07/30/2013
“It’s A Ruff Life” is a musical comedy with lyrics, book and music written by Jesse Goldberg and Gene Levine. It features a dog’s eye view of the world. All the characters are dogs and all the songs are sung in “1st dog.”
Frisbee, a golden retriever, meets Duke, a stray mutt, who convinces him that there is more to life than just being a pet. Frisbee wonders about the world beyond his fenced yard and decides to run away and join Duke and his band of strays.
Each of the strays have their own unique personality, characteristics, hang-ups, hopes and dreams. There is “Goldberg” the Jewish setter, “Piddle,” the dog who can’t control her bladder, “Haskell, a tiny dog whose bark is much greater than his bite and “Lila,” the provocative female who Haskell yearns for. There is also a Camelot-like love triangle between “Frisbee,” “Duke” and his girlfriend “Tiffany.”
As the dogs deal with day to day survival, and relationships with each other, we realize that they are not so different from humans. They teach us important lessons about love, racism, loyalty and courage.
This is a feel-good musical that is a celebration of canine behavior for dog lovers everywhere.
The songs are witty, sensitive, catchy and memorable, designed especially to make you laugh, cry and hum long after you’ve seen the show.
