Playwright Leslie Caveny is known for writing popular television shows, like Everybody Loves Raymond. Though making a name for herself in the annals of small screen production biographies, the NY debut of LOVE OF A PIG illustrates that Ms. Caveny has what it takes to translate her talents from the small screen to the small stage, allowing a decidedly sitcom sensibility to shine through.

The fast-paced comedy centers on an insecure twenty-something jazz violinist graduate student named Jenny who has convinced herself that the secret to success and happiness can be found in a man, and she has the charts and statistics to back her theory up – at least for a while. Jenny sets her cap on Bob, a fellow musician, and though it is clear to the audience and everyone else that this guy is nothing great, Jenny endeavors to win the LOVE OF A PIG. Through her trials and tribulations we are treated to a delightful ensemble performance.

Jenny’s complaints are run of the mill, but Leslie Caveny’s sugary concoction generally avoids the saccharine pitfalls with rapid, witty dialogue. Only at the very end of LOVE OF A PIG, when Jenny makes revelations about her mother, a character mentioned only once earlier in the play, is the moment is a little too movie of the week to mesh with the rest of the script.

Aided by D.H. Johnson’s thoughtful direction that both makes allowances for a small space and uses the comedic Greek Chorus style accompanying cast to play extra duty as set pieces and sound effects, a nice use of lighting, and some impressive acting, the totality of LOVE OF A PIG is a lighthearted laugh for just about 70 minutes.

- Kessa De Santis -

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