REVIEW: A Catastic Family Outing with Gabby’s Dollhouse Live
10/23 @ The Palace Theater, Albany
“...a delightful show for Capital Region families, and a great extension of the Gabby’s Dollhouse universe.”
To sum up the premise of popular children’s show Gabby’s Dollhouse would likely sound like a drug trip scene from a Seth Rogen movie to anyone who isn’t a parent. A real-life girl shrinks herself down to an animated version of herself, enters her dollhouse and goes on problem-solving adventures with her friends, who all happen to be cats — Gabby Cats, to be precise. The format of the show is not unlike Blue’s Clues, but more modernized and instead of a blue dog, there’s a dozen or so cats with all different personalities and skillsets. One is really into baking, one is really into science, one has tentacles for legs and is really into making music, and so on. Are you following me yet? Don’t worry about it. Just keep reading.
When the show first aired in 2021, it had all the makings of a flash in the pan. And now here we are, four years and 11 (!) seasons later, and the show has not only a theatrical movie starring Kristen Wiig alongside Gabby herself (the incredible Laila Lockhart Kraner), but a live stage production as well. To many a local preschooler’s delight, the latter hit The Palace Theatre on Thursday evening, providing a lovely family outing for yours truly and so many others.
First, some context. My kids are eight and three. The former is on the cusp of outgrowing such a show, but it still has nostalgic elements for her since she was instantly enamored with it when it launched. I of course use the word ‘nostalgic’ loosely here, knowing full well that an eight year old can’t truly be nostalgic about anything, but it’s a nice sentiment to imagine nonetheless. My three year old on the other hand, recently discovered the show herself and has watched every single episode 37 times. Simply put, it’s the most watched show in our household with the exception of Bluey. Because, duh.
The TV show centers around the titular character and her adventures with her many feline friends — all animated with the exception of her real-life cat, Floyd, who spends his time lounging in Gabby’s bedroom in the live action scenes, with that typical cat-like expression that reads, “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.” While there’s no Floyd in Gabby’s Dollhouse Live, there were plenty of her Gabby Cats for the audience to marvel at. Considering my eight year old’s obsession with all things ‘cat,’ this checked the most important box for her. The second most important box was having one containing a snack during the show. Swedish Fish for the win. Thanks, Palace concession stand workers. That’s one child happy. Now, let’s check in with the three year old.
She, like most three year olds, gravitates towards the most earwormy, annoying-when-played-too-much songs that come from TV shows and movies. Gabby’s Dollhouse has plenty of those, so of course the live show had to incorporate them as well. There were ‘classics’ from the show like “Sprinkle Party” and “The Power of Yet,” and also some new songs that were just as addictive and enjoyable. To her. Not to me. I swear. During the first act, she was smiling and even singing along, albeit quietly to herself. By the time the second act rolled around, she, along with most of the other kids in the audience, was standing up by her seat dancing enthusiastically.
Having fun yet? The crowd sure was. Without going into too much detail, I’ll let you close your eyes and imagine you’re in a room with hundreds of toddler- and elementary-aged boys and girls. If that sounds like your worst nightmare, congratulations – you’re normal! But all things considered, the crowd was surprisingly respectful, unsurprisingly enthusiastic, and the most minimal amount of annoying one could expect from such a situation. Credit here should also be paid to the cast, who both emulated the personalities of their puppet characters superbly, and echoed/encouraged the crowd’s enthusiasm with flying colors (both figuratively and literally — the whole plot of the show was that we were helping them rescue the colors of the rainbow that split apart during a tragic accident involving a really powerful pair of sunglasses).
So, if I’m doing my math right, that gives us two happy children, and two happy parents. What more could you ask for from a weeknight out?
All in all, Gabby’s Dollhouse Live was a delightful show for Capital Region families, and a great extension of the Gabby’s Dollhouse universe. On the way out, my eight year old was beaming and saying things like, ”That was so much fun!” and “That was the best!”. My three year old just laughed maniacally and called me a poop. Ahh, to be young.
