Review by Elyse Trevers
Take a popular children’s book series, bring the characters to life, add some peppy music and the youngsters will come (and so will their parents.) “Dogman: The Musical” at the Luicille Lortel Theatre is based upon the series of graphic novels by Dav Pilkey (Captain Underpants.)
With book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila (“Altar Boyz,” “Click, Clack, Moo”) and music by Brad Alexander (“See Rock City & Other Destinations”) the musical has definite kid appeal. There are good guys (Dogman) and bad guys (Petey, the evil cat, and Flippy” the evil bionic fish.) There’s a living spray that makes buildings come to life, cloning and even a mom who makes great PB&J sandwiches. The good guys triumph at the end. I generally like to prep our 6-year old critic, by reading her the stories in advance. This time I wasn’t able to but it didn’t prove necessary. With a smile on her face, she sat at the edge of her seat, loving the show.
When two fourth grade boys, George (Forest Vandyke) and Harold (Dan Rosales) are disruptive and get kicked out of the school’s musical rehearsal (something about a redheaded girl and a song “Tomorrow”) they wind up in the treehouse determined to create their own musical. After all, how hard can it be? Limited only by what’s in the garage, they ‘write’ Dogman:The Musical. Fueled by boyish tastes and unlimited imagination, they envision a police officer with a weak head and a strong body and Greg, his canine helper, with a strong head and a weak body. When the two try to defuse a bomb by cutting a wire, (“Red or Green?” asks the cop. “Grr,” responds Greg.) Forgetting that dogs are colorblind, the cop detonates the bomb. It’s a disaster! The 6-year old, anticipating the noisy explosion, put her hands to her ears, but the explosion was cleverly signaled by a black umbrella with Ka- Boom written on it.
Fortunately, the hospital is able to save them-sort of. They attach the dog’s strong head to the policeman’s strong body, creating a new crime fighting hero. One who will fight crime, although he might stop suddenly to pee on a hydrant and roll around in the grass.
The musical combines stories from a couple of the books, but the most entertaining segment is when Petey clones Li’l Petey, hoping for someone to share his evil ways. Much to his dismay, Li’l Petey (L.R. Davidson) is good and sweet and, even worse, really loves Dogman (Brian Owen.) As the dog, Owen never gets to speak, and in one scene George and Harold have to translate for him. Jamie Laverdiere as Petey probably has the most fun as he plots and plans. When he tries to teach Li’l Petey, he sings “The Evil ABC’s,” but is frustrated when his clone finds positive words for the letters instead. When asked for her review of the show, the 6-year old noted that “Li’l Petey was funny.” High praise, indeed.
Directed and choreographed by Jen Wineman, the show uses low- level staging with common objects, the kind the boys would find in the garage. A hairbrush becomes a mic and an exercise ball is transformed into a robot. The 80-minute musical is colorful, entertaining and even a bit educational. On the way home we had to explain DNA and cloning. More importantly the kids watched intently and laughed at the jokes. There were even some subtle references for the parents.
Best of all was the trip home. We had purchased book one and spent the entire trip reading it aloud. Children’s shows are a marvelous introduction to the world of theater, and this show even encourages reading. Even better.
