No Dogs Allowed

Each season, Off Broadway’s respected Atlantic Theater Company devotes one production to kids. Last winter, its truncated A Year with Frog and Toad was a huge success, scoring critical raves, sold-out houses and—the icing on the cake—an extended run. Needless to say, expectations are high for the group’s next undertaking, No Dogs Allowed!

Opening on October 10, the musical is based on the 2004 children’s book of the same name by Sonia Manzano—better known as Maria from Sesame Street. Inspired by an event from her own Bronx childhood, the story follows an eight-year-old Puerto Rican girl who sneaks her pup into the car before her family embarks on a trip to a lake.

Sonia Manzano penned the book No Dogs Allowed!

Photograph: Richard Temine

Director Josh Lewis is confident that this pet project will hit the same heights as its predecessor. In fact, he says, the choice of No Dogs Allowed! for this season seemed almost fated. When Manzano was looking for a director to mount her story’s stage adaptation in New York, the first person she thought of was Lewis. The two had worked together at the 52nd Street Project, a nonprofit children’s theater company, and Manzano knew that Lewis had recently directed Holes at ATC (also based on a kids’ book). What she didn’t know was that Lewis had signed on to direct ATC’s next children’s production on the very day she contacted him. Selling the story to Atlantic’s school executive director, Mary McCann, and her husband, Neil Pepe, ATC’s artistic director, was even easier. The book turned out to be one of their daughter’s favorites.

The show features the book’s characters and cultural details, and a few new plot twists that help the story work on stage. Penned by Sesame Street composer Stephen Lawrence, the musical’s songs—including “Directions” and “Just Bring What You Need”—are as upbeat and whistle-worthy as any tune Elmo or Ernie ever belted out.

No Dogs Allowed! plays Oct 10–Nov 1 at the Linda Gross Theater.

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