The Little Dog Laughed

What a difference a week makes. Just as we are mourning the closing of Bad Habit Productions, a brand new company steps on to the scene -- Take Your Pick Productions. Founded by Audrey Lynn Sylvia, formerly of Happy Medium Theater, they are presenting Douglas Carter Beane's 2006 comedy "The Little Dog Laughed" for their debut production. And if it is any indication, there will be much to look forward to from them.

Carter Beane's comedy tells the story of an up and coming film star, Mitchell, whose "recurring case of homosexuality" is getting the better of him. He winds up falling for a young "gay-for-pay" call-boy while in New York and his driven and acerbic agent, Diane, is none too pleased. Meanwhile the young man in question, Alex, is torn between his first real same sex attraction and his girl/best friend, Ellen.

Comedy seems a bit strong of a word for this particular script. It definitely has funny moments, but is much more of a "dramedy" about the compatibility of celebrity and homosexuality. While written over a decade ago, the commentary made is just as biting and relevant today.

Director Cassandra Loving keeps the pacing and tone just light enough to highlight rather serious societal issues without any Sturm und Drang. Her ability to bring out the emotional depth of these characters in such an authentic and honest way must be applauded.

The surprise of this production is the beautifully touching performance of Aina Adler as the neglected and misunderstood girlfriend, Ellen. Ms. Adler has that rare ability to show the cracks in her veneer at totally unexpected moments. Her natural ease on stage and willingness to show such emotional vulnerability enable her to take the least developed character and turn it in to one that you must watch.

Equally touching in this production is Victor Shopov as the closeted actor, Mitchell. Mr. Shopov, who is an immensely popular performer in town, often comes across as "an Actor." With a couple of notable exceptions, he generally seems reluctant to be emotionally available on stage and hides behind big brown eyes and a Cheshire smile. It's somewhat poetic that in a character working so hard to hide his true emotions that Mr. Shopov can finally lower his defenses.

Matthew Fagerberg as the rent-boy, Alex, nicely handles the mix of bravado and confusion that is a hallmark of everyone's early 20s. He is also able to express the conflict of emotions for two very different people in a totally convincing way. It's an impressive feat for a young actor.

Lastly we have Audrey Lynn Sylvia as the bloodthirsty agent, Diane. Through no fault of her own, she is simply just too young for the role. Her performance is strong and comedic timing is good, but her overall character is hard to buy because it is hard to believe that she is old enough to have the industry history that she has. In a show about image within the entertainment world, it's an unfortunate position for someone that is obviously a good actor.

The only mildly distracting elements here are the scene changes, due largely to Marc Ewarts' set. The set itself is well designed and effective but could be abstracted even further in to a true unit set to limit the pauses. Of course this would also require a more sophisticated lighting design than Michael Clark Wonson's.

However, for a debut production of a new company, "The Little Dog Laughed" is an impressive and notable production. We can only hope that Take Your Pick will continue to push onward and upward.

"The Little Dog Laughed" continues through April 7 at the Plaza Black Box Theater, Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. For more information, visit Take Your Pick Productions' Facebook page.