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An entry in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Rescue Rue, with bouncy music and lyrics by Joshua Zecher-Ross and Kate Steinberg and book and additional lyrics by Stacey Weingarten, is based on Ms. Weingarten's speculation about the history of her own rescue dog. What makes Rescue Rue rise above the (ahem) "pack" is the fact that its creator (who is also the show's director) is the puppet wrangler with the Off Broadway production of Avenue Q. Two of the cast members (Lisa Helmi Johanson and Jason Jacoby) are also currently appearing in Avenue Q, and a third, Jennifer Barnhart was in the original cast of that show for its entire Broadway run. So these folks do know their way around puppets. And what adorable puppets they are: Rue (Ms. Johanson); the one-eyed scruffy Squish (Ms. Barnhart); brothers Apollo (Mr. Jacoby) and Artemis (Brendan Malafronte); the French poodle Prissy (Nate Begle), looking something like the late great Shari Lewis's "Lamb Chop;" and the Fairy Dogmother (Gretchen Wylder), wearing a long flowing gown that brings to mind Victoria Clark's character in the Broadway production of Cinderella. The quick-paced production, running just one hour, follows Rue from the time she is kicked out of her home by her unpleasant owners, through the friendships she makes with the other dogs, to her stint in the dog pound—all under the watchful eye of her Fairy Dogmother, who offers up happy new beginnings for eveyone. And while Rescue Rue is geared for the little ones, it will also appeal to any grownup who has ever been adopted by a pound pup, as Ms. Weingarten so lovingly was.
The New York Musical Theatre Festival 2014
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