Go, Dog. Go! fetches just what the title says -- dogs on the run, dogs in cars, on bicycles, on roller skates, on the go.
Dogs of all colors and sizes head for the party in the treetop in P.D. Eastman's 1961 easy-reader children's book. On stage, the six-member cast wheels up at the Arkansas Arts Center Children's Theatre in Little Rock. The hour-long musical version of Eastman's book opened Friday night.
Every dog has his day, but few have such a night as this -- like a big-dog Broadway production scaled down to puppy size. Katie Campbell directs the show, adapted by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz, staged in set designer Miranda Young's primary colors. These dogs inhabit a doggie heaven of red and blue trees, confetti and soap bubbles, and no cats.
The book has few words and little story. It's all about color and nonsense, and so is the stage outing. The show is like a book that produces giggles night after night of bedtime reading.
Yellow Dog (Jeremy Matthey) roller-skates. Pink poodle Hattie Dog (Genevieve West) comes up with more and more elaborate hats to the disapproval of M.C. Dog (Mark Hansen). Red Dog (Courtney Bennett), Blue Dog (Aleigha Garstka) and Green Dog (Nate Plummer) play ball, and the ball gets away from them, bouncing into the happy audience.
Dogs on stage drive cars that look just like cars in the book -- like dinner rolls on wheels. Eastman drew his clown cars in contrast to yesterday's two-tone Chevys and Buick Roadmasters. Now, cars now really do look like dinner rolls, and TV commercials show dogs driving.
Everything goes in circles, but dogs do it best.
Go, Dog. Go! continues through Oct. 5. It opens the children's theatre's new season of six shows. The line-up continues with Pinocchio on Oct. 24. More information is available at arkarts.com, or by calling (501) 372-4000.
Metro on 09/20/2014