Annaleigh Ashford has starred on Broadway in Wicked, Legally Blonde, Hair and Kinky Boots; accepted a Tony for what she called “the worst dancing that ever happened on Broadway” and portrays the ex-prostitute in the Showtime series Masters of Sex. All that has led to Sylvia, where Ashford is the best show dog ever.

Yes, she’s better than Lassie or Toto or even Uggie; she certainly beats out any animal trained by William Berloni. Her only competition may be Snoopy.

Ashford’s consistently hilarious, sometimes touching, always spot-on canine impersonation is the reason to see the first Broadway production of A.R. Gurney’s play about a man who falls in love with a stray dog that he finds in the park, endangering his marriage.

Full review at DC Theater Scene

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When Annaleigh Ashford as Sylvia the dog is brought home for the first time, she runs around Greg’s apartment half-exploring, half-rejoicing – just as a dog would, but not disguised as a dog. She’s not doing this on all fours; she’s not wearing a dog suit. She’s a human distilling the essence of dog – which is far more persuasive, and entertaining. When she yells out “Hey, hey, hey,” it’s an exact human interpretation of a dog barking, not a boring reproduction of a dog’s bark.

Robert Sella, Annaleigh Ashford, Matthew Broderick

Julie White and Matthew Broderick

Julie White

Annaleigh Ashford as a dog