Dog Mom by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok, Southwark Playhouse, The Little | until 07 November 2026. ⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

Dog Mom

by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok

Southwark Playhouse, the Little | until 7 November 2026.                

⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

“A dog's breakfast of a play.”

If ever there was a dog's breakfast of a play this is it. To be fair it is decently performed and directed. In particular, Patty Gallagher doing a fetching impersonation as an affectionate stray golden retriever making friends with her new owner, a dog resistant lady who has ended up having to take care of the animal against her will, is worth seeing. But she is not enough to save the show. About the relationship between people and their dogs it is at times is very funny, but the material is stretched out far too long and by the end of the first half one is ready to leave. In the second half nothing new is said about what is a potentially fascinating topic – human loneliness and how the affection of animals keeps people contented who would otherwise despair. Sarita has had no children, the result of a hysterectomy, and lives alone having split up with her partner. One day she meets the stray dog which takes a shine to her but when she tries to get the local dog's home to take it they refuse and tell her to look after the beast until a new home can be found which, with reluctance, she duly does. Her neighbour, Nell, also a dog owner is keen to make friends, and her dog Ruben, a big beast of no known breed, is as keen on meeting Foster as Sarita now calls her loving pet. Meanwhile assorted animal care officials, a lady cat owner and a gloriously sinuous cat all played by Jarreau Antoine displaying considerable versatility cause problems. One should care about Sarita but sadly one does not and Foster eventually becomes a dog one would love to put in its kennel. Director A J Chowdhury keeps the pace up throughout act one but come act two things start to drag and Foster and Sarita's happy ending cannot come too soon. I felt like tosssing Foster with the “very good stick” she loves as far away as possible in the hope she would follow it. As for her friendship with the lumbering Ruben the inevitable outcome does not happen which is probably just as well.

Cast

Vinita Belani – Sarita

Patty Gallagher – Dog, Foster

Joanna Holden – Nell

Tom Barnes – Ruben

Jarreau Antoine – Ensemble

Creatives

Director – Ajay Chowdhury

Set Designer – Sean Cavanagh

Lighting Designer – Oliver Brown

Sound Designer – Naveen Bhatia

Costume Design – Raashina Humayun