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L.R. Davidson

Cat Kid Comic Club

August 7, 2023

The family-oriented TheaterWorksUSA’s latest musical adaptation of the best-selling children’s novels of Dev Pilkey is "Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical," an exuberant colorful one hour irreverent entertainment for children of all ages. Written by Kevin Del Aguila (book and lyrics) and Brad Alexander (music) who previously wrote the highly successful "Dog Man: The Musical" from the earlier Pilkey series, "Cat Kid Comic Club" is surprisingly faithful to the book of the same name and will not disappoint its many fans. With clever and imaginative direction by Marlo Hunter and her design team which uses puppets as well as live actors, the hard-working cast of six (almost all of whom appeared in TheaterWorks’ "Dog Man" musical) play multiple roles to tell this hilarious and surprising story. [more]

New AMT Theater Opens with an Eye on Building Community

August 17, 2022

“We want to make a difference in people's lives,” says Tapper.  “We want to do new shows, to encourage new writers and directors.  We want to feature children's shows and get young people involved in theater at an early age.  We also want to do cabaret because, well, it's just fun.  We also want to serve as a regional theater to the people in our immediate area, to draw on their energy, and solicit their opinions - because we truly value the community around us.” The clean, sleek space features a futuristic lighting scheme set against a black and white motif.  “When people hear about the black and white look, they’re a bit skeptical.  Even I was skeptical!” says Sportiello.  “But once they see the finished product, they agree it looks like a real work of art, and everyone’s been impressed.  In my opinion, it’s the most unique and striking Off-Broadway theater in the theater district. We can’t wait to share it with the community, so we’re looking forward to welcoming local theatergoers and press at a special launch event that we’ll be announcing soon.” [more]

Dog Man: The Musical

July 9, 2019

Kids may love this show—and the Dog Man books themselves—largely because the outlandish situations are similar to scenarios in their own hyper-imaginative make-believe play. Except that, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, young audiences see a fully realized version of such fantasies, with vibrant production values plus some catchy tunes. Tim Mackabee’s cartoonish unit set—Harold and George’s treehouse—is quiet at first but is soon swarming with marauding buildings, a wacky robot and other assorted craziness. Heidi Leigh Hanson’s costumes are bright and cleverly imagined. David Lander’s lighting design helps us imagine lightning storms, bomb explosions and what amounts to a municipal volcano. Director/choreographer Jen Wineman keeps everything moving along at a quick clip. [more]