The adult urban comedy by A R. Gurney begins January 10.
All star cast includes Jennifer Cody, Hunter Foster, Dee Hoty and John Scherer.
Geva Theatre Center presents Sylvia, an adult urban comedy with a huge heart. Written by A. R. Gurney, Sylvia is directed by Mark Cuddy and will be performed in the Wilson Stage from January 10 to February 5.
Empty nesters Greg and Kate have relocated back to Manhattan after two decades of raising their family in the suburbs. As Kate observes: “The dog phase of my life is definitely over.” When Greg finds Sylvia, a street-smart Labra-doodle in Central Park and brings her home, she becomes a bone of contention between Greg and Kate, testing their marriage to howlingly hilarious and touching effect.
Buffalo-born A.R. Gurney is the playwright of Scenes From American Life, Children, The Dining Room, The Middle Ages, Richard Cory, The Golden Age, What I Did Last Summer, The Wayside Motor Inn, Sweet Sue, The Perfect Party, Another Antigone, The Cocktail Hour, Love Letters, The Snow Ball (adapted from his novel), The Old Boy, The Fourth Wall, Later Life, A Cheever Evening, Sylvia, Overtime, Let's Do It (A Cole Porter Musical), Labor Day, Far East, Darlene And The Guest Lecturer, Ancestral Voices. He wrote libretto for Strawberry Fields, with music by Michael Torke, part of the Central Park Opera trilogy presented by the New York City Opera in the fall of 1999. Novels include The Gospel According to Joe, Entertaining Strangers, and The Snow Ball. Awards include Drama Desk, N.E.A., Rockefeller Foundation, New England Theatre Conference, Lucille Lortel, American Association of Community Theatres, American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Mr. Gurney holds honorary degrees from Williams College and Buffalo State University. Mr. Gurney was on the faculty of M.I.T. until 1996.
Sylvia is a play with a wonderful pedigree. It premiered Off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1995 where it ran for 167 performances. The cast included Sarah Jessica Parker as the spunky labradoodle, Sylvia. The production received a number of Drama Desk nominations including one for Best New Play. It has been produced at theatres around the world and was produced on Broadway in 2015.
Geva’s production of Sylvia features an all-star cast – three returning to the Wilson Stage and one making her Geva Theatre Center debut. Rochester native Jennifer Cody (Broadway’s A Christmas Story, Shrek, The Pajama Game, Taboo, Urinetown the Musical, Seussical the Musical, Grease, Beauty and the Beast and Cats and Geva productions of The Odd Couple, Women in Jeopardy! and Spamalot!) is Sylvia, the spunky Labradoodle. Tony Award-nominee Hunter Foster (Broadway’s The Bridges of Madison County, Hands on a Hardbody, Million Dollar Quartet, The Producers, Little Shop of Horrors, Urinetown the Musical, Les Misérables, Footloose, King David and Grease and Geva’s production of Spamalot!) plays the multiple roles of Tom, Philip and Leslie and John Scherer (Broadway’s LoveMusik and Sunset Boulevard and Geva’s production of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) is Greg. Making her Geva Theatre Center debut as Kate is three-time Tony nominee Dee Hoty (Broadway’s Footloose, The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, The Will Rogers Follies, Bright Star, Gigi, Mamma Mia!, Bye Bye Birdie, City of Angels, Me and My Girl, Big River).
Sylvia is directed by Artistic Director Mark Cuddy. The design team includes Jo Winiarski (scenic designer), Susan Branch Towne (costume designer), Ann G. Wrightson (lighting designer) and Scott Killian (sound designer).
The 2016-2017 Wilson Stage Series is sponsored by ESL Federal Credit Union. The Honorary Wilson Stage Series Sponsor is Dr. Dawn Lipson. Sylvia is produced with support from Lead Co-Producer St. John Fisher College; Co-Producer Harter Secrest & Emery LLP; Associate Producer Entre Computer Services and Media Sponsors News10 NBC and 98WPXY.
Sylvia begins performances January 10 and runs in the Wilson Stage through February 5.