Review: Uptown’s ‘The Little Dog Laughed’ makes you go hmmm
The cast of ‘The Little Dog Laughed’ at Uptown Players. (Courtesy photo) Coming off a strong season that brought audiences the heartfelt Torch Song Trilogy and the vivacious Kinky Boots, Uptown Players’ season ender The Little Dog Laughed lost some of that wondeful momentum.
The show opened last Friday for a limited engagement at the Kalita Humphreys. The play and season wrap up on Sunday. In Douglas Carter Beane’s dramedy, the story centers on a cast of four led by closeted B-list movie star Alex (Carson Shofner) trying to updgrade into a marquee name and his lipstick lesbian agent Diane (Elizabeth Kensek) who works to keep him in the closet because “gay and star don’t mix.” Alex spends a night with hustler Mitchell (Kevin Moore) who spends his time between hooking up with men for pay and his gal pal/girlfriend/friend-with-benefits (hard to tell which) Ellen (Shyama Nithiananda).
The clincher in all this Alex and Mitchell fall for each other and everything goes awry. Director Robin Armstrong helmed the cast with confidence and kept the pace of the action and dialogue brisk against the backdrop of the unusual but gorgeously effective set by Donna Marquet.
Shofner had all the attributes of a leading man for his leading man character – handsome, cocky but with a heart. He certainly contrasted Moore’s earnest and sensitive Mitchell.
