‘Sylvia’: Phoenix Theatre stages a doggone good comedy in Edmonds

“Sylvia”: This mad comedy is just the kind of material the Phoenix Theatre uses to make audiences howl.

“Sylvia” is about a couple and a dog. A stray dog is found in the park by Greg, who brings her home. The stray looks a little “ruff” around the edges when Greg finds her: She’s wearing a sweat shirt and torn-up jeans. But once she is groomed, watch out. She wears a pink dog collar with the name “Sylvia” on it.

Greg finds Sylvia to be a distraction from his middle-aged frustrations with a career that’s winding down. Greg’s wife, Kate, finds Sylvia to be a rival.

Kate’s career has been taking off and Sylvia’s arrival helps put the marriage in jeopardy.

But through a series of complications, this story might have a tail-wagging ending after all.

“Sylvia” opens at 8 tonight at the Phoenix Theatre, 9673 Firdale Ave., Edmonds. The show plays at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 11. Tickets are $18.50 and $15.50. Call 206-533-2000 or brownpapertickets.com.

“Deathtrap”

It’s that time of year when comedy thrillers are appropriate. So what better nailbitter than Ira Levin’s “Deathtrap?”

Sky Performing Arts is producing “Deathtrap,” a Tony Award nominee for best play.

The story is set in Connecticut, where Sidney Bruhl, a once-successful writer of Broadway thrillers, is struggling to overcome a string of failures. He sees a break when he receives a script from one of his students and recognizes it immediately as a potential Broadway hit.

Sidney’s plan, which he devises with his wife’s help, is to offer collaboration to the student. When the three meet at the Bruhl home to discuss the deal, the plot heads off into devilish disarray, thrills and laughter, and a startling ending.

“Deathtrap” opens at 8 tonight at Frank Wagner Auditorium, 639 Main St., Monroe. Shows are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 4. Tickets are $14 and $12. Call 360-863-1663 or go to www.brownpapertickets.com or www.skyperformingarts.com.

“The 39 Steps”

The Driftwood Players’ Theatre of Intriguing Possibilities is presenting this adaptation from the 1915 John Buchan novel and the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film.

This juicy thriller is also packed with laughs and more than 150 zany characters, which are somehow portrayed by a cast of only four.

This fast-paced whodunit is a combination spy novel and Monty Python skit directed by Ted Jaquith and featuring Terrence Boyd, David Foster, Cindy Giese French and Lauren Walker.

“The 39 Steps” plays at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 21 at The Driftwood Players Wade James Theater, 950 Main St. Edmonds. All seats $14. Call 425-774-9600 or go to www.driftwoodplayers.com.

“Witches! The Musical”:

Head up to Skagit County for some pumpkins and some “Witches.”

The Lincoln Theatre in Mount Vernon is presenting the Theater Arts Guild’s premiere production based on historical events of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.

The dark events of the trials are brought to life with a cast of 30 against a backdrop of satire, fantasy, fact and fiction set to a score of rock, hip-hop, classical and 20th-century music styles. The book, music and lyrics are by local artist Conrad Askland, according to press material.

“Witches! The Musical” opens at 7:30 tonightand plays at various times through Nov. 3 at Lincoln Theatre, 712 S. First St., Mount Vernon. Tickets range from $10 to $24. Go to www.lincolntheatre.org or call 360-336-8955.

Vis-a-Vis Society

The Vis-a-Vis Society gathers data from audiences using original poem-surveys and presents its findings in humorous and informative multimedia performances that include song, dance and live graphs, according to a press release from the Snohomish County Arts Commission, which is presenting this performance.

The Society features Drs. Ink and Owning, aka Sierra Nelson and Rachel Kessler, of the literary performance group The Typing Explosion. The Society takes the poetic pulse of every audience it meets and then creates a live, participatory poetry experience.

The Snohomish County Arts Commission will present the Vis-a-Vis Society in a free presentation 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Everett Music Hall, 1402 SE Everett Mall Way, Everett. For more information, contact Wendy Becker, Cultural and Economic Development officer at wendy.becker@snoco.org;http://wendy.becker@snoco.org[/URL] or [URL]www.snoco.org.

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.

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