Little Dog Laughed

Laugh Out Loud Funny
and full frontal male nudity ... I'm sold!

A fabulously dressed, sassy agent (Julie White) runs into a career obstacle when her closeted gay client (Tom Everett Scott) gets distracted by a New York call-boy (Johnny Galecki) and he's distracted by his casual girlfriend (Ari Graynor). Julie White amazes with her quick delivery, fabulous wardrobe, and controlling stage precense. The playwrite, Douglas Carter Beane, started writing around a one act piece that in the funniest part in the play - the "He-meaning-him" conversation at the table. It involves well choregraphed lines where the agent says what she was thinking but then pulls back into the dialog meeting they're having with a playwrite (invisible). She is interested in having her client paly the piece in a film version. It is absolute hilarity when she rants on the side with sentiments like, "Act in your play! Are you fucking joking! My client isn't slumming in some dark theater to be paid peanuts." But she answers with something equivalent to, "Sure, if his schedule clears up we'll consider it. But I was thinking this woudl make a great film." The whole play revolves around holding back your true thoughts, your true feelings if you have any hope to succeed with a successful career in Hollywood. She's ruthless, shrewed, and very manipulative but she does come out ahead, always fighting for her client. The closeted gay actor is teh perfect patsy, and the perfect symbol for the cynical theme of how to find fame and fortune in the film business.

As with most writing, there is some repeatative dialog styles with characters., mainly all four's ability to zing off wonderfully witty one-liners. Fortunately this tiny flaw in compensated by overall arcs resonating in unique was respectuful of character. The Actor is easily manipulated by a strong directing influence, in this case his agent. The 'party' Girlfriend is easily tempted by an easy way out, looking for someone to hand her a solution. The Acgent is wise to the ways of manipulation but savvy to human nature's pedilictions for self-preservation. But the most earnest character is teh Boy, played by Johnny Galecki. While Whit'es character makes us laugh till our guts hurt, it's Galecki's soft, reserved portrayl of a person searching for love that hold us, and makes us release some of the cynacism growing all over the stage like Misissippi kudzu. And Galecki really is yummy naked, very nicely endowed for such a chilly stage. He was very good using his body, slumping his shoulders at times to almost protect his vulnerability. He pulled inward when needed to show how he was really rather sensitive. We understand why he could have fallen into this exploitive profession – never overplaying it with bravado.

I loved the costumes. White opens the show in a glamous Halston skirt, throw in an Etro white suit, and end wearing a fabulous devil red dress and jacket Carolina Herrera would be proud to have designed – so powerful yet modernly feminine. And the shoes! What fabulous Christian Louboutin heels! If the devil comes calling, she's sure to be wearing gold high-heels with signature red soles and a red suit-dress perfectly paired with gold bracelets and accessories.

I laughed out loud through most of the show. A couple of dowdy Westchester women weren't too amused and complained that they just didn't get the joke because it was too "inside show business" but I completely disagree. I thought it universally understandable and funny because all the business references were so broadly discussed, as if good tabloid fodder; it was truly funny. Maybe it was too quick for them – with the jokes coming rather fast and furious at times – which I loved and would find appropriate for these characters – always trying to 'entertain' and be 'on'. Galecki had a great observation about White's antics - something like "party games for cruel people." Cracked me up! And I loved the use of dialog coming from the thoughts of the characters. Sometimes it was staged where White's character talks to the audience, other times it is spotlight as one character onstage is talking confidentially to themselves before breaking back to the full-light scene for some laughs! What people think is often not what they say. Great direction by Scott Eliis to get those moments across. This is a seriously fun, good time at the theater. I haven't laughed that much since Lt. of Inishmore.