David Perlman takes us through his two-show day in A Dog Story at the Black Box at The Davenport Theater. The new musical for dog lovers makes its New York debut following a sold-out premiere run in Key West, FL.
Flip through the 36 photos of his day below:
Sometimes I wake up and my dog Winnie is sleeping in such a cute position that I have to take a picture. This was one of those mornings!
Ooof, it feels very early, and the sun feels very bright this morning.
I’ve found that matinees are much more fun when I’ve woken up my body and mind with a good workout. So here we go!
Pre-matinee selfie family portrait with my husband Trey and our dog Winnie.
I arrive at the theater and see our awesome house manager Ami Fazchas getting those Playbills ready for the audience that is about to arrive. Ami is the best.
Upon arriving in the dressing room, I see that Stefanie Brown (who plays Blair) is already putting her makeup on.
Lindsie VanWinkle (who plays Miranda) is getting her makeup on as well. Looking good!
At 15 minutes to curtain, our awesome stage manager Marjorie Wood comes backstage to collect valuables so that nobody can rob us while we’re on stage. I give her my wedding ring for safe-keeping; sometimes I do a full-on proposal.
Sneaking a picture of Brian Ray Norris (who plays Guy) putting on his watch for the show.
Oops, I’ve been caught.
Oh, YOU!
Here I am, hiding my microphone in my hair. I take great pride in how camouflaged I can make it.
Stefanie Brown is all ready to begin! My character falls in love with her at first sight. Wouldn’t you??
The show has just begun, which means Lindsie has 25 minutes to do crossword puzzles!
Later in the show, while Lindsie is doing a quick change, Brian and Stefanie respect her privacy by facing a wall. How thoughtful.
And the matinee is done. We did it!
Today we had a very special crowd: The Rutgers University Seeing Eye Puppy Training Club. They were an exceptionally great audience. The dogs were so quiet, and the humans were responsive with laughter and applause.
The girls show off how their side of the dressing room is so colorful and well decorated.
The girls show off how their side of the dressing room is so colorful and well decorated.
We don’t have too much time in between shows, so we all kinda stick around. Lindsie is fueling up for our second show with a salad.
Oooh, yum. The Shear Madness cast, which performs downstairs from us, got us some Opening Weekend cookies from Schmackarys, which is right next door. How sweet!
Assistant stage manager Miriam Hyfler is making sure all the props and stuff are preset correctly for the evening show.
Oops, I don’t think Lindsie belongs in there! Sometimes we like to play around in the wonderfully inventive set by Lauren Mills.
Brian and I join Lindsie in the mischievous shenanigans.
Now Miriam joins Brian in one of the set compartments. That is actually where the table is supposed to live.
Back in the dressing room, our music director Dylan MarcAurele pops in to say hello. How cute is he? And he is hugely talented! We’re all convinced he’s going to be a huge deal, and we just hope he remembers us when he is.
Who’s that peeking around behind that door? It’s our awesome, wonderful, god-like swings Chris Blem and Alex Kidder! They are here to stalk our every move. They each cover two roles, and they are basically my heroes.
Our sound guru Ying-Ying Zhang comes in to change the batteries in our microphone packs. She takes care of us.
Brian is almost ready for the evening show, but first he has to give us his best pin-up pose.
Stefanie and I are ready for the second show. Places!
Lindsie changes her boots as part of a quick change.
About 3/4 of the way through the show, there’s a scene I’m not in! So I get to relax for a few minutes. (Is this a humble brag?)
And there you have it, show #2 of the day is done. We celebrate our accomplishment with a selfie, of course.
One more shot of our band in their street clothes. That’s Mike Livingston, Dylan MarcAurele, and Lou Garrett.
Once home, I am so tired that I pass out on the couch.
Here is a proper family photo. Goodnight all! Thanks for spending the day with me and the gang at A Dog Story, now playing at the Loft at the Davenport Theatre.
