Review of 'Because of Winn Dixie A New Musical' at Goodspeed

East Haddam, CT - Goodspeed Musicals continues its 2019 season with a heartfelt production of BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE A NEW MUSICAL.

“Not since ANNIE has a stray dog inspired such joyful noise!” - Goodspeed press release

The musical is based upon the novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo that was published in 2000. The children’s book was named a Newbery Honor book and became a favorite of teachers across the country. In 2005, the novel was adapted into a family film that proved to increased the popularity of the title.

The book and lyrics for the musical were written by Tony nominee Nell Benjamin (LEGALLY BLONDE, MEAN GIRLS) and the charming music was composed by Duncan Sheik (SPRING AWAKENING.) Although the Delaware Theatre Company and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival launched productions of BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE THE MUSICAL, this incarnation of the show is billed as a brand new musical, with changes still being made.

John Rando (URINETOWN, BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE in Alabama) directed the Goodspeed production, with low-key choreography by Chris Bailey. The musical ties together all of the storylines in the novel, along with plenty of comedy, as Opal and her dog knock down the town folklore of the town’s citizens. I was not all that familiar with the plot of the novel before press night, but I still managed to follow the story for the most part.

Because this is a new musical, I will include a brief description of the plot. Into a quirky Southern town that is filled with lost souls, a roaming preacher and his daughter Opal arrive and take in a mutt that she names Winn Dixie, in honor of the grocery store where he finds her. “Because” of a dog that makes friends very easily, the citizens of the town slowly learn to get along. I found it to be a heartwarming adventure that is appropriate for all ages. After some research, I noticed some minor changes to the action, probably in the interest of run time.

The opening number sets up the notion that Opal and her father are feeling like “Strays” as they arrive in their new town. The Preacher describes the foibles of his life with humor in “Offer It Up,” and his new congregation blended their voice beautifully in “Raise Your Voice,” a different piece than the number in SISTER ACT with the same title, as well as for “O Lord of Pilgrims.”

After the intermission, the Preacher and the other parents in the cast commiserate in “Sulking,” and Chloe Cheers as Amanda got to show off her powerful voice in her expository song “No One Watching.” David Poe as pet store owner Otis reprised his song “Searchin,’” a work in progress, in the second act. I liked the idea of the song “Thirteen Things,” in which the Preacher attempts to tell his daughter one piece of information about her missing mother for every birthday she has marked, but somehow it didn’t work. The final company number entitled “What I Got Is You” brought the performance to an uplifting and satisfying close.

The action is set in the present in the South Naomi, Florida. To fit the setting, there were several pop up thunderstorms, complete with lightning and rain. The trees were laden with Spanish moss and they appeared to be alive. Clinking empty liquor bottles containing notes of the sins of neighbor Gloria Dump appear from the thick canopy of trees when the characters are near her home; what was called “The Mistake Tree” in the novel was a very effective part of the lovely set.

Animal direction was provided by the legendary animal trainer William Berloni. When “Bill” and his wife Dorothy encountered this story, they saw it as a chance to produce a musical where a dog could play a central role as a real leading character; in BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE THE NEW MUSICAL, one of their trained rescue dogs would do just that. Mr. Berloni actually got his start on the Goodspeed stage as a 20-year-old apprentice when he found and trained a dog to play Sandy in ANNIE in the show’s world premiere.

When the Berloni’s approached Ms. Benjamin about writing the book and lyrics, she wanted to focus on the honest and complicated portrait of the strong girl with real-life problems trying to find her place in the world. With the help of the composer and the director, the production team attempted to balance the darkness and the sweetness of this hopeful story.

Because of the Berloni’s intention, no one will be surprised that the canine Winn Dixie, played perfectly by Bowdie, is indeed the star of the show. Brian Michael Hoffman (Jiggs) gets the credit as Dog Handler; the actor told shared on WLIS/WMRD that when he is not on the stage, he is giving inconspicuous cues offstage to his well-trained castmate. Mr. Hoffman admitted that he is merely a safety net, because both Bowdie and his understudy Bailey have memorized every single one of their cues for their extensive amount of stage time. Don’t miss this pup’s time running in silhouette.

Bowdie, whose photo appears first in the program’s Who’s Who because his name begins with B, was adopted by Mr. Berloni in 2014 and made his acting debut as the first dog to play Nana in Peter Pan Live on NBC. His other credits include Winn Dixie in both of the BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE THE MUSICAL productions, and the character Schnoodle on “Elmo’s World” on Sesame Street. Mr. Bowdie is a cross between “a poodle and something large.” Bailey, for the record, is also a Berloni dog rescued when he was an energetic teen. After completing his training, he toured the country with FINDING NEVERLAND as the understudy for Porthos, until he finally took over the role. Bailey has appeared on Sesame Street as Schnoodle’s brother Frank.

On to the talented humans in this stellar cast, starting with the youngest actors.

Josie Todd, who hails from Memphis (in Tennessee, not the musical,) stars as Opal in her Goodspeed debut. She played the role with plenty of spunk and sang very well, all while giving the onstage cues to her canine costar. Equity member Jay Hendrix from South Florida made his Goodspeed debut as the younger Dewberry brother named Stevie. Equity’s Jamie Mann made his debut at Goodspeed as the older brother Dunlap; this teenaged dancer from Westport danced the role of Fritz in THE NUTCRACKER at Westport Country Playhouse. Fourteen year old Chloe Cheers, a member of the class of 2023 at LaGuardia HS of Performing Arts in NYC, did well as Amanda. Sophia Massa (national tour of THE SOUND OF MUSIC) made her Goodspeed debut in the role of the tiny, sparkly and adorable Sweetie Pie; this young actress got to wear some colorful outfits as she not-so-secretly adored Stevie.

John Edwards (JERSEY BOYS) made his Goodspeed debut as Amanda’s father Carl and Nicole Powell (RAGTIME) played his bereaved wife Millie. Ms. Powell recently worked with the incomparable Stephen Schwartz in the new stage adaptation of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT in the role of Queen Tuya.

J. Robert Spencer (Tony nominee for his role as Dan Goodman in NEXT TO NORMAL) made it look easy to play the overwhelmed single father, referred to always as the Preacher. Isabel Keating (WICKED, THE BOY FROM OZ) gave an excellent performance as the town librarian (and storyteller) Franny Block. Kacie Sheik of NJ (Exit 91) appeared in the Alabama incarnation and played Jeanne, the mother of the Dewberry boys, who is attempting to get to the heart of the Preacher through his stomach.

The busy Mr. Hoffman, who made “a mess in aisle 5” as the assistant manager of the WINN DIXIE in both Delaware and Alabama, plays the intellectually challenged Jiggs so well that in this production he has been promoted to store manager. Crystal Kellogg (SCHOOL OF ROCK, FINDING NEVERLAND on Broadway) reprises the role of Callie, Jiggs’ wife, from the Arkansas production. The two play the parents of every sparkly Sweetie Pie Thomas.

Equity member David Poe is a singer-songwriter and it was readily apparent in his performance as the scary owner of a pet store named Otis. He played his own guitar as he performed “Searchin’.” The force of nature that is Roz Ryan (DREAMGIRLS, CHICAGO) played the role of who the children think is the neighborhood witch. As the character with the unfortunate surname of Dump, Ms. Ryan brought down the house with her singing of “Bottle Tree Blues,” which my driver/musician deemed to be legitimately bluesy.

Ryan Halsaver and Mackenzie Warren played citizens of Naomi. Shout outs to understudies Veronica James (Amanda,) Ava Loughlin of CT (Opal,) CT native Tess Santarsiero (Sweetie Pie) and the multi-credited Ben Stone-Zelman (Steve/Dunlap.)

The scenic design by Donyale Werle fills the Goodspeed stage most effectively. Costumes designed by Emily Rebholz were both contemporary and quirky. Hair and makeup design by Mark Adam Rampmeyer was most character appropriate. Kudos to lighting designer Jeff Croiter for bringing the audience to Florida in what was probably the most beautiful lighting I have ever seen at the Goodspeed. Projection design by Olivia Sebesky was interesting, although I found the text rather random and probably unnecessary. Sound design by Jay Hilton worked very well.

Michael O’Flaherty is the resident musical director at Goodspeed; Adam Souza provided the musical direction and Jason Hart wrote the orchestrations as part of his music supervision. The eight musicians in the pit provided the perfect level of accompaniment to the variety of musical numbers, with Mr. Souza on keyboard as he conducted. Many will appreciate the addition of John Widgren on pedal steel guitar.

ALLERGY ALERT: Please note that there is a live dog in this show who will appear on stage and in the auditorium. If you have a Service Animal as defined by the ADA, please contact the Box Office immediately. In order to ensure your safety and the safety of your Service Animal, we must seat you in an appropriate location. Also note that the dog and his understudy are both hypoallergenic.

BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE runs at Goodspeed June 28 - Sept 5, 2019 Sunday evenings through 7/28; Thursday matinees begin 8/1 Extension week schedule: Tues 9/3, Wed 9/4, & Thurs 9/5 at 2:00 and 7:30pm The musical runs 2 hours 20 minutes (including intermission) and may be a bit too long for the very youngest of patrons.

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

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