THE BASICS: GO, DOG. GO! a musical by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz, adapted from the book “Go, Dog. Go!” by P.D. Eastman, with music by Michael Koerner, directed by Kevin Craig, presented by Theater of Youth. Public performances on 4/27 – 5/5 Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 pm, special sensory-friendly performance on May 5th at 10am. Please use the code SENSORY23 when purchasing those tickets. Understudy performance Saturday, May 4 at 2:00. Run Time approximately 50 minutes and every show features a post-show talk-back / Q&A. Theater of Youth is at 203 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY 14201. (716) 884-4400 theatreofyouth.org
THUMBNAIL SKETCH: P.D. Eastman’s classic children’s book comes to life on stage with five costumed actors and a four-piece orchestra (keyboard, winds, bass, percussion) exploring movement, color, and space. The “dogs” (all human actors) live life with gusto, creating a visual spectacle for the audience to lap right up. Full of visual gags, it’s like a pop-up book that comes to life in a musical world of doggy fun.
THE PLAYERS, THE PLAY, AND THE PRODUCTION: Director Kevin Craig is a very funny guy and in performances on many stages around Buffalo has proved that he knows how to get laughs from all audiences. And at Theatre of Youth, he apparently knows how to do that for very young audiences. At a pre-opening show for Buffalo school children, the squeals of delight and laughter rang throughout the auditorium, and I have no doubt that whomever you take, kid, grandkid, niece or nephew, they will react the same way.
The charm comes from dogs doing very human things and I had two favorite scenes. First was “dogs at work,” hammering, sawing, shoveling, and using a jackhammer (a cardboard silhouette of a jackhammer put into motion by the actor shaking in place – a slick piece of stagecraft). The other was the “go to bed” scene where the dogs are all under a huge sheet (on a huge bed) and, instead of going to sleep, are playing under the covers with flashlights, including making shadow puppets.
Dogs roller skate, they drive cars, and they even try to make friends, as “Hattie” the polka-dot dog, keeps coming up with fancier hats to gain the approval of the yellow dog who, the first several times he’s asked if he likes her hat, replies with an honest “no.” The essence of drama is that a character has to want something, and if the director has done it right, we, the audience, will empathize and want it too. GO, DOG. GO is regarded as one of the best shows for introducing youngsters to live theater. So, go, Dad. Go to this play. Not for yourself. It’s pretty simplistic so note that the four-buffalo rating is geared toward the target audience, not you. But your Pre-K through 2nd grader will love it.
Lead image: Dogs in a Tree – Robyn Baun, Augustus Donaldson, Solange Gosselin, Zachary Murphy | Photo by Christy Francis
*HERD OF BUFFALO (Notes on the Rating System)
ONE BUFFALO: This means trouble. A dreadful play, a highly flawed production, or both. Unless there is some really compelling reason for you to attend (i.e. you are the parent of someone who is in it), give this show a wide berth.
TWO BUFFALOS: Passable, but no great shakes. Either the production is pretty far off base, or the play itself is problematic. Unless you are the sort of person who’s happy just going to the theater, you might look around for something else.
THREE BUFFALOS: I still have my issues, but this is a pretty darn good night at the theater. If you don’t go in with huge expectations, you will probably be pleased.
FOUR BUFFALOS: Both the production and the play are of high caliber. If the genre/content are up your alley, I would make a real effort to attend.
FIVE BUFFALOS: Truly superb–a rare rating. Comedies that leave you weak with laughter, dramas that really touch the heart. Provided that this is the kind of show you like, you’d be a fool to miss it!