Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Dog Man: The Musical at Seattle Children’s Theatre by TheaterWorksUSA starring Brandon James Butorovich. Directed by Jen Wineman. Impressive pipes from Sadie Jayne Kennedy. Good way to introduce young kids to musicals. Corny humor like Disney Channel or ABC Family.
Synopsis from the Theatre: Dog Man: The Musical is based on the worldwide bestselling series from Dav Pilkey, the creator of Captain Underpants and Cat Kid Comic Club. Best buds George and Harold have been creating comics for years, but now that they’re in 5th grade, they figure it’s time to level up and write a musical based on their favorite character, Dog Man, the crime-biting sensation who is part dog, part man, and ALL HERO!! How hard could it be? With the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, Dog Man loves to fight crime and chew on the furniture. But while trying his best to be a good boy, can he save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish and his army of Beasty Buildings? Can he catch Petey, the world’s most evil cat, who has cloned himself to exact revenge on the doggy do-gooder? And will George and Harold finish their show before lunchtime?? Find out in this epic musical adventure featuring the hilarity and heart of Dav Pilkey’s beloved characters. The show is written by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander, who collaborated on the Emmy-winning series Peg + Cat on PBS, TheaterWorksUSA’s Click, Clack, Moo, and Clifford The Big Red Dog on PBS and Amazon. Jen Wineman directs and choreographs.
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but kids would probably enjoy this more if they’re familiar with the graphic book series.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Live Band/Orchestra: No
Equity Actors: All
Total Number of Actors: 6
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium to fast
Length (Including Any Intermission): 65 minutes
Was there an intermission?: No
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: No
Recommendation: See it if you want to take kids to the theatre especially if they’re familiar with the series
Rant(s)
“Why?” Scenes: As I’ve mentioned in a previous review, I loathe on-stage or on-screen scenes where a kid inscenantly asks “why?” to an adult. Young audience members probably like it though.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Vocals: It felt less like a musical when they sang in unison. The score should include more harmony to feel more like a musical.
Cultural References: There were many references from (pop) culture like Hamilton, A Tale of Two Cities, and Annie that only adults would understand. It’s a shame these references fly over the young audience members’ heads.
Theatre Company: TheaterWorksUSA
Venue: Seattle Children’s Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 201 W Thomas St, Seattle, WA 98109
Price: Cheap to Medium
Ticket Affordability Options: Each performance has a value option available online. Also check out the theatre’s discount page.
Dates: September 21 to October 22, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: Paid street parking or various paid parking lots/garages. Street parking is sparse when there’s a major Seattle Center or Climate Pledge Arena event. I usually have good luck finding street parking around Lenny Wilkins Way next to the theatre on non-event days. I try to take the bus on event days since even the event street parking costs more than $12.
TheaterWorksUSA’s Dog Man: The Musical. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. L-R: L.R. Davidson, Crystal Sha’nae, Brian Owen, Forest VanDyke, Jamie LaVerdiere, Dan Rosales. 2019TheaterWorksUSA’s Dog Man: The Musical. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. L-R: L.R. Davidson, Brian Owen, Dan Rosales, Forest VanDyke 2019TheaterWorksUSA’s Dog Man: The Musical. Photo by Jeremy Daniel. L-R: Forest VanDyke, Brian Owen 2019
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Disney’s The Little Mermaid musical at The 5th Avenue Theatre starring Diana Huey & Colman Cummings. Directed by Glenn Casale and music directed by RJ Tancioco. Vibrant set/costumes. Quality rivaled the national tour (which I’ve seen twice). It’s times like these that I wish I had kids to bring to the theatre. #Ariel
Synopsis from the Theatre: One of the most successful Disney musicals of all time returns to The 5th Avenue Theatre in celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the original film. Ariel, King Triton, Flounder, Scuttle, Ursula, and Prince Eric tell the story of dreams, love, family, and friendship that has delighted generations. Dive under the sea with Ariel and her friends as they sing some of the best-known songs of the last century.
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: No, but you’d probably enjoy this more if you’re familiar with the original Disney movie.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Live Band/Orchestra: Yes, there was a glorious orchestra
Equity Actors: All
Total Number of Actors: Too many to count
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed
Length (Including Any Intermission): 2.5 hours
Intermission Included: Yes
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show: No, I’ve attended the national tour production twice
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now: Of course!
Recommendation: See it, especially if you’ve watched the original Disney movie or if you want to show your kids the magic of live theatre (but it’s not just for kids!)
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned in Elevator Thoughts
Aerial Flying Effects: This production included many aerial flying effects to realistically simulate swimming. It must have required some serious core strength and pilates. I don’t remember this much aerial flying in the national tour. I wonder if there’s ever any risk of tangling the cables like in puppetry. Side note, during the show, I wondered how Ariel and Prince Eric unharnessed so quickly between their flying scenes. After reading in the program that Joel Domenico and Megan Felise were Ariel/Eric doubles, it made more sense. Stage magic!
“Under the Sea” Song: The bubbles and lights in the audience was a nice touch during “Under the Sea.” However, I was surprised how little costumes of traditional fish appeared in this number.
Ursula: Shaunyce Omar was a wonderful choice for Ursula with her inherently rich voice with an attitude.
Electric Eels: Cassi Q Kohl and Ethan Carpenter worked well in-sync as Ursula’s minions Flotsam and Jetsam.
Costumes: Obviously, as a 5th Avenue Theatre production, the costumes were gorgeous with the vibrant colors and billowing dresses. Ariel’s flowy mermaid dress was designed to also occasionally double as a water splash.
Trident Effect: When King Triton wielded his magical trident, the projections shook giving the illusion of the stage shaking.
Tap Dance: I don’t remember the “Positoovity” number from the national tour but it was a good artistic decision to include tap dancing in this song since Ariel was just getting used to her legs. I’m always a huge fan of tap dancing in musicals!
Scuttle: John David Scott was a delight to watch as Scuttle. I would have liked his character featured more.
Favorite Line: “You can’t blame all humans for a few wicked ones.”
Rant(s)
White Noise: There was weird audio feedback during one of the ship scenes and one of Ursula’s scenes.
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
Differences from the National Tour: While watching this production, I couldn’t help but compare it to the national touring production I saw twice in Houston, TX.
Different Songs: There were some songs missing in this production from the tour and vice versa. For example, this local production didn’t include “I Want the Good Times Back.”
Illusion of Water: The mermaid actors in the national tour bobbed their body/arms up and down more to portray the illusion of floating underwater. But I feel like this tour relied more on aerial flying effects, which is more realistic than bobbing. Additionally, the national tour mermaid actors skated more on-stage. However, in this local production, I think only the eels skated and Flounder (played by Keoni Dilay) rode a hoverboard.
Flounder’s Age: The national tour flounder was a kid actor, but the 5th Avenue production character was Keoni Dilay who was around the same age as the Ariel actor. I prefer an adult actor for Flounder since it feels weird when a pre-pubescent kid is in love with Ariel. But young audience members probably prefer flounder to be a kid actor. Since the original role was a kid actor, there were unfortunate times in the “She’s in Love” song when Keoni sang an octave lower.
Differences from the Movie:
Vanessa: Ursula didn’t transform into a human (Vanessa) that sang with Ariel’s voice.
Savior: The character who saved the day wasn’t the same person in the movie. I appreciate the modernized messaging to young girls watching the show, but it deviates from the classic Disney story … not that the classic Disney story has been true to the original Hans Christian Andersen tale. I guess we don’t want kids seeing Ariel giving away her tongue and trying to stab the prince!
Theatre Company: The 5th Avenue Theatre
Venue: The 5th Avenue Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 1308 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101
Price: Medium to Expensive
Ticket Affordability Options: $30 day-of-show tickets are available for the general public to purchase in person, starting at noon the day of the show you wish you attend! Valid only in Zones 3 (blue), 4 (orange), and 5 (pink). Goldstar or TodayTix usually offer good options too.
Dates: September 8 to October 8, 2023
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: When I don’t walk to the theatre or park on the street, I park in the paid garage at the Motif hotel NW of the theatre. The entrance is on 5th Ave. Do NOT park in the Hilton garage (entrance on 6th ave). That’s where most of the audience parks, so it’s a nightmare to leave. However, the Hilton garage is the closest garage to the theatre and you can access the theatre underground if you want to avoid the elements. But this benefit is not worth the time wasted leaving in my opinion.
John David Scott, Gabriel Corey, Kayden Oliver, Diana Huey, and Jordan King in The 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Photo Credit: Mark Kitaoka.Coleman Cummings and Diana Huey in The 5th Avenue Theatre’s original production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Photo Credit: Mark Kitaoka.Cassi Q Kohl, Shaunyce Omar, and Ethan Carpenter in The 5th Avenue Theatre’s original production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Photo Credit: Mark Kitaoka.The cast of Disney’s The Little Mermaid at The 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo Credit: Mark Kitaoka.Cassi Q Kohl, Diana Huey, and Shaunyce Omar in The 5th Avenue Theatre’s Production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Photo Credit: Tracy Martin.Jason Weitkamp and Kevin Smith Kirkwood in The 5th Avenue Theatre’s original production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Photo Credit: Tracy Martin.
Role
Name
Ariel
Diana Huey
Pilot
Jason Weitkamp
Sailors
Gabriel Corey Joel Domenico Sheldon Henry Nehemiah Hooks Kayden Oliver
Kristin Burch Carly Corey Gabriel Corey Joel Domenico Megan Felise Nalica Hennings Sheldon Henry Nehemiah Hooks Jordan King Mackenzie Neusiok Kayden Oliver Jason Weitkamp Bethanie Willis Shelby Willis
Swings
Cy Paolantonio Christopher Sweet Madison Willis, Josh Zacher
Flotsam
Cassi Q Kohl
Jetsam
Ethan Carpenter
Chef Louis
Jason Weitkamp
Prince Eric Double
Joel Domenico
Ariel Double
Megan Felise
—
—
Scuttle (Understudy)
Gabrlel Corey
Ursula (Understudy)
Ann Cornelius
Flotsam/Jetsam (Understudy)
Joel Domenico
Sebastian (Understudy)
Nehemiah Hooks
King Triton/Grimsby (Understudy)
Sheldon Henry
Prince Eric (Understudy)
Kawika Huston
Chef Louis (Understudy)
Jordan King
Flounder (Understudy)
Kayden Oliver
Ariel (Understudy)
Caitlin Sarwono, Carly Corey
—
—
Swings
Cy Paolantonio Christopher Sweet Madison Willis Josh Zacher
Dog Man: The Musical opening weekend at Seattle Children’s Theatre w/ TheaterWorksUSA. Performing until 10/22/23. Stay tuned for my full review! #dogMan #showsiveseen #theatre
Lucky to have a ticket to the sold-out closing weekend of Something Rotten! #musical at Red Curtain Foundation for the Arts. Last performance tomorrow. Stay tuned for my full review! #showsiveseen #theatre
