There’s no doubt that Douglas Carter Beane’s “The Little Dog Laughed” is a brilliantly written — and in the hands of the cast and crew of Signature Theatre, tremendously staged — play.
But a sidesplitting comedy? Perhaps I’ve read too much about the trials of those that made the 2005 film “Brokeback Mountain” or heard too many horror stories about the prejudice against gay actors, but “Little Dog” didn’t come off as the jaunty romp I’d expected based on past reviews.
That’s not to say this production as directed by Michael Baron is dour or that it doesn’t prompt plenty of chuckles and giggles throughout, thanks to some crafty wordplay and fine physical acting. Yet the characters’ immersion in the Seven Deadly Sins is too powerful, in my mind, to make this a lighthearted satire of the theatre, as some have found it.
True, the four characters — actor Mitchell, agent Diane, hustler Alex and Alex’s friend Ellen — each struggle in their own ways with their real and purported identities as they race toward their individual goals.
The character who is initially portrayed as the most shallow and devious — Diane — is clearly the most in sync with her own and others’ true goals. Holly Twyford spells that out deftly — in a brilliant and likely award-winning performance — as she works to propel Mitchell into stardom.
Some would say that Mitchell’s love affair and genuine affection for hustler Alex are sabotaged by Diane’s meddling. Yet, looking at the full portrait of Mitchell as expertly performed by Matthew Montelongo, it seems Diane only led the fame-seeking actor to admit his true love is his own career.
Don’t for a minute think that Diane is the agent with the heart of gold. She’s a couture-wearing, hard-bargain-driving, Hollywood heavy hitter, whose Dorothy Parker-style witticisms make her a classier, wiser Bebe Glazer, the hard-hitting agent of television’s beloved “Frasier” (NBC, 1993-2004) as played by Harriett Sansom Harris.
Diane pulls, prods and pleads with Mitchell to keep him from outing himself by appearing in public with his hot, young lover Alex. Mitchell — as the handsome and urbane Hollywood hunk — is inching his way toward superstardom by way of starring in a motion picture about gay lovers (sound familiar?) but has jeopardized it by wanting to publicly show his devotion toward Alex.
Ivan Quintanilla as Alex practically steals the show as the smart, savvy hustler who comes within an inch of the first true happiness he’s ever known yet is willing to walk away rather than live a lie.
The play’s only sour notes to me were during the fully nude love scene. While it was tastefully — even comically — performed, it seemed completely gratuitous and a distraction from the play’s main message.
It’s easy to trivialize the public and private personas of those in “The Little Dog Laughed” or lock them into predictable stereotypes. But glimpsing behind the masks each of the character’s wears might just give us each a glimpse into our own souls.
If you go
‘The Little Dog Laughed’
When: Through March 15
Where: Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington
Info: $56 and up; 703-573-7328, signature-theatre.org
