The UI Theatre department is gearing up for their production of “Go. Dog. Go!”
With just a week left before opening night, preparations have been ramping up. From pop-up sets to unique costume design, the show is hoping to bring a unique musical to the Palouse. The play opens Thursday Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. After that, the show runs for two weeks on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Show times being 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. on Sundays. General Admission for students is free and $25 for adults and $5 for anyone under the age of 18.
“Go. Dog. Go!” is based off the children’s book of the same name. The musical, which features only 62 words in its entirety, is a two-act story and has a 1.5-hour runtime, including the intermission.
Luke Owen, who plays the lead role of MC Dog, says the show “brings the simple joys back to life” and is “a show for everybody to come see.”
The show, which is geared for a younger audience, has come as a challenge for some of the actors. When talking about the biggest challenge surrounding a show with little dialogue, Kylie Morris, who plays Blue Dog explained getting the message across was a challenge.
“The differences in communication, everything must be bigger,” Morris said. But it has been a “really fun process” to find the right way to get the messages the cast wants across to the audience.
Kari Wilcey, who plays Hattie The Dog explained, “You have to be big and expressive and precise.”
A distinct mark of the show will be the score.
Adhering to the 62 words of dialogue that are in the book, the music features something that some cast members called “Precise Scatting” and is a cornerstone of the sound in the musical. Mayson Beall, who plays Yellow Dog, believes the show has a “catchy score” but said it was “harder to learn” that your usual musical when discussing the unique sound of the show.
James McGaughey, who not only plays Red Dog but is also the sound designer for the show, talked about how being a cast member and part of the production team was a unique experience.
“It’s beneficial as a whole because you can make adjustments in real time,” McGaughey said.
While the show does not feature a live orchestra, McGaughey stated that he “wants something live and actual on stage” and has added “several live sound effects” to liven up the stage for the show.
The costume design for the show is also something that the cast and production team are proud of. Besides the difference in color in the costumes for the dogs, each dog has a unique costume whose differences can be seen even in the material used to create it.
McKinley Kirk said, “There are no costume changes, but each dog has their difference.”
Kirk also stated her excitement for this production as she has “never done anything like this before.”
The plot of the show is the same as the children’s book, but Director Kate Pemberton said that “the action has been expanded” and that audiences can expect “lots of hijinks and slapstick” from the show.
For Pemberton, who is a community member, “Go. Dog. Go!” is the first show she directed for the UI Theatre Department but far from her first as director. She is especially proud of the set work for the show and her aim was to “bring the book to life with the sets.” The sets for the production have a pop-up effect that mimics the same feature from the book.
If interested in seeing the show or any future production, please visit the UI Theatre Website.
You can reach Jack DeWitt at [email protected] and [email protected]