REVIEW: “Sylvia” at the Sharon Playhouse

BY MACEY LEVIN
BERKSHIRE ON STAGE

A.R. Gurney was a prolific playwright whose major works focused on the American upper class. Love Letters (a Pulitzer Prize nominee,) The Dining Room, and The Cocktail Hour are among his most memorable.  One of his most popular plays, Sylvia,  a comic romp, is the current offering at Sharon Playhouse, Sharon, Connecticut.

Sylvia, a stray dog, played by the energetic and lovable Jen Cody, charms the middle-aged Greg (Jonathan Walker) who brings her home to the apartment he shares with his wife Kate (Jennifer Van Dyck.)  Kate is not happy as Sylvia usurps her place in Greg’s heart and life bringing chaos and pain into the marriage.  But Greg and Sylvia are interdependent believing that Kate will soon join them in their happiness.  There is a series of misadventures that exacerbates Kate’s attitude toward Sylvia leading to even greater strains in the marriage.  Greg is unhappy in his job, an officer in a major financial institution, and ultimately resigns to spend more time with Sylvia much to Kate’s chagrin which only adds to her negative feelings toward Sylvia.