EVERYONE BELONGS IN THIS CLUB
Last year at this time, I saw the family-friendly and totally entertaining Dog Man: The Musical, in which comic book hero Dog Man, with the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, does his best to save the city from Flippy the cyborg fish. And now Flippy is back, this time as the father of wayward frogs in TheaterWorksUSA‘s Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical at the Kirk Douglas Theatre through January 5, 2025. And given how spellbound kids were in the opening night audience, this show about being who you are while learning to be part of a club is bound to be a hit, not just with the target audience, but their adults as well.
The story centers around Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog (Janna Linae in both roles) who start an epic club to teach several rambunctious baby frogs (each dressed in a different color with large eyes on their foreheads) how to make their own comics and ultimately work together as a club on their final project. Their fishy father Flippy (David VanDyke) is overjoyed that his kids will learn to unleash their creativity in a positive direction rather than demanding his attention every second of the day. But when the frogs’ constant bickering and outrageous imaginations send their comics comically off the rails, Flippy flips out. So it’s up to Cat Kid to organize the wayward frogs into a cohesive and creative club for a 4-day workshop during which each writes their own comic book – without referring to poop or other childish topics. And it’s quite the task, but Cat Kid, along with her fishy hand puppet, are up for the challenge.
Each kid’s comic book is acted out by the frogs through song and movement, beginning at the first “The Kit Cat Comic Club” meeting. A few of the frogs’ comic creations are “Dennis the Toothbrush Lawyer for Dinosaurs,” “The Cute, Little, Fluffy Cloud of Death,” and “Chubbs McSpiderbutt,” each performed with incredible energy and lots of costume changes to define all the characters being introduced. And they are very funny.
Along with Linae and Vandyke, the talented ensemble includes Jimmy Henderson, Jeremy Fuentes, Savannah Trotter, Leslie Baez. It’s easy to see how their eye-catching choreography is a real crowd-pleaser for kids of all ages, grabbing your attention while entertaining your spirit with lots of comic wit.
While all the frogs have their moment in the spotlight, the two siblings who lead the club are Naomi (Diamond Destiny in yellow) and Melvin (Troi Lennoxx Gaines in orange) who bicker and distract each other non-stop until they accept the challenge of writing their own comic book. Naomi’s is the last to be presented, ending the show with “The Mega-gigantic, Humonga-normous Comic Club Party,” a perfect lead-up to the party awaiting audience members in the lobby following the performance featuring delicious food geared for all ages. Show programs include photos “Introducing the Pets of CTG,” pages for kids to design their own comic (art supplies available in the lobby), and lots of frogs to color.
Rainbow-hued scenic design by Cameron Anderson, costume design by Jen Caprio, lighting design by David Lander, sound design by Scott Stoufer and Jesse Desrosiers, and puppet design/fabrication by Acheson Walsh Studios lift this entertaining TheaterWorksUSA production beyond the usual children’s show taking place outdoors in summer, making this production an excellent way to introduce young ones to the wonders of live theatre. And I hope the experience encourages children to do the most radical thing – pick up a book and read about the larger-than-life characters. Then enjoy the musical with book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila, music by Brad Alexander based on the Cat Kid Comic Club book series by Dav Pilkey. I know parents will appreciate the story’s anti-bullying theme which teaches kids to honor everyone’s individuality while learning to work together as members of the same club.
This hilarious and heartfelt family adventure is perfect for everyone.
Cat Kid Comic Club
TheaterWorksUSA
Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232 through
ends on January 5, 2025
60 minutes without intermission
for tickets (all-in pricing tickets start at $34.50), call 213.628.2772 or visit CTG
free validated parking is available below City Hall
for more info, visit TheaterWorksUSA
The public is invited to free Community Workshops to join the Cat Kid Party by moving through stations to learn how to draw the series characters, color create your own flip-o-rama, and make a stick puppet to perform your own adventure in the puppet theatre. Recommended for ages 5+. All materials provided while supplies last. The two free puppet theatre workshops will be led by artist Miles Taber on Thursday, December 5 from 4:15-5:15pm at the Rancho-Palms Library located at 2920 Overland Avenue, L.A. 90064, and on Tuesday, December 10 from 4-5pm at the Culver City Julian Dixon Library, 4975 Overland Avenue, Culver City 90230.
TheaterWorksUSA returns to the Kirk Douglas Theatre with El Otro Oz, a bilingual, Mexican folk-infused musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz from March 29 to April 13, 2025, in which Dora, a contemporary teenager, struggles with her family’s ideas about tradition and dreads her impending quinceañera. But, when Dora gets swept away to a strange new land, she learns how to celebrate her unique rhythm and embrace her cultural identity.