Relationships at heart of canine comedy at Metropolis

Within the first few seconds of the play "Sylvia … A Romantic Comedy About A Dog," audience members will see the actress playing the title role, and immediately accept her as a dog.

The smart comedy written by A.J. Gurneys -- which originally starred Sarah Jessica Parker as the dog on Broadway -- opens with preview performances at 7 p.m. today, 8 p.m. on Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday, before its 7 p.m. opening night performance on Saturday, at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights.

This is the third of four shows in its subscription series; performances take place through April 26.

"It's a really smart, well-written play," says Jim Jarvis of the Metropolis. "It's not a fluff piece by any stretch. And at the end of the day, it's about a relationship and issues that we all experience."

As for Sylvia herself, there is no cumbersome dog costume or other enhancements to flesh out this four-legged character. Most of the time, she stands upright and has just as much dialogue as the rest of the cast.

"It's never mentioned in the play; she just talks and everyone can understand her," says director John Gawlik. "It's a great device because then it's a play about relationships and major turning points in one's life, as opposed to it being a play about finding a talking dog, and then having to explain why she can talk."

In the show, Gary Simmers of Arlington Heights plays the lead character, Greg, who seems to be at a mid-life crisis, until he meets a beautiful, young, frisky female in the park -- who happens to be a dog.

When he brings her back to his Manhattan apartment, things get complicated with his wife, Kate, played by Mary Nigohosian of Batavia, especially when Sylvia is able to size up rather concisely what is going on with their relationship.

"It's a great story with plenty of laughs, but it also has a great heart," adds Gawlik, who also serves as artistic director for the Noble Fool Theatre in Chicago. "It's not just about going for the laughs, but about taking the audience on a journey and allowing deeper moments to arise."

It's those deeper moments that drives Simmers as an actor, in his interpretation of his lead character.

"The play deals with things that we will all go through, and reassess what's really important," Simmers says. "It's a lighthearted look at many of those concerns, but it does leave you thinking."

If you go

What: "Sylvia" by A.J. Gurneys

When: 7 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday in previews; opens 7 p.m. Saturday and continues through April 26

Where: Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights

Cost: $22-$42

Call: (847) 577-2121 or visit www.metropolisarts.com