“I bet the first people to come on stage will be George and Harold – Look at the desk; it has their comic book logo on it!” Said my nine-year-old, who’s been reading the Dog Man books since he was six, who immediately spotted all the familiar signs of the treehouse of Dog Man originators– the fictional George and Harold, as soon as we sat down to enjoy Dog Man: The Musical. Meanwhile, my four-year-old was taking in the wonder of the childlike set and pointed up at the disco ball hanging high above.
Sure enough, Raheem Osiris Fielder-Bey and Mundi Ballejos, as the respective George and Harold, burst onto the stage with enough energy to keep the young audience engaged for the next 80 minutes. Exploding bombs, hilariously executed by cardboard boxes and “ka-BOOM” umbrellas, as well as daring balloon escapes from “cat-jail,” the first act keeps kids and adults giggling throughout. During “Happy Song/80-HD,” the first song, as Sadie Jayne Kennedy’s “Li’l Petey,” you could hear some “supa”-fans in the audience started to sing along.
After a well-paced, hour-long first act, the talk at intermission was about the still unused disco ball and crowd favorite Petey (played by veteran actor Jake Wernecke). “He is so silly,” a young boy sitting in front of me announced. Going into the second act, I was a bit concerned, knowing we still had seven musical numbers to go and wondering whether younger attention spans might start to fade. Act II came back with a bang, brisk high energy, and little downtime between songs. The standout moment came during the “Robo-Dance Party,” which featured the aforementioned disco ball, earning the biggest crowd reaction from both younger and older eyes.
The playful set, catchy songs, and impressive choreography kept the kids on the edge of their seats. The cast's talented voice, combined with clever jokes aimed at the adults, made for a delightful afternoon for everyone. The beloved pages of Dog Man were coming to life on stage. A few sound issues made parts of the show hard to hear, but they didn’t detract too much from the overall experience.
As a youth theater practitioner, I appreciated the cast’s ability to play these over-the-top characters without pandering or talking down to the audience. They made sure that all the kids felt "in" on the jokes (as well as a few gags for the older generations in the crowd). There were a few moments where it seemed like the audience was itching to engage more, though. Had the cast pushed a little harder, there could have been more dancing in the seats, which could have taken the already high energy of the room to the next level.
Some final words from the show’s intended audience:
“George is my favorite, his hair is cool.” — Oliver, age 4“I would definitely tell my friends to go, especially the ones who’ve read the books. 80-HD’s costume was my favorite, and the monster buildings!” — Harrison, age 9
Dog Man: The Musical runs some weekdays and weekends through December 1st at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago at the historic Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave – as part of the TheaterWorksUSA National Tour. For tickets and information, visit DogManTheMusical.com.
For more reviews go to https://www.theatreinchicago.com
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