The Midnight Train Crossing

I'd never been to this theatre before - but my mom had told me that it was tiny. It really was. You sit at tables, not seats like a normal theatre, and they serve dinner (we did not eat there), and during the show you could get drinks or dessert. (We did not).

Dogpark is a musical about a dog park. There were a lot of songs, but I did not get a program with a song list. I did not get a program at all actually, so I cannot specifically say what songs I liked. I'm just going to go through my favorite parts of the show - which was most of the show.
It was better than I expected it to be - and so very funny. All of the cast was awesome, and they had fantastic voices when they sang.

There were four people in the cast:
Champ: Lenny Banovez
Bogie: Chip DuFord
Itchy: Jonathan Spivey
Daisy: Katherine Strohmaier

I don't think that I could say which one of them I liked the best.
Champ was a collie - purebred best in show, and an actor too. He was dressed in a brown velvet tracksuit, and had a wig that gave him long (for a guy) hair. He often struck dramatic poses.
Itchy was a jack russel terrier, and a bit neurotic - stereotypical tiny dog. His owner liked dressing him up in doggie outfits.
Bogie was... well they never said, unless I missed it, but he wore black, and he was a big tough guy - he ruled the dog park, and spoke in a very deep voice.
Daisy was white and fluffy, although she wasn't a poodle. She was just trying to find her dream dog.
I loved all of them pretty much equally.

In the background of the set, there was a cityscape painted on the background. I think it was supposed to be Seattle, because there was a space needle.
On one side of the stage was a bulletin board with dog related fliers on them: puppies for sale, lost dog (Named Elvis), found dog, etc.

In the opening song, Champ, Itchy and Daisy were on their way to the dog park, in their "cars", with steering wheels.
There were some off stage voices, the "humans", although the dogs referred to their owners as their "Best Friend Forever", or "BFF."
Periodically throughout the play, there would be announcements for events, like "Lovers with Leashes" and "Yappy Hour".
Another thing that was funny was that they kept saying "Oh dog!" or something like that, substituting the word "dog" for "god." (Like "Oh my dog!")

Bogie and Daisy would sometimes address the audience, sort of narrating the show. Bogie was especially suited to this, he had a very deep voice. His voice, and his costume, and just his manner definitely made me think of Humphry Bogart.

So, Daisy had a song with each guy, one at a time. She was on stage for almost the entire first act, I was impressed. Her first song with Bogie was him telling her that everything in the park was his. "Look at this. Do you like it? It's mine. So don't touch." This annoyed her, so she turned it back on him, and sat on his bench, and played with his toys.

When Champ came out, he told her about his career - he was a champion show dog, and an actor.
He did the picture for some flea shampoo, and for carne dog food. He had to get into character for that (For a photoshoot? She questioned) and spoke in a Spanish accent for months.
He had a nice voice - he hit some pretty high notes during that song. The actor and character were both very easy on the eyes.
Daisy said that he was pretty... and pretty self absorbed.
He was about to have his big break though - a new Lassie movie. He asked Daisy to read some lines for him to act to.
It was amusing because she would say "Lassie" but all the other words were "blah blah blah".
First, Champ had to get into the mood, by doing a warm up mantra, and then flopping down on the bench. Yes, Timmy was in the well.

Itchy was upset because his BFF dressed him in a dog sweater. How is he supposed to attract the ladies wearing a sweater?
His BFF signed him up for an agility class, and he didn't want to because he was plagued with "sniffilus."
This led to him and Daisy discussing different ailments. I don't remember all of them, but skidding on linoleum was called "floor-ite" And vacuum cleaners were terrifying.
So they went off to agility class with two other female dogs - a poodle (Lenny Banovez) and another dog (I forgot what the species was) (Chip DuFord).
Neither of the guys put on a falsetto voice or anything like that - which just made it funnier.
During the agility class, they had poles that they danced around, with Itchy calling out moves. "And left... and right... and weave, and weave, and bump... and grind.... And look... and *holds out hand* cookie?"

Daisy has been amused, so far it seems like she has made two friends, but... neither of them seem like the right one for her.
Bogie comes out, and the two of them talk again, and she convinces him to come to an event with her: doggy speed dating.
They pulled out a part of the set that had a lot of shutters that they could open and close, and they kept putting on wigs to be other dogs. There was a Siberian Hussy and a poodle that sometimes drinks out of the toilet.

So the last event of the night is "Lovers with Leashes" the dogs and their BFFs were to go out for a moonlit walk. First Champ invites Daisy, but she's a bit turned off by the fact that he just assumed she'd say yes, and the fact that he can't seem to remember her name.
Itchy comes to ask her - the two girls from the agility class found other dogs they preferred. Daisy hesitates, for she has been falling for Bogie. She goes to talk to him, but he tells her that he can't go. He made a promise to someone and...
This makes her very upset. She thought that he liked her, but it seemed that he was just leading her on, so she storms off.

Bogie watches her leave, and then laments in a deep voice: "Of all the dog parks in all the world, she had to walk into mine"
This brought down the house with laughter.

Then, alone on the stage, he sings a song about being alone, and waiting, while he holds a torn jacket.

I saw that coming - he's always there, he's had enough time to explore the place completely and mark his territory, and why he doesn't have a collar and never talks about his BFF.

Act two takes place a week later, and the three guys are in rough shape.
Champ is wearing a cone around his neck. He's in pain, and upset. They told him he was going to be tutored. Itchy is dressed in a bumblebee costume - his BFF thought it would be cute.
And Bogie is tied up. Someone ratted him out, and animal control is coming. He thinks that it's Daisy, who was angry enough to tell on him.

Daisy arrives, and is upset, because she doesn't want Bogie to go to the Big House.

At this point, Bogie sang a really cute love song to Daisy. I don't know what the song was called, but I would guess that it's called "I hate you". He had a little guitar that he played while he sang about how much he hated her; as much as he hated all the other things that he loved doing. Maybe some day he'd be able to say "I love you" but for now, this was his song. She and the others concoct a rather elaborate plan to help him escape.
They get the rope off him, and Itchy takes his place. He and Champ will distract the dog catchers. They tell Champ that they will need his acting skills.

While they were trying to get Bogie untied, and Itchy was running around, panicking, Champ launched into a canine version of "Friends, Romans, Countrymen", with full Shakespearean style.

Itchy was the one that turned in Bogie, and he was sorry about it. He was just jealous.
Then Champ, continuing in the same style, declaims: "To err is human, to forgive canine."

So, after an elaborate reenactment of Old Yeller, performed by Champ, the dog catchers observe that all the dogs here have collars, and it must have just been a prank.

Then, Bogie's backstory comes out when he sees that Daisy has a bandana that belonged to her BFF's fiancé... Bogie's owner. Bogie and his owner traveled a lot with a band. His owner dropped him off at the park and said he'd be back in two hours, so Bogie should "stay." And then, he never came back.
Daisy takes up narration. Her BFF's fiancé was meeting her at the Space Needle, but he never came. He was hit by a car, and did not survive. That's why he never came back for Bogie.
They convince Bogie that this must be fate - his BFF and Daisy's BFF were to be married. He and Daisy are destined to be together. He finally agrees, and they go into the finale: The Two Dog Trot. Bogie and Daisy dance together, and Champ and Itchy do as well. Itchy objects at first: "But I'm a boy dog. And I'm dressed as a bumblebee."
"Eh, nobody's perfect," responds Champ.

After the song, Itchy and Champ come out with small water dishes, and Champ is shaking a small fire hydrant shaped glass, and pours the content into the dishes, for it is Yappy Hour.

The show concludes with the deep philosophical statement by Itchy: "Those who lie down with dogs, wake up with dogs"