“Why Dogs Don’t Talk” reviewed by Julia W. Rath

Somewhat Recommended ** What do animals really think about? And do we humans really want to know? And do animals really want to know what humans think about?

The world-premiere performance of “Why Dogs Don’t Talk” reminds me of the days when I took improv courses, and we were directed to play characters in a skit. “Okay, now one of you play a dog and the other its master,” the instructor might have shouted. In this case, Dean Monti’s short story has been adapted by David Rice into a 16-minute video, directed by Morgan Manasa, with Mike Alongi responsible for the editing and video production.

Sponsored by First Folio Theatre, this online show is based on the following premise: “Man’s best friend is his dog. So it must follow, then, that a dog’s best friend is…well, his human, right? What happens to the relationship when that assumption is put to the test? How good a friend is Mel to faithful hound Hubert?”

This turnabout story is funny at some level; for there’s something inane about having a dog talk to its master about how it senses reality and what makes it happy and content. But from my point of view, the larger story is sad and dehumanizing. Mel (August Forman) leads a life which is so empty that he aspires to become a dog, whereas his dog Hubert (Landree Fleming) already acts the part of a human being. Not only does the dog talk to his owner in English but secretly enjoys lying down on Mel’s (forbidden) couch and does a whole host of intelligent things like complain about his food. We never know if the dog actually talks or if Mel has consumed so much whiskey that his sense of reality has been dulled and his imaginings have suddenly gotten the better of him. The beauty of the story, however, is that it lends itself to vacuous contemplation, since it is both sensical and nonsensical at the same time.

Technically, the video is much too amateurish and uneven. The best part is Christopher Kriz’s original music at the beginning plus his nice sound design throughout. Unfortunately, the camerawork is problematic. The show was filmed in an Evanston apartment using three cameras, two of which were hand-held with a perfectly stationary (and probably unmanned) third camera in between for the wider shots. Unfortunately, the integration of jerky frames with stabilized movement affects the overall mood of the piece and, in this case, doesn’t make for a good product. The editing in and of itself is acceptable, but the jump cut in one scene doesn’t work at all.

I’m sure that other people will find the quirky presentation funnier than I did. While the script might work for a remote production during times of COVID, it is not suitable for a live stage, and I cannot recommend the final product. The smells, sniffing, and other base—but doglike—things are better left to the imagination.

“Why Dogs Don’t Talk” is available on streaming video via the First Folio Theatre website through August 8, 2021.

Tickets are available on a pay-what-you-can basis. Upon purchase, customers will receive a one-time use passcode that will allow them to watch the streaming video on the date they have chosen. Tickets may be purchased at https://firstfolio.org/?production=why-dogs-dont-talk.

Live performances are expected to resume this coming fall at First Folio’s Mayslake Hall, on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, located at 1717 31st St., off Rt. 83, in Oak Brook, Illinois.

For a listing of future offerings and to purchase advance tickets for the upcoming season, please go to First Folio’s website at https://firstfolio.org/ or call their box office at 630-986-8067.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Why Dogs Don’t Talk”.