Sylvia at Ilkley Playhouse

IN ‘mid-life’ it would seem that there is often a crisis.

Another woman can be the symptom of that crisis.

And ‘Sylvia’, A. R. Gurney’s play which opened at Ilkley Playhouse this week, is no different. Well, actually, it is.

Greg, the hapless husband of the piece, arrives home one afternoon with the new object of his love in tow – literally, for she is a dog.

Greg, played compellingly by Dermott Hill, is a man on the edge. He clearly doesn’t like his job and has become disinterested in his marriage. His newly acquired dog however, a stray found wandering in Central Park, is the apple of his eye and the woman of his dreams.

Sylvia, (Sarah Potter), is endlessly affectionate, invariably pleased to see him, looks up to him as if was a god and hangs on his every word. Sarah’s performance has enormous energy. She scratches and twitches, chases her tail and turns circles to find a place to sit; her adoring looks at Greg would be enough to make any wife jealous! She is entirely convincing as a dog in fact – and that is a compliment! And the adoration goes both ways. Greg is besotted, obsessed in fact with his dog. He even comments – way too much – about her ‘butt’.

No wonder then that Greg’s wife, Kate, (Joanne Martin), is at first envious of the affection showered upon this flea-ridden, unhouse-trained mutt and later highly perturbed by the bitch that has come between her and her husband of over twenty years. Kate is a dedicated and ambitious teacher, full of fresh ideas and energy, just at a time when Greg is all out of anything except time to teach Sylvia new tricks. There is palpable frustration and irritation in Joanne’s performance and one can only sympathise with her – no one wants to be forsaken for a dog!

Directed by Len Taylor, this is a play which works hard to express ideas of love and loyalty which will be instantly recognised by anyone who loves dogs – and those who just admire them from afar! It runs in the Wildman Studio until Saturday.

- by Becky Carter