Sylvia opens Sept. 6 in Gaslight Dinner Theatre

Release Date: 9/3/2002. Expired: 10/11/2002

What happens when a dog becomes more than just a man’s best friend, but his obsession as he grapples with a frustrating job, a stagnant marriage and a mid-life crisis?

Find out as The Renaissance Center presents Sylvia in the Gaslight Dinner Theatre at 6:30 p.m. Fridays Sept. 6-Oct. 11.

Facing the demons of life, marriage and job, Greg (played by Matt Bridges) escapes when he finds a stray dog in the park and brings her home. Identified as Sylvia on her nametag, Greg becomes thoroughly enamored with the street-smart Labrador retriever and poodle mix breed, which quickly becomes a major bone of contention with his wife, Kate (played by Amy Arrington).

Adding to the hilarity in A.R. Gurney’s play is the fact that the audience gets to see and hear what Sylvia (played by Alix McEachern Jones) is thinking as the relationship with Greg grows.

To Kate, Sylvia becomes a rival for affection and Sylvia thinks Kate just doesn’t understand the relationship between man and dog. The resulting conflicts put Kate and Greg’s marriage in serious jeopardy.

“This modern romantic comedy is the most endearing good time to trot down the pike in many a moon,” said Pacer Harp, managing director of the Gaslight Dinner Theatre and director for Sylvia. “The fact that Sylvia is played by an actress gives the audience a unique insight into what this dog is thinking and how she responds to the battle for affection she suddenly represents. It promises not only a night of laughs but also some touching moments as this couple works through some very real emotional issues.”

“Greg is in a transitional period, he’s going through a mid-life crisis,” Bridges said of his character. “Sylvia represents to him what to some men is a new sports car. She is unconditional acceptance, blind affection and unquestioned loyalty. Because of her, Greg experiences a life priority shift.”

Arrington’s portrayal of Kate has her filling her empty nest by throwing herself into her work.

“She’s having the time of her life in the beginning of the play,” Arrington said. “She’s threatened by Sylvia because now instead of communicating with her, Greg is communing with the dog. Kate gets a grant to study in England and issues an ultimatum, hoping to leave the dog behind.”

Playing the title character, McEachern Jones has the unique challenge of giving a dog a personality while also maintaining its dog qualities.

“A.R. Gurney has written the lines like you think a dog would think,” McEachern Jones said. “Sylvia is starved for affection and very loyal to Greg. But she’s also very worried about Kate, who doesn’t seem to be warming up to her. Sylvia is trying to find her place in the world and she thinks it’s at Greg’s house.”

Alex Syler plays three supporting characters. He is Tom, a fellow dog lover who befriends Greg in the park; Phyllis, a friend and confidante of Kate’s; and Dr. Leslie, the counselor Kate and Greg see to try to save their marriage.

Tickets for Sylvia are $25 per person, which includes a buffet meal and the show. Seating begins at 6:15 p.m. Fridays with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. and the show to follow. Reservations are required by noon on the day of the show and can be made by calling (615)740-5570. Two matinees for Senior Lunch Theatre have already sold out.

The buffet menu for Sylvia includes pork chops with raspberry sauce, chicken breasts with rice, mashed potatoes, green beans, creamed corn, broccoli with cheese sauce, tossed salad, dinner rolls, blackberry cobbler and banana pudding.

Sylvia is the first show of the Gaslight Dinner Theatre’s 2002-03 season and is included in the Season Pass available for $100. The Season Pass includes tickets to all five dinner theatre shows in the season as well as two shows by the Renaissance Repertory Theatre Company.

The 2002-03 Gaslight Dinner Theatre season includes Sylvia (Sept. 6-Oct. 11), Uh-Oh, Here Comes Christmas (Nov. 1-Dec. 22), Love Letters (Jan. 17-Feb. 28), I Hate Hamlet (March 28-May 2) and Always... Patsy Cline (May 23-June 28).

The Rep Co. shows included in the Season Pass are And Then They Came for Me: Remembering the World of Anne Frank on Nov. 9 and Amelia Lives on April 19.

For more information on Sylvia, the Gaslight Dinner Theatre or Season Passes, call (615)740-5600.

The Renaissance Center is an arts and technology education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172.

Visit the Gaslight Dinner Theatre page for more about dinner theatre.

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