BROADWAY SNAP-SHOT
by Russell Bouthiller

Dateline: April 19, 2004

The stage of the Barrymore Theatre has been dressed to the nines for the revival of Larry Gelbart's 1976 play, SLY FOX. Directed by Arthur Penn, who staged the original, this production has lavish scenic designs by George Jenkins and Jesse Poleshuck that richly adorn Gelbart's colorful foray into the depths of human greed.

Based on Ben Jonson's VOLPONE, Gelbart's SLY FOX first opened on Broadway in the post-Watergate era when American cynicism was at its height. The original production starred George C. Scott as the avaricious Foxwell J. Sly, a man who likes to make people crawl while he cheats them. The play earned praise as one of the most uproarious comedies of the day and enjoyed a run that lasted well over a year.

The subject of greed still garners ink and, though we are in the New Millennium, SLY FOX should seem as relevant today as it did last century. Gelbart's dialogue and overall style--one that drew a wide audience for his TV series, "M.A.S.H."--does sound like something from another time-slot. But, considering the average age of today's theater-goer, the comedic cadence of SLY FOX should register with sweet nostalgia.

Set in the late 1800s of San Francisco, SLY FOX opens with Sly (Richard Dreyfuss) feigning illness as part of his grand scheme to gain the wealth of his grasping so-called friends. Enlisting the aid of his manservant, Simon Able (Eric Stoltz), Sly manages to work other people's rapacity to facilitate his own by promising to name each of them his heir. This sets off a chain of events culminating with Sly swindling this all by working their weakest point.

Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss ("The Goodbye Girl") struts and blusters as he renders Foxwell J. Sly, a cheat you can't help but love. In the densely populated courtroom scene in Act II, a barely recognizable Dreyfuss takes up the robe of the "well-hanged" frontier Judge, a man who makes up the law as he goes along. Stoltz's Simon Able, serves as a Jeeves-like attendant, minus the moral compass.

Director Penn has put together a sizable cast of seedy supporting characters. Tony-winner Rene Auberjonois (COCO) is pitch-perfect as Jethro Crouch, the slippery octogenarian. Rachel York (VICTOR/VICTORIA) vamps as Miss Fancy. Bronson Pinchot twitches to the extreme as the conniving Lawyer Craven. Elizabeth Berkley of "Showgirls" fame makes her Broadway debut as the dim Mrs. Truckle. And, stalwart veteran Bob Dishy recreates Abner Truckle, the jealous husband role he originated.

Costume designs by Albert Wolsky finely complement Jenkins and Poleshuck's lush settings. Lighting designs by Phil Monat brighten the rich decor. Penn's direction keeps this lightweight show moving at a clipped pace and his fine players elevates Gelbart's bantamweight text. SLY FOX may not have the resonance and relevance it had some thirty years ago, but it does have a few laughs to offer.