Two Dumb Dogs

Critiqued by Holly Bartges

The proof is in the pudding. The proof lies in the eyes of the beholder. The real critics for The Breckenridge Children’s Theatre are the children themselves. When 2, 3, and 4 year olds sit quietly for an hour, the only conclusion one can come to is a winner sits on stage. In this case it is Edith Weiss’ brilliantly written play Two Dumb Dogs that is as charming as it is fun, as it is adorable, as it is enchanting proving once and for all there are no dumb dogs.

Christopher Willard as Ferdo and Skip Wee as Floof in Two Dumb Dogs

And where did the idea come from? Christopher Willard, Artistic Director for Backstage Theatre found himself in a boring meeting when the title raced across his mind. He called Weiss and asked her to write a play entitled Two Dumb Dogs, and she did. There are reasons to be grateful for boring meetings.

Directed by Michael Grittner, Willard designed the lighting and sound, and Mary Lorch designed the colorful costumes. The ensemble of technicalities work so well together, it appears as though one person designed the entire experience. That’s teamwork. That’s dogged attentiveness. That’s puppy love in operation.

Ferdo, (Willard) and Floof (Skip Wee) belong to Roger (Dustin Murphy). Every morning the two furry animals take Roger for a walk, not always in the same direction. Ferdo smells somethings wondrously in the grass, Floof spies a squirrel. When Roger asks them to heel, the dogs communicate with each other. What is this strange interest in their heels? The dogs roll over on their backs to show Roger what they think he wants to see, their heels of course. Roger doesn’t realize he has thinking dogs. He thinks he has two dumb dogs.

Off to work, Roger tells them to “watch the house and stay in the yard”. OK, so Ferdo gets confused and remembers they are to stay in the house and watch the yard. Scampering around, Ferdo finds a chew toy. Never mind it happens to be a shoe belonging to Miss Bunburry (Melanie Ball). Never mind she’s upset because it’s an expensive Italian shoe. Floof finds a ham. Never mind he took it off Millie’s (Genevieve Price) table. So how did he think it got on the table? The Ham Fairy put it there just for him, of course.

Miss Bunberry and Millie accost Roger in no uncertain terms. Of course, Roger will repay the two frantic women for their loss. After all, he knows he has two dumb dogs.

Dogs think. If you doubt that, you are most welcome to ask my two, Morgan and Majeska. They’ll laughingly tell you all about it.

And in the thinking, Ferdo decides the yard is too small. He wants excitement. He wants adventure. Slightly slower on the draw, Floof isn’t quite sure. After all Roger told them to “stay in the house and watch the yard”, but he certainly doesn’t want to do it by himself. Into the enchanted forest they trot.

in fur from head to feet. Willard and Wee’s emphatic expressions of Ferdo and Floof are pristine adorable. This reads from the two-year-old to the mature adult. To Roger they may be dumb dogs, but you want to wrap them up, sneak them out of the theatre, and take them home. Their warm, wooly, loveable personalities speak wonders for adoption. At The Dumb Friends League and Max Fund, bright-eyed children will be looking for puppy look-alikes. If Morgan and Majeska didn’t rule my kingdom, I know I would.

In the enchanted forest, sniffing after one smell and then another, hungry and tired Ferdo and Floof begin to think maybe their small yard wasn’t so bad after all. What’s that? A cry for help? Where? No one is around. Could the cry be coming from a rock? The rock isn’t a rock at all. It’s the Rock Prince, wonderfully played by Murphy in a much different bent than Roger. Queen Malevella cast a spell on him when he refused to marry her. Guess who figures out how to break the spell? That’s right, the two dumb dogs. Raises the question about dumbness doesn’t it? The Prince who now can barely move denies the dogs’ request to go with him. With a straight face, he tells them they will only slow him down.

Really ready to return to their small but safe yard, another cry for help escapes the Enchanted Forest silence. It’s Mimi, a charming poodle with long black ears wearing a pink tutu. Poor thing has a thistle in her paw. Floof rushes to help her, while Ferdo growls in disbelief. He has five thistles in his butt, and you don’t hear him whining.

Melanie Ball as Odd and Faith Rohrbacher as Queen Malevella in Two Dumb Dogs

Susan Harrison takes on Mimi with ferocious exuberance. She’s a bright darling poodle.

The love bug encases Floof and Mimi almost immediately. You know this because a soft spot encases them, and strains of Some Enchanted Evening float through the air.

The Enchanted Forest magically becomes the Queen’s Castle. Malevella transforms herself into the Ham Fairy. She knows the Prince has been freed, and she knows who did it, and she’s out for revenge. Floof is thrilled there really is a Ham Fairy, only to have his hopes dashed when he discovers the truth. Faith Rohrbacher wears the ham and jewels of Malevella, and does so with artistic aplomb. It is clear she’s up to no good. It is clear this evil queen aligns her claws for selfish revenge. Rohrbacher in her queenly attire supplies a slice of humor with her ornery streak. Even the youngest laugh at her antics knowing full well who she really is.

Price changes temperament from Millie to the Queen’s aid as Odd, a bug of sorts who bows to Malevella’s every outlandish whim with an attitude of her own. She does what the Queen orders, but definitely not afraid to stand up to her royal highness and speak her mind. She’s to be cheered, and she gets it.

Determined to turn Ferdo and Floof into her best hunting dogs, Malevella turns them over to the Dog Shouter (Ball) for training. Although there are several outstanding scenes in the one-hour play, the training of the two dumb dogs moves beyond hysterical. Confused, at first, over the instructions of the Dog Shouter, Ferdo and Floof learn by watching Mimi. They learn to sit, stay, heel, attack, retreat, and a few ballet steps thrown in for good measure.

Two Dumb Dogs is a wondrous play about love, friendship, helping those in need, learning to think, solving problems, and most important of all one isn’t as dumb as someone may think. A major issue facing children is one of self-esteem. Books, television programs, community organizations spend a great deal of time and money on raising the self esteem of children. One word from a parent, relative or friend about dumbness can shatter a young person’s sense of Being. Weiss’ delightful, delectable, delicious story with endearing characters speak directly to the issue. Ferdo and Floof may not appear to be too bright catapulted by Roger’s constant reminder how dumb they are. He loves them, that’s obvious, but he never learned their language, and consequently they never learned his. Of course, they act dumb. They act the way they’re expected to act until push comes to shove and they discover they can think for themselves and solve problems no one else can.

Two Dumb Dogs, which has been running on and off throughout the summer has two major performances left on August 30 at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Breckenridge is but an hour and a half drive from Denver. It’s worth every single minute with a breath of grand mountainous country to absorb. Fatty’s, a Spaghetti Pizza place across the street from the theatre has become a favorite. The employees are fun, gracious, efficient, and charming, and are always eager to hear about what plays the stage of the Breckenridge Theatre. Always important, the prices grandly reasonable, and the food makes for happy mouths.

Two Dumb Dogs is a howling bark at a playful squirrel, a warm, cuddly furry experience, and a dog gone tail wagging good time. You’ll want to run home and give your dog a hug, or race to the nearest shelter to adopt. Best of all you’ll see the young ones in a completely different light, and the young ones will never forget the day they met Ferdo and Floof.

Two Dumb Dogs
By Edith Weiss; Directed by Michael Grittner