'Dog Man: The Musical' is a howling good time
Dog Man (Brian Owen) saves the day. Credit: Jeremy Daniel
Are you a fan of the “Dog Man” book series? Do you like singing and dancing? Well then, you will really love “Dog Man: The Musical.” It’s an Off-Broadway show based on books written by Dav Pilkey. This storyline was very similar to the third book in the series, “Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties.” The books are hilarious, but this play made the book come to life, and the music and dancing made it even more entertaining.
Even though there were only six actors, it felt like many more. The six-member cast all played multiple roles to make it more entertaining. Our two favorite characters in the play were Petey, an evil cat, and Dog Man. Petey, played by Jamie Laverdiere, was very funny and dramatic and had great facial expressions. He was humorous and played his character well. Brian Owen, who played Dog Man, was comical and his barking scenes made us really laugh. If you remember Dog Man, he has the head of a dog and the body of a policeman. It was funny when Dog Man tried to communicate by whimpering since he can’t talk.
One of our favorite scenes was Robo-Dance Party in Act II. This was when Li’l Petey was first trying out the 80-HD suit. The lights and the smoke effects were really cool. The overall choreography was really good. Dog Man may not be able to talk, but he certainly can dance. He even did moves from Fortnight such as the Floss and the Hype.
If you are a true fan of Dav’s books, then you know one of the best parts are the Flip-O-Ramas. If you are wondering how they will handle all of the Flip-O-Ramas, well then, you will just have to go see the show to find out for yourself.
This show is perfect for everyone, but we think any kid age 7 to 9 will like it the most. After the show we were able to meet many of the cast members and get autograhs! Even if you never read any of the “Dog Man” books, you will definitely enjoy this show. We certainly did! Overall, we give this show a rating of 4 1/2 (out of 5) smiles.
“Dog Man: The Musical” is playing at the Lucille Lortel Theatre located at 121 Christopher St., Manhattan through Aug. 4.For tickets: twusa.org/DogMan
