"Sylvia" barks and New Brunswick laughs

A friend once told me about visiting her parents in their empty nest, only to find that she had been replaced by a furry friend (or fiend). When the young woman was leaving, no tears from the parents; only a simple request. "Please don't let the dog see your suitcase . . . she doesn't like when we go away."

This could have been a scene from George Street Playhouse's new Sylvia, playing through April 25. A.R. Gurney's comedy takes our current obsession and emotional dependance on dogs to hilarious new heights, by actually giving voice to a canine character on stage. "Sylvia" was first performed in 1995 with Sarah Jessica Parker as the dog, and Blythe Danner and Charles Kimbraugh as the couple.

Greg is an empty nester with two children in college. He hates his job as a money market manager.  His cerebal wife Kate is preoccuppied with her new profession as teacher of inner city children, bestowing on them the beauty of Shakespeare whether they like it or not. Now enter the love of his life.

Sylvia is so different from his waspy, sterile wife. Okay, Sylvia is a dog, but as Greg tells his wife, "Sylvia needs me. She thinks I saved her life."

As soon as Rachel Dratch of Saturday Night Live scampers on stage, she does the impossible quickly. She begs the question in her halting, panting manner: isn't it easier to love a canine than your spouse? The comedian not only captures emotionally starved Greg, she owns the audience from her first bark. Her frenetic performance brings us everything we ever wanted to hear about ourselves.

Boyd Gaines only has to utter, "Her name means 'she of the woods' " (he found the dog in Central Park) to connect us to our insanity with pets. But waspish Kate (Kathleen McNenny) has another name for the new arrival: "Saliva."

"You left your job in the middle of the afternoon" she admonishes. "What about your children's college expenses?" "I'm not so sure college is the answer to everything in life," replies the newly existential Greg.

The ensemble is nicely rounded out by Stephen De Rosa in three roles. Just as Dratch can transform to canine, De Roska plays male, female, and even one character who might be on the fence.

David Saint, 12 year artistic director at George Street, directs the cast to bounce off each other in this weird love affair. Gaines and Dratch carry the absurdity of puppy love to the max under his tight direction. Their glances across the stage and slobbering body language are priceless. Saint said that he was waiting for years for the right cast to be available for this tale and he certainly found it in this ensemble.

James Youmans' scenic design and Christoper J. Bailey's lighting  provide clever scenery that moves to create all the stations of Manhattan living: an urban park, a sterile apartment, and the anonymity of a Big Apple streetscape. There is depth to this cartoonish stage, a sturdy complement to the fable, with also a few funny surprises in the scenery.

The Greek dramatists said that Truth makes the best comedies. The last act adds some reality and a message, without ruining the fun. After all, do we really want to be responsible for driving our over-burdened pets into therapy? Today, who could afford it?