Pacific Northwest fans of Dorothy the Dinosaur, Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus – all supporting characters from “The Wiggles,” a Disney Playhouse children’s television program – might want to start practicing their dance moves.
Dancing in the aisles or in front of theater seats probably will be the norm, rather than the exception, when Dorothy’s “Dance Party” comes to the Moore Theatre for one show today and two on Saturday, marking the group’s first visit to Seattle.
Although the Red, Yellow, Blue and Purple “Wiggles” stars themselves won’t be at the Moore, many of the well-known songs from their TV show, such as “Fruit Salad,” “Romp Bomp a Stomp” and “Hot Potato” still will be performed. In addition to Dorothy’s cast of characters, Brett Clarke and Simon McLachlan, who work with the Wiggles, will lead the show as “singing hosts.”
“It’s more like a kiddy rock concert than anything; there’s no storyline for the show,” Clarke said. “The audience is encouraged to get up and sing and dance, just as they would at any concert.”
The shows tend to last from 45 to 55 minutes.
Clarke said that depending on the venue, audiences either will be dancing at their seats, or in the aisles, although he’s seen places with orchestra pits up front, which tend to become “kiddy mosh pits, which is always fun.”
Clarke, who has been working with The Wiggles for 51/2 years, said he started as a Wiggly dancer, then began doing backup vocals on the group’s albums, and also has been an understudy for each of the Wiggle’s parts, in case any of them had to miss performances.
He said The Wiggles, now in their 15th year, normally do two to three U.S. tours annually, but the worldwide demand to see the group has grown such that it’s become difficult for the main group to reach every city. For this reason, he said, they decided to create a tour for another branch of the group.
“We started this Dance Party tour on the East Coast last May, and have been out on the West Coast since October,” Clarke said. This tour will encompass about 45 cities total.
Clarke said that for previous shows, kids have brought roses for Dorothy the Dinosaur, from which she makes “rosy tea”; bones for Wag the Dog, and shoe polish for Henry the Octopus, who wears eight shoes, and likes to keep them shiny.
“The kids seem to have fun doing that,” he noted.
The Seattle Theatre Group sponsors these shows at the Moore as a part of its commitment to “presenting diverse programming, including that which appeals to a family audience,” Seattle Theatre Group executive director Josh LaBelle said.
Past family shows at the Moore have included “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Dora the Explorer.”
Dorothy the Dinosaur and other friends of The Wiggles will perform this weekend in Seattle.
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