Jinkies! Our Psyches!: 'Spooky Dog'

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LANDLESS THEATRE'S NEW new production of "Spooky Dog and the Teen-age Gang Mysteries" may be based on old Saturday morning cartoons, but that doesn't mean it's intended for children.

Just the opposite, says director Andrew Lloyd Baughman: "It's really a show for adults. There's nothing too graphic in it, but I would hope people don't think it's a good family show."

Taking on a sacred, uh, hound of Saturday morning, "Spooky Dog" draws out the barely hidden subtext of the trippy '70s series "Scooby Doo." Fred and Daphne are getting it on, Velma is closeted, and Shaggy and Scooby are stoners with perpetual munchies. "It's riffing on all the unspoken innuendo that's in the whole genre," says Baughman.

The game cast play these roles with a knowing wink and manic energy, as if each actor had just eaten a big bowl of sugary cereal.

"We encouraged imitation," explains Baughman. "All of the gang members are pretty much dead ringers for the cartoon."

Amy Baughman nails Velma's — er, Thelma's — whiny voice and nerdy demeanor, while Matt Baughman and Jen Speerstra play dumb admirably as Ted and Tiffany.

Josh Speerstra, who plays layabout Scraggly, nails the blissed-out patois Casey Kasem brought to the original Shaggy, and Landless newcomer Nick Greek, wearing brown clothes and a dog collar, shows a gift for inspired physical comedy as Spooky Dog. "His voice is dead-on Scooby Doo," says Baughman. "He could probably get a job as a voice actor for that show."

The production apes "Scooby Doo" right down to its goofy chase montage and the not-so-secret identity of the villain. But Baughman insists it's an affectionate send-up: "There's nothing shticky about it. It's got that tongue-in-cheek, campy type of comedy that we do a lot of. It was a no-brainer that our audience would love it."

» DCAC, 2438 18th St. NW; through July 4, $18; 202-462-7833. (Woodley Park)

Written by Express contributor Stephen Deusner
Photo courtesy Landless Theatre