajoled. The play was Sylvia by A.R. Gurney. Presented by a new theater company performing in a storefront acting studio in Woodland Hills, of all places. I was skeptical. No, I was terrified. If you've ever been to theater in L.A. you'll understand!

By time the proverbial curtain came down, as I wiped tears from my eyes . . . my heart was pounding, my stomach hurt from laughing and I couldn't stop smiling. Live theater does that to you, when it's good!

The play is about a poodle-Labrador retriever mix named Sylvia. A stray who is found in Central Park and brought home by loving husband Greg to his loving wife. And that's when the trouble begins.

If you’re a dog lover, Sylvia will speak to you. But, then, Sylvia speaks to everyone, literally, as the pooch in this play is played by a woman who communicates with the audience and the characters in plain English. The premise may seem corny on the surface, but Gurney’s play is a smart, unusual piece of work that’s much more than it appears at first glance.

The character of Sylvia, is played by charming and energetic, Paula Schmitt. As played by Schmitt, the dog is the pulse of this show. Holding you in the palm of her hand with the slightest snuffle or leaving you stunned with a display of expletives that could shock an umpire, she drives the show. Schmitt also broke my heart in her final scene . . . but I won't spoil that for you. She is a real find and I hope to see more of her work.

If Sylvia is the pulse, then husband and wife Greg and Kate, are the heart. After 22 years of marriage, they still have a sense of humor with each other and are still in love with each other. They just seem to be going in opposite directions. Greg is disillusioned with his Wall Street job, with his quest for material things and, quite frankly with life. Kate, just beginning her new career, post child rearing. Is Greg's growing attachment to Sylvia a symptom of a mid-life crisis? Or the something "real" he's longed for. 

As Greg, Martin Thompson is practically perfect. He possesses an impeccable sense of comic timing, and he never hits a false note . . . even when he sings. It's no wonder Sylvia never wants to leave his side.  At the show I attended, Sara Wood was filling in for Shon Denise Wilson. My understanding is that she had not been rehearsing with the cast and if that is true, it did not show. The chemistry between Wood and the other cast, particularly with Thompson, was spot on. It is a role that could easily become the villain and Wood kept her balance with Kate, making her keen, funny and likeable.

Eric Carl plays multiple roles. I'm not sure what else I can say without giving away too much here. As Tom, he provides a wonderful straight man to Thompson's Greg . . . but in the later scenes, when he changes characters and costumes . . . well, he is devastatingly funny, worth the price of admission!

Director Ira David Wood IV, has staged the play perfectly. Keeping the action economical and the settings minimal. His actors perfectly cast.

And what about my tears at the end? Yep, I went there. It is, after all is said and done, a story about a man and his dog. This man was not embarrassed to shed a few in memory of my own. Yes, we should all get a dog. And we should all learn to take a walk in the park once in a while. And, we should all go to 3Monkeys Theater to see Sylvia. You have until June 16th.

To Go:

Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday (running time is 100 minutes)

Tickets are $15 and available online.

3Monkeys Theatre is at 22749 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. 818-222-7484