If you live in Los Angeles and don’t know who Tanna Frederick is, you probably haven’t driven down Sunset Boulevard sometime in the past few years. Her face has been plastered on the billboard in front of the complex that housed the now closed Sunset Laemmle theatres. Why, you ask? She is independent director Henry Jaglom’s de facto leading lady.  As I have often wondered who this woman on the billboard is, I jumped at the chance to speak with her about her relationship with Jaglom and her upcoming film, The M Word. And while Tanna has had what many aspiring actors must consider enviable success, it hasn’t gone to her head — her bubbly personality and natural charm make her utterly likable.

Earlier this year, Tanna Frederick was a huge hit with audiences and critics in the enormously popular comedy “Sylvia,” when it was presented at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Now, she brings her starring performance to the Westside, where the play will be given a different directorial perspective by its new award-winning director, Gary Imhoff; and a new look from its award-winning production designer Joel Daavid. “Sylvia” runs May 20- July 10, 2011. Thurs. through Sat at 7:30, Sun. at 5.

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Me. New Years Eve. We’re having a party and I’m hiding in the kitchen, depressed by the happy people invading my house.  I get like that when I haven’t worked for a while. Brain shuts down, tear ducts on over-drive, the meaning of life eludes me. Basically my Eleanora Duse goes into full swing, and I become a monster to all those near and dear.

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A guy in both midlife crisis and a stale marriage is an old story, but throw in a rambunctious adopted dog—played by an insouciant and lovely actress—and you have a play that is both poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. A. R. Gurney’s Sylvia is currently playing at the Edgemar Theatre in Santa Monica, a delightful local venue, and whether you love theatre, love dogs, or are simply looking for an evening of raucous entertainment, this production is a winner. Tanna Frederick, a former WLT cover girl has great acting chops, but here she gives free rein to camp—sniffing, cavorting, and freely anthropomorphizing a stray that our hero, played by Stephen Howard (Greg) brings home to the chagrin of his discombobulated wife Kate (Cathy Arden). Punctuating the fun is Tom Ayers in two roles that will have you practically rolling in the aisle.

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Playing the title role in Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, Tanna Frederick preens and gambols about the stage of the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica like she owns the place. And she does. Her kinetic energy fills the theater as she riotously stretches, scratches, sniffs, humps, licks, and hurls herself into something resembling, but thankfully not exactly copying, a dog. Who talks. And who is the Other Woman in the midlife crisis of her new owner. Apologies—this being West Hollywood, he is a guardian.

It’s a role created by Sarah Jessica Parker, who earned rave reviews during Sylvia’s New York Run in the mid-90s. Frederick has the same seemingly zero body fat, skinny yet muscular frame of Parker, and with her tangled curls and general bounciness, she certainly recalls Parker’s scene-stealing turn in L.A. Story with Steve Martin.

Yet she makes the role her own.

WHO: Written by A.R. Gurney. Directed by Gary Imhoff. Produced by Alexandra Guarnieri. Presented by Edgemar Center for the Arts.

WHERE: Edgemar Center for the Arts, on the Main Stage, 2437 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90405. Parking is available (fee charged) in an onsite structure, and metered parking is available in nearby Lot 11, across the street from Peet’s Coffee.

WHEN: May 20- July 10, 2011. Thurs. through Sat at 7:30, Sun. at 5.

ADMISSION: $34.99. A limited number of seats at each performance will be available at a discounted price of $25. (Use promo code “Sylvia.”)

Except Opening Night Galas on Friday, May 20, and Saturday, May 21, $50 (includes Champagne and petit fours, with proceeds to benefit animal rescue charity New Leash On Life on Friday, and Santa Monica Animal Shelter on Saturday.

RESERVATIONS: (310) 392-7327.

ONLINE TICKETING: www.edgemarcenter.org

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For those who want the New Year to “enter laughing”have we got a play for you! More fun than a barrel full of puppies, the Sierra Madre Playhouse is presenting Sylvia, the story of a man and his dog. Usually there is not much that is funny about a man and a dog, but A. R. Gurney’s story looks at the little details in a canine/human relationship and expands them to the highest level of absurdity, resulting in a scandalous comic tumble sure to tickle everybody’s tummy.

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A truly successful theatrical program must be one that the audience members can identify with. It must be a program that causes the emotions to stir, the intellect to spike, and the fervor to rise. Sylvia, by A. R.Gurney, currently playing at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, is exactly this kind of production. The set is simple, but extremely well designed for the production. The theatre itself is comfortable and professional for its size and the cast are all superior in their abilities. This is an amazing hit production that sadly must end February 19, 2011. It is already playing to sold out houses and will likely continue to do the same for the entire run, so book your reservations early or you will miss one of the best productions in Southern California I have seen on a small stage in a while. And what’s better, this production is helping to benefit the incredibly important work that is being done at the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA. (On a side note, they are also requesting any possible donations for assistance to the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society & SPCA to assist with major damages they incurred during Southern California’s recent winter rain deluge.) I will provide the information to make your reservation at the end of the review.

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A truly successful theatrical program must be one that the audience members can identify with. It must be a program that causes the emotions to stir, the intellect to spike, and the fervor to rise. Sylvia, by A. R. Gurney, currently playing at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, is exactly this kind of production. The set is simple, but extremely well designed for the production. The theatre itself is comfortable and professional for its size and the cast are all superior in their abilities. This is an amazing hit production that sadly must end February 19, 2011. It is already playing to sold out houses and will likely continue to do the same for the entire run, so book your reservations early or you will miss one of the best productions in Southern California I have seen on a small stage in a while. And what’s better, this production is helping to benefit the incredibly important work that is being done at the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA. (On a side note, they are also requesting any possible donations for assistance to the San Gabriel Valley Humane Society & SPCA to assist with major damages they incurred during Southern California’s recent winter rain deluge.) I will provide the information to make your reservation at the end of the review.

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