BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: November 28, 2006

THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED

A star rises in the East. East of Broadway, that is, at one of those often overlooked theatres that only gets a booking when the rest of the houses are full. The Cort Theatre, perhaps the "Last House on the Left" of the Great White Way, is now home to a clever new comedy from the gifted playwright, Douglas Carter Beane, and the launching pad for a vibrant leading actress, Julie White.

Best known for his much-beloved Off-Broadway comedy, AS BEES IN HONEY DROWN, Beane scores high marks with his most recent play, THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED, which garnered glowing notices last season when it opened Off-Broadway at Second Stage. Tightly directed by Scott Ellis, this biting comedy takes a look at Hollywood with piquant cynicism and leaves the audience with a fleeting glimmer of hope.

Fleeting, that is, because we've just witnessed three characters, Mitchell (Tom Everett Scott), Alex (Johnny Galecki) and Ellen (Ari Graynor), being sold a bill of goods that ostensibly give them what they've been hoping for—what we all want—a happy ending. But, the one who really gets what she wants is Diana (White), a great white shark of a agent who probably sleeps with a copy of Donald Trump's "The Art of the Deal" tucked beneath her pillow.

Blessed with Beane's keen wit, White plays with devilish delight a grasping ten-percenter who is on the verge of making the deal that might propel her into Hollywood's powerbroker league. The only thing getting in her way is her rising-star client, Mitchell, and his insane notion that he suddenly wants to live by his principles.

Beane's play opens with a caustic monologue in which Diane recounts a recent event during an acceptance speech at an awards ceremony when Mitchell announces his love for his rep and plants a big fat kiss on her mouth. Knowing him to be a closeted gay man, Diane, a lipstick lesbian herself, is taken aback by Mitchell's misleading behavior, but goes along with the ruse for its public relations currency.

Enter Alex, a young and attractive homo-for-hire who shacks up with Mitchell while he's visiting New York. Mitchell wakes from his drunken stupor and explains that he generally does not solicit such services from a man. Alex tells him that he, too, is not one of those "sex-with-guys kind of person," yet, they soon launch into a clandestine relationship. This puts a wrinkle in the peculiar arrangement Alex has with his sometime girlfriend, Ellen, and prompts Diane to swoop in for some damage control.

In addition to White's captivating star turn, the performances of her fellow players certainly measures up. Tom Everett Scott strikes a wholesome note presenting a man who is torn between loving freely and gaining fame and fortune. Ari Graynor is convincing as Ellen, a young woman with a tough decision. And Johnny Galecki gives a stirring performance as Alex, a hardened rent boy who is no match for the silver-tongued Diane.

Douglas Carter Beane's THE LITTLE DOG LAUGHED is a play about revealing the hypocrisies of high-minded ideals when factored against achieving success. By neatly incorporating a fragrant character, Beane illustrates the writer's struggle to maintain the integrity of his work. One can't help get the feeling that this is the playwright's personal experience with the ephemeral nature of the Hollywood happy ending. It's good to see him back on the boards, especially with Julie White in the footlights.