Now on stage until May 4 at the CAA Theatre 651 Yonge Street, Toronto
“Crisp voices and dancing.”
Youngsters arriving at a live theatre performance tend to ramp up the energy level. Such was the case at the opening of ‘Cat Kid Club – the Musical’ at the CAA Theatre in Toronto.
Produced by Theater Works, the book was written by Kevin Del Aguila with music by Brad Alexander. This adaptation comes from the very popular original children’s books by Dav Pilkey. Some of his most popular series include Captain Underpants, Dog Man and Cat Kid Comic Club.
Children seem to love any adaptation of something they are familiar with which makes this production very exciting. Pilkey’s popular comic designs and his stories are unique. As a kid diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, he was often isolated where he withdrew into his own imagination and created stories concerning the problems of young kids such as, well, underpants!
After a destructive scene of mayhem on Earth, Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog propose to start a comic club to discipline the wild baby frogs by getting them to reach into their imaginations. Their father Flippy is thrilled with the idea and wants to contribute. But silliness and bickering abound among the frogs and the club goes sideways.
Harnessing their creativity and getting to the promised land of the big graduation party takes many twists and turns. Comic highlights come from the ever-present problems of kids: “he’s touching me – ooh” “she called me names” “he’s a liar.” Sibling rivalry is a main theme along with the fanatic obsession with boogers, poopy jokes and butts. The dark realm of kids and their imaginations.
Marlo Hunter’s directing and choreography far exceed those bland kid shows you see at amusement parks. The voices and dancing were crisp – professional by any model. A full slate of musical styles gave the young audience a more complete experience – Hip hop, country, ballads and rap intertwined.
Schoolhouse rows of colourful cut-out frogs on swivels were blended in with similarly colourful actors playing frogs. This combo seemed to work with credit to Designer Cameron Anderson.
The cast, charged of course with making kids laugh, amped up the energy to beyond ridiculous and met their target. Jimmy Henderson as Kip, was particularly animated playing the over-eager kid with his arm wild in the air and bulging eyes begging for attention.
The bold primary colours in the general design were effective and paralleled the design of the original Pilkey comics. As the club members created their stories one particular outfit, from Jen Caprio’s design, stood out as a toothbrush with bristles awkwardly askew on his head.
Separate from the production itself, it was notable to observe a variety of behaviours from the young audience. Kids, of course, will be kids as I know as a father and grandfather. However, some effort should be made to teach audience protocol of future generations of theatregoers. For the most part, they were well- behaved (sitting beside me) but some were not (sitting behind me.)
The lessons of the value of imagination and creativity seemed to resonate with the young ones.
As I left the theatre, those I felt most sorry for were the cleaning staff. As much fun there was on stage, a huge drinks and snacks party was happening in the audience and the littered floor was testimony.
‘Cat Kid Comic Club – the Musical’ by Kevin Del Aguila
Performers: Leslie Baez, Diamond Destiny, Troi Lennoxx Gaines, Jimmy Henderson, Janna Linae, Bryan G. Smith, Savannah Trotter, David Vandyke
Director and choreographer: Marlo Hunter
Set Design: Cameron Anderson
Costume design: Jen Caprio
Production runs through: May 4, 2025.
Tickets at: Mirvish.com
