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.
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.
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
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.
In this 1995 comedy by A.R. Gurney (“Love Letters,” “The Dining Room”), Greg and Kate are empty-nesters in the big city. On a walk in the park, Greg is adopted by Sylvia, a bouncy, frisky poodle mix. But Kate comes to feel that she is losing Greg to his adoring new best friend who just loves to be petted, scratched, and talked to. This imaginative twist on Greg’s midlife crisis leads to lots of laughs and some thoughtful insights into the nature of love, marriage, jealousy, and dogs.
Join surfing legend Shaun Tomson and actress, surfer, and founder of Surf24 Tanna Frederick, along with a host of other celebrities and pro-surfers as we rock the waves for a full 24 hours to raise money for the oceans we love.
WHAT: The 4th annual SURF 24 surf-a-thon
There will be 8 teams of 24 surfers. That means, one surfer per team for every single hour of the day. Each surfer will be showing off their mad skills (skills not required) and helping raise money for charity for the time they are in the water. Feeling a bit “randy” why not try a night ride.
The goal: Raise $50,000 to help keep our beaches and oceans clean.
WHERE: Santa Monica, California
Just South Of Santa Monica Pier: Tower 28
Ocean Park & Barnard Way, Santa Monica, CA 90401
WHEN: Saturday October, 15-16, 2011
Surfing starts: 10am on Saturday the 15th
Surfing ends: 10am on Sunday the 16th
WHY: Because together we can make a difference. And c’mon, surfing for a cause… does it get any better than that?
So sign up to surf TODAY! Spots are going fast or DONATE HERE!
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.
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.
Alan MacVey, the director of the University of Iowa theater department, says that while the number of factors involved makes it impossible to tell who’s going to make it in Hollywood, Frederick showed promise during her time in Iowa City.
“Success is the result of a lot of things: patience, talent, hard work, luck,” he said. “What I could tell was that she had great potential. She had a very positive, infectious personality.”
Hearing about Frederick’s success is encouraging for such students as Amelia Peacock, who performed last fall in the tragedy Freezer Dreams. The freshman was the recipient of a scholarship set up by Frederick for Iowa students looking to break into the entertainment business.
The Tanna Frederick Scholarship supports an incoming Theatre Arts major who shows artistic potential in one or more areas of theatre, as well as academic and artistic achievement. This year’s recipient is Amelia Peacock who said, “It’s definitely encouraging and a testament to how great the Iowa program is, that someone from Iowa City can make it in Hollywood,” Peacock said. “It’s definitely something to look up to.”
