by Dr. Tiffany Raymond, PhD and Theron Raymond (5th grader)
Stage 62 celebrates its 62nd season with “Garfield: The Musical with Cattitude!”, book by Michael J. Bobbitt and Jim Davis and music and lyrics by John L. Cornelius III. As the owners of four cats, we headed into this production predisposed with love – and weren’t disappointed.
I grew up with cats, and one of my Sunday delights was stretching out on the living room floor reading the comics. Garfield was always my favorite. This tradition has continued with Theron who also loves following Garfield’s ongoing adventures in the Sunday comics. Jim Davis’ lazy, lasagna-loving feline has crossed the chasm with multigenerational appeal.
At one hour, the show’s length is kid-friendly. Set designer Jeff Way engages the eye; his set pops with color. Green striped wallpaper provides a visually contrasting backdrop for the orange Garfield while also mirroring his stripes. The walls defer to the feline king of this castle, revealing glow in the dark paint to showcase changes in emotional depth.
Gavin Calgaro is joyful to watch as Garfield. Calgaro is an elementary school teacher, and his love for kids translates to and radiates as a children’s theater actor. From the opening scene where Garfield is waking up, director Tracy Rudzinski has Calgaro embrace and exaggerate the feline pandiculation from curled, sleeping ball to extended stretch. Garfield can be a cynic, but Calgaro never lets his character linger in that space.
The play’s action centers on Garfield’s dismay that no one remembers it’s his birthday, which triggers his impulsive decision to run away, a decision he ends up reversing in his solo number “Solioquy.” Calgaro’s voice deftly handles the vocals.
Like many of us, Garfield is known for hating Mondays. His song “I Hate Mondays” is a highly relatable homage. Mondays tend not to be a favorite, whether you’re a kid going back to school or a parent going back to work. Calgaro transforms it into a reciprocal relationship as the song ends with “…and Mondays hate me!”
Garfield’s foil is Nermal (Mackenzie Heidenreich). Heidenreich captures Nermal’s youthful kitten energy when she asks Garfield influencer-style which of her expressions is cuter. Her wide-eyed innocence is as irresistible as the kitten she plays. Costume designer Dana Schulte dresses Garfield’s girlfriend Arlene (Jess Whittington) in her signature pink. To create visual unity, Schulte has all of the animal characters wearing fingerless gloves that help read as paws from the audience.
From The Secret Life of Pets to Shaun the Sheep, animal control plays the antagonist when it comes to escaped pets. This show proves no exception. Rudzinski finds the humor in a dark alley (literally) as Odie (Zachary Holderbaum) engages the animal control officer in a dance-off that ends up getting him to release the net. While Odie isn’t known for his intelligence, Holderbaum’s eager, panting dog demonstrates he’s cleverer than he gets credit for, and cats aren’t the only brains in this operation.
Amerik Cirota plays both Jon, Garfield’s owner, and the animal control officer, hinting at a darker Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde dichotomy to the happy-go-lucky pet owner. However, the affable Dr. Jekyll side quickly triumphs as Cirota captures the hapless Jon.
One thing Stage 62 makes clear is that no matter how many birthdays Garfield has, this cat and his antics never get old.
Stage 62’s production of “Garfield: The Musical with Cattitude!” runs through February 25, 2024 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, PA.
