Riverside opens 2009-10 season with A Dog's Life

Riverside - Riverside Theatre will open the season this weekend with A Dog’s Life, with book and lyrics by Sean Grennan and music by Leah Okimoto. It runs September 11 – October 4.

Meet a sweet-tempered pooch named Jack, the guy who adopts him, and his four-footed pals. Originally produced by the American Heartland Theatre, this funny yet moving musical chronicles the friendship of Joel, played by Jim Van Valen, and Jack, played by David Tull. The story opens with Jack at the pound alongside two other mutts, the worldly-wise Big Dog, played by Steven Perkins, and excitable Little Dog, played by Mary Bryant. Perkins and Bryant also play an assortment of human roles, from a vet to the voice of an in-car assistance system.

When Jack and Joel meet, something clicks. The music and scenes that follow depict their life together, including all of its ups and downs. With Big Dog and Little Dog along for the ride, the dogs’ perspectives are given generous—and hilarious—attention. Director John Kaufmann said he worked with the actors “to create a world where the human and dog worlds intersect. Though the dogs talk and sing in the play, it’s not so far from reality—while we think we're training them, they're also training us: to relax, to play, to listen.”

A Dog’s Life offers several “breeds” of music including hip-hop, traditional musical theatre, soul, Western, disco—there’s even a canine torch song. “Each piece has an important function in the storytelling and many of the songs feature some fun word play,” said music director and musician Jenifer McVay Phelan. “The concept of singing dogs might seem strange, but anyone who's had a pet will relate to the communication and unconditional love that is celebrated in this story.”

A Dog’s Life also features scenography by Scott Olinger, costumes by Renee M. Bell and sound design by Don Schneider. The play is sponsored in part by New Pioneer Food Co-Op.

Other shows scheduled for the 09-10 season include:

In co-production with Cornell College; The Diary of Anne Frank, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, adapted by Wendy Kesselman, from October 22 – November 8.

Walking the Wire: Holiday Tales from November 19 – 22. Whether it’s Christmas or Kwanzaa, Hanukkah or Ramadan, Mardi Gras or Cinco de Mayo – you’ll hear holiday monologues from playwrights across the country and right here in Iowa.

On December 12 and 13, a staged reading of The Tag Sale Project, a piece about five friends and a yard sale created by Maggie Conroy that also features the reflections of Nancy Hauserman, Casey Mahon, Mary New, and Susan Shullaw.

Don’t miss a rapturously funny play by Deborah Zoe Laufer when Riverside Theatre presents End Days, January 29 – February 21. This story combines a Goth girl, her born-again mom, her post-9/11 depressed dad, Jesus and Stephen Hawking.

Sean Christopher Lewis’s one-man show, Killadelphia: City of Numbers, March 5 – 14. This piece offers an “in the trenches” look at crime, incarceration and the road to redemption. Contains adult language.

Mary’s Wedding, playing April 1 -18, is an exhilarating story of first love by Stephen Massicotte. Don’t miss this love letter to the power of memory, hope, and innocent dreams.

For more information, or to order your tickets to these shows, call the Riverside Theatre box office at (319) 338-7672.