Markia Nicole Smith and Dan Rosales (Photo by Jeremy Daniel)
Reviewed by Steven Vargas
Kirk Douglas Theatre
Through January 5
What makes a great comic book? In Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, sometimes all it takes is a lot of bad ideas and some creativity.
TheaterWorksUSA’s production of the musical based on Dav Pilkey’s book series swoops into the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City with some aquatic antics by Cat Kid (Janna Linae), Flippy (David Vandyke) and a rambunctious crew of 21 baby frogs — interchangeably performed by Jimmy Henderson, Troi Lennox Gaines, Diamond Destiny and Savannah Trotter. Underneath the comedy is an impactful lesson for children and parents alike.
The musical, with a book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila and music by Brad Alexander, follows the same arc as Pilkey’s book. Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog, both played by Linae, start a club to teach 21 baby frogs to make their own comics. Their father Flippy is excited to see their creativity soar, that is, until he witnesses that their comics are filled with death, booties and the end of the world. When his true feelings about his kid’s sense of humor make a dent in their creativity, Cat Kid holds out hope that the tadpoles can find the strength to persevere.
This conflict is hard to build. While easy enough to construct on the page, on stage it takes some time to reveal the tension between Flippy and his kids. Luckily, the wild creativity of the tadpoles keeps the kids in the audience entertained.
After some failed attempts to get the tadpoles to come up with good ideas for a comic book, Cat Kid encourages the crew to come back to the club with some terrible ones, each accompanied by a musical number. In “Supa-Fail!,” a superhero is born out of his ability to fail. In “The Cute, Little, Fluffy Cloud of Death,” a dead cloud is bullied by the sun and forced to find refuge with the ghosts. (This number ends in an impressive harmony that evolves into a dissonant chord, adding to the tone of dark humor.) And in “Chubbs McSpiderbutt,” a buff guy gains a spider butt when he’s bitten by a talking spider named Jake. The choreography and direction by Marlo Hunter shine here, highlighted by a swaying of hips and fast-paced pops of the derriere. Henderson’s performance — which pushes to the limits his vocals and the physically absurd aspects of his characters — enforces the comic-book tone and proves to be a highlight, especially as McSpiderbutt.
The costume design by Jen Caprio helps bring the frog babies’ ideas to life. The costume pieces are interchangeable and expand in the blink of an eye. For example, McSpiderbutt’s costume attaches to his waist as a ball of fuzz and the rest of the cast pulls out his legs to take up centerstage. (It’s an incredibly modular device, allowing the musical to easily move from story to story.) The set (Cameron Anderson) is also modular, but unlike the costumes does little to assist in creating tension. It’s made up of a moving whiteboard and six logs of varying heights, which double as costume storage. Despite the opportunity to evolve into new landscapes, most of the time they operate as desks for the tadpoles, providing little variety to the story.
The musical finds its arc best in the third act following Flippy’s eruption, where he bans butts, death and any bodily function from their comics. He draws a stern limit on their creativity, even encouraging them to say “however” instead of “but.” This turns the baby frogs against him. He has a raw moment of reflection as a dad in “Worst Dad Ever” when he shares how hard it is to be a dad and get things right, a topic that surely resonates with the fathers in the audience. His authentic tone brings Cat Kid’s story to the real world.
Throughout the musical, Melvin (Gaines, a swing) and Naomi (Destiny) exhibit a strong rivalry. Naomi bullies Melvin and is often ousted to timeout rock for the age-old punishment of time out. When they go to the fair, Melvin’s mediocrity at a game earns him three large stuffed bears while Naomi’s exceeding talents earn her a tiny one. In “All About You,” she reveals that she is as disruptive as she is because she must work twice as hard as a girl to get the same praise as her brother. This honest song shows how gender inequality begins at a young age, providing the children in the audience with an important life lesson.
Besides laughs and entertainment, the children in the audience also leave with a profound message. It lands immediately and gets them thinking. At the performance I attended, when the baby frogs forgave Flippy, a kid behind me turned to their father.
“Yeah, dads are the best!” the kid said. “No offense, mom.”
Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City; thru Jan. 5; Wed., Thurs., Sat, 11 am, Fri.-Sat., 7 pm, Sat., 3 pm, Sun., 1 pm and 5 pm.; thru Jan. 5. Tickets.
