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Disclaimer:
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Go, Dog. Go! By P.D. Eastman Reviewed by Cristina Martin Entire contents copyright © 2009, Cristina Martin. All rights reserved.
P.D. Eastman's Go, Dog. Go! is a classic in certain circles. Written in 1961 as an alternative to Dick and Jane, it's a book for beginning readers à la Dr. Seuss, minus the rhyme and a good part of the zaniness. Countless parents of the eight-and-under set are more than familiar with the 517 words that make up the text, which begins, "Dog. Big dog. Little dog. Big and little dogs. Black and white dogs." You get the picture. For the picture, indeed, is what it's all about. The spoken words in the show stick very close to the book, but just as the illustrations give the book its charm, so the visual elements of Stage One's production are its most salient component. Seven colorful canines make up the cast: Tony Smith plays the brown MC Dog, and his companions are the Red Dog (Abigail Bailey Maupin), the Yellow Dog (Lynann Escatel), the Blue Dog (Seth Lieber), the Green Dog (Gregory Maupin), the Spotted Dog (Carly Stotts), and Hattie, a very fashion-conscious dog fond of millinery, also played by Stotts. Costume Designer Donna Lawrence-Downs has outfitted most of the dogs simply in headbands with ears and largely solid-colored costumes different enough from one another in style to keep things interesting without being distracting. Hattie gets to wear some frilly pink and white confections that made some little girls in the audience near me gasp in admiration. Amidst a set as vivid and whimsical as they are, the cast members truly make the sparse text come alive in a way that keeps the eyes of audience members of all ages glued to the stage. They are consistently energetic and animated beyond belief, leaping and stretching and climbing and rolling and running for a solid hour, sometimes while singing (and quite well at that). This kind of energy and agility might be expected of young children, but it's all the more impressive when we remember that these are adults! Director Suzanne Costello is an accomplished choreographer who doesn't disappoint, and Escatel (a dancer since the age of four) and Stotts are especially good movers who are fun to watch. Set Designer Brenda Ellis and Prop Designer Kelly Wiegant Mangan have stayed close enough to Eastman's engaging illustrations for my five-year-old companion to remark, wide-eyed, "Wow! They made the book into real life!" Bright houses and cars and trees come and go, conveniently mobile on casters. The musician who provides live accompaniment throughout the show from behind a lavender-colored piano, outfitted as a spotted grey dog, is also on a platform with wheels and gets twirled around by the other dogs a number of times as he continues to play. The dogs take a delightful swim in water created by lighting effects on rippling blue cloth, and bubbles and beach balls tossed into the audience elicit lots of amusement. Near the end, when the dogs go to a party on the canopy of an enormous tree, lighting is used very creatively once again to suggest that they're climbing up a tall, tall ladder. During what is ostensibly the party, though, I found myself wishing that the floor had been made green somehow (maybe with a green cloth similar to the blue one used for the water?) to help us keep in mind that the dogs are up among the leaves. At one point, all of the dogs are cavorting in an enormous bed; the scale is cleverly indicated by making the piano "shrink" such that the spotted grey musician sits cross-legged on the floor, playing Brahms' Lullaby on a tiny instrument. I assume this is Musical Director Robert Lee, though the program doesn't say so explicitly. Not only is he very talented as a musician, possessing excellent powers of concentration amidst the dogs'antics, but he must be an awfully good sport to boot! He certainly deserves explicit mention. Also puzzling with regard to the program is Lighting Designer Ron Breedlove's bio, which states that he is "pleased to return for another exciting season at the beautiful Iroquois Amphitheater." The blurb is identical to the one about him that appeared at a show I saw last summer at — you guessed it — the Iroquois Amphitheater. Cutting and pasting and using nearly the same bio for different shows is all well and good, but proofreading is always in order, too. The variety of music used in Go, Dog. Go! is wonderful — everything from ragtime piano to "La Vie en Rose" on the accordion to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" to some lovely a cappella harmonies. What a treat, and such a refreshing break from what often passes for "children's music." Theatre geared to an audience this young is a very special genre, and it's a challenge to make it appealing to children and palatable to adults at the same time. These actors are all very accomplished, and though their resumes reflect a great deal of serious work for adult audiences, they take an audience of children seriously, too. The creativity and fine execution of Stage One's production is impressive, and the show is a great lesson in stage adaptation for anyone with or without children. For those not accustomed to the company of the very young, however, a caveat and a plea for forbearance: it's very hard for little bodies to sit completely still and for little mouths to remain absolutely quiet, so do be prepared for more background noise than you may be used to. You may encounter some pretty excitable fans, too: the four-year-old behind me knew the book by heart and was shouting out lines even before the actors said them. (That was right before his bag of Skittles exploded all over everyone within a 10-foot radius. Ah, well. We moms are used to it and take it in stride. It reminded me, lest I forget, how varied theatregoing experiences can be!) Just know your audience before you go. As for those who do have little people in their care, by all means, Go, Mom/Dad/Grandma/Uncle, etc. Go! Take them to see this show. Your children will enjoy the exposure to quality theatre aimed at their age group, and you'll have a doggone good time too.
Go, Dog. Go! Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets: (502) 584-7777 or (800) 775-7777
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