Henry sings that he doesn’t know if a boy and his dog really matter much in the scheme of things. He doesn’t know about big things like that.
But Henry does know about summer and how it brings new adventures, new plants and lots of ants. Henry and his big dog Mudge know all about that stuff.
Henry and Mudge are characters in the much-beloved boy-and-his-dog book series “Henry and Mudge,” written by Cynthia Rylant. The lyricist/composer team of Kait Kerrigan and Brian Lowedermilk took that series and created a new musical that’s on tour now with a stop in Everett.
“Henry and Mudge” will perform two public shows at 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday at Everett Civic Auditorium. The show is being presented by Village Theatre Pied Piper. “Henry and Mudge” premiered off-Broadway in 2006.
In the show’s title song, “Henry and Mudge,” not only does Henry, a boy in the prime of boyhood, sing about summer but also how he and Mudge are family to each other and how important friendship can be.
“Stuck together with crazy glue, Henry and Mudge, Henry and Mudge, I will always be friends with you,” the song goes.
All good messages are part of the book series. The musical brings forth those messages in a conglomeration of different “Henry and Mudge” stories, said Pied Piper manager Erica Weir.
Rylant’s best-selling series follows this lonesome boy and his 180-pound canine, and Henry’s best friend and cousin Annie, as they grow and learn life’s many lessons.
“It starts out with Henry wanting the dog, the whole process with the parents and then builds into Annie coming over,” Weir said. “And there are issues of jealousy and sadness that Mudge might like Annie more than him and these are all feelings and lessons that we all have learned.
“This is such a wonderful experience to be able to read these books and then come to a show and see these characters that we love come to life.”
The show is performed by adult professionals from Theatreworks-USA, one of the largest nonprofit theater for youth companies in the nation. TheatreworksUSA has been around since the early 1960s and “just do phenomenal productions,” Weir said.
Weir said Pied Piper tries to bring literature-based shows. That’s good for parents and teachers. Several matinee performances for school children are also planned at Everett Performing Arts Center.
The 60-minute musical is recommended for ages 4 and older.
Reporter Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424 or goffredo@heraldnet.com
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