Sylvia by A.R.Gurney

Sylvia By A.R.Gurney, It’s the classic love triangle – husband, wife, dog.

American playwright A.R. Gurney’s delightful and unique romantic comedy tells the story of Greg and Kate, an upwardly mobile New York couple who have moved to Manhattan after years of child-raising in the suburbs.

Greg is disillusioned with his career in finance, while Kate's teaching career is beginning to take her places. After wagging work one day, Greg brings home a dog he found in the park— wearing a name tag engraved with "Sylvia". A Brooklyn bred Lab/Poodle cross, streetwise Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife. She offers Greg an escape from the frustrations of his job in the midst of his mid-life crisis. To Kate, Sylvia becomes a love rival. And Sylvia thinks Kate is ‘prejudiced against dogs’.

The marriage is headed for the rocks until, after a series of poignant and funny complications, Greg and Kate learn to understand that Sylvia has helped them adjust to the empty-nest phase of their marriage and she becomes a valued part of their lives.

Sylvia is cleverly scripted; A.R Gurney certainly knows about dogs and for dog-lovers especially the play has plenty of laugh out loud moments. In the play’s 1995 off-Broadway debut, Sylvia played to full houses and elicited rave reviews with the role of the dog Sylvia originally played by Sarah Jessica Parker.

In The PumpHouse season production, young Auckland actor Amanda Prasow takes on the physically demanding role of Sylvia. With Denise Snoad and John Clarke playing Kate and Greg.

Director: John Antony
Cast: Denise Snoad, John Clarke, Amanda Prasow, Rob Owens, Mel Roberts
Produced by Quotidian Creative – (Gill Saker and David Martin)

Event listed by The PumpHouse Theatre

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