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Sylvia Is
No Dog
By Javier González
"Sylvia," A.R. Gurney's comedy
about a domesticated animal
and the middle-aged couple
whose marriage she nearly ends,
is causing howling riots at
Santa Barbara Playhouse. The
play touches on some pretty
serious subjects, but ultimately
is more fun than meaningful.
Greg, a male menopause-suffering
New York City dweller, brings
home a stray dog with a nametag "Sylvia".
While his wife Kate has taken
up a career in midlife and
is prospering on her own, he's
at loose ends, dissatisfied
with his job. Kate is not at
all happy about sharing her
apartment and her husband's
affections with a dog. And
so the rivalry between Kate
and Sylvia begins as Greg develops
an unhealthy obsession with
his new canine friend. A former
English professor at MIT, playwright
Gurney is a master of language,
describing Greg's attachment
to Sylvia as "nothing but a
menopausal moment." The dog
has the upper paw, however. "He
thinks I shit ice cream," the
bitch retorts, glowing. What
develops is a love triangle,
just as real and nearly as
sticky as the kind in which
all participants walk upright.
Director
Beverly Rose has once again
made a sound choice by bringing "Sylvia" to the
Santa Barbara stage. The play
works perfectly given the size
of the venue and does not require
excessive production. "Sylvia" is
a tour-de-force ensemble piece
and the actors involved in
the production do not disappoint.
As performed by (human!) Nancy
Patience, Sylvia displays the
many personalities that a non-human
dog would. As a stray, she
is shaggy. In heat, Sylvia
dresses provocatively, flirting
with anyone, human or otherwise,
who stands around. In a hilarious
scene, she confronts a cat
with a stream of four-letter
words that would make a Mexican
politician blush.
Marilee Clark plays the more
reserved Kate, who expertly
shows restraint on stage. When
confronted by Sylvia, however,
the two female characters get
down and dirty on all-fours,
Sylvia with colorful metaphors,
Kate quoting Shakespeare in
what often seems more like
a catfight but always hilarious.
Greg
is performed by veteran Arden
Murphy, whose struggle between
the two females in his life
seems sometimes disconnected,
often contrasting the broader
dynamic range of the other
performers. The finest comic
moments in the show belong
to Chuck Park, who chameleons
himself into three different
cameo roles. As Tom, he is
the over-the-top, dog-owning
buddy who warns Greg about
the perils of dog ownership
while their dogs, uh, bond
in the background. He also
plays Phyllis, Kate's Vassar
friend, an upper-fare New Yorker
who is fonder of a stiff drink
than a stiff dog wrapped around
her leg. (Yes, there is gleeful
humping in this show!) Finally,
he plays Leslie, the androgynous
shrink who attempts to save
Greg and Kate¹s marriage
in the second act.
"Sylvia" is
must-see theater here in
Vallarta, not only because
of the well-balanced performances,
but because we rarely get
the opportunity to enjoy
such an insightful view of
the human/pet condition.
Once you leave Santa Barbara,
you may never look at your
dog (or your cat) the same
way again. This is the last
week for this play's performance,
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
evenings and Sunday matinee
through March 27. For more
information, please contact
222-4477.
Press Release
Mini Movie Musical Madness
Will Drive You Wild
Vallarta's
newest musical offering "Mini Movie Musical
Madness" opens at Santa Barbara
Theatre this Tuesday, March
23 rd and runs through April
23 rd .
Billed
as "famous favorite
movie musicals creatively condensed
and fabulously fun", the show,
arranged and directed by Ann
Marie Danimus, is packed with
five encapsulated Broadway
movie musicals. Madness will
feature "Grease", "Chorus Line", "Oklahoma", "Les
Miserables" and "West Side
Story".
"I picked popular Broadway
shows which have been made
into movies, because most people
have had the opportunity to
see these shows in movie format,
if they have never been to
a live show," said Danimus. "This
show will allow them to experience
some of their favorites in
a live venue."
All the musicals are represented
with full sets, costumes and
characters and the show is
filled with great music, dancing
and acting. This energetic
arrangement is well balanced
with both humorous bits and
dramatic sequences.
Miss Danimus is also performing
and will be joined by Mikki
Prost, newcomer Sandi Lee,
Alvaro Castillo, Scotty Gaines
and Billy Backus, part owner
of Santa Barbara.
Shows will run Tuesday, Wednesday
and Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets
are $200. pesos, on sale at
the Santa Barbara Theatre at
351 Olas Altas, corner of Basillo
Badillo in Old Town. You can
also reserve by phone at 222-4477
or 044-322-888-6758.
Press Release
New Comedy About Vallarta
-- Based On an Old Comedy by
Moliere
The mayor of Puerto Vallarta
has commissioned a new play,
but the actors haven't had
enough time to rehearse. But
now it's the night of the performance
and they're not ready. How
can they get out of this mess?
That
is the situation that playwright-director-actor
Tencha Avila has created
for seven actors of Global
Players/Teatro Global in
her new play, "Vallarta
Impromptu."
The
actors overcome their worries
and miscues with ad libs
and chutzpah -- the show
must go on. They manage to
put on a helter-skelter evening
of comedy, with a little help
from Shakespeare and a lot
of help from the French comic
playwright Molière.
Directed
by Avila, "Vallarta
Impromptu" will be give
four 8 p.m. performances at
the Centro
Cultural
Cuale theatre on Isla Cuale,
as follows: Saturday and
Sunday, March 27 & 28,
Saturday and Sunday, April
3 & 4.
Playing multiple roles will
be Avila and well known actress
Sherry Weaver and the new but
equally enthusiastic Luigi
Corsi, Camelia Apostol, Pat
Clark, Walter Friedenberg and
David McAuliffe.
Tickets cost $100 pesos with
half of the admission price
going to support the Centro
Cultural
Cuale theatre. Advance tickets
are on sale at Bob's Dos Palomas
Restaurant, 194B Aquiles Serdan,
Colonia Emiliano Zapata, and
at the theatre door before
performances, which will start
promptly.
Avila is in her sixth year
of presenting first-class,
successful theatrical productions
in
Puerto
Vallarta, including her bilingual "My Life
With Mary/Mi Vida Con Maria," "'Night,
Mother," "Three Tall Women," "The
Vagina Monologues" and
the Spanish-language "Rosa
de Dos Aromas."
Of "Vallarta Impromptu" she
says, "One night, when
I was so sad about the war
in Iraq, I
read, for some laughs, Moliere's
'Impromptu de Versailles,'
a witty and baudy comedy he
wrote for
Louis XIV. Immediately, I
thought of writing a parody
-- with a Puerto Vallarta twist.
"Molière wasn't called
'the greatest gag-writer of
the 17 th century' for nothing," Avila
added. "But he was also
a social critic, a satirist
who poked - make that jabbed
-- fun at the hypocrisy, fraud
and pretension of his day.
If he were alive today, he'd
be having a field day."
Learn
Spanish
Learn Spanish at Villa Bella and
get to know our culture: Try a different vacation, through
our Spanish Classes you will be able to interact with
Mexican nationals and learn a lot about this beautiful
country, its traditions, arts, and culture. Soon you
will develop speaking and comprehension skills that
will enable you to begin using the language immediately.
Te esperamos!
Information and Reservations:
From USA and Canada:
Toll free USA 01-877-273-6244
Toll free CANADA 01-877-513-1662
Phone 011-52- (329) 295-5161/ 295-5154
Fax 011-52- (329) 295-5305
From Mexico:
Phone 01-(329) 295-5161 /295-5154
Fax 01-(329) 295-5305
Address
Calle del Monte Calvario # 12
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle,
Bahia de Banderas, Nayarit
México 63732
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