REVIEW: Dog Mom by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok at Southwark Playhouse Borough, 14 October- 7 November, 2026
'Tom Barnes as Ruben the Staffie, is faithful to the large, dumb dog role and riffs off Patty Gallagher’s dog, Foster, perfectly.' ★★★★ ½
What a bitch! That is to say, Patty Gallagher puts on a truly remarkable performance as a female golden retriever (Foster) in Tate Hanyok’s US transfer called Dog Mom. Foster finds an owner in newly-divorced Sarita (Vinita Belani), a mid-life, South Asian woman making a new start in Brooklyn. Sarita finds herself fostering a stray, or “emotional support animal”, and Belani plays the bewildered new ‘parent’ very well.
The neighbor, Nell (Joanna Holden), is a long-time Brooklynite who shows her the ropes of caring for a dog, and self-care, and is a hoot with her accent and antics for releasing stress, and introducing Sarita to the ‘dog pack’. She is not alone: this is an incredible cast. Her dog Ruben (Tom Barnes) is faithful to the large, dumb dog role and riffs off Gallagher’s dog, Foster, perfectly. Jarreau Antoine is the cast’s silver bullet, as he reappears as an energetic (female) park visitor, a nosy neighbor, a dog thief, a vet, and yes… a cat.
The writing (Hanyok) is insightful and comic at the same time. There are some lovely comparisons of pet owners to having a child - and the territorial nature of open spaces in cities between these groups. The comedy in this piece is varied, from caricatures to slapstick to the very language. Some lines, said by humans (Munchausen-by-puppy) others said by the dogs (“old dirt and secrets” and Sniffari). By intermission, after an epic fight scene, the mood is light---maybe too light because at first it is hard to see the real depth of tension. Yet, the second act shows that nothing connects you to characters and prepares a viewer for their very real emotional struggles like guffaw comedy.
The beautiful set evokes Brooklyn brownstones perfectly and the gorgeous light projections of apartment interiors and city locations do much to transfer scenes from indoor to outdoor spaces seamlessly. The sound design is spot-on and the music emotionally connected.
Whether you are a dog-lover or not, this play has a wonderful inter-racial, inter-species message. This is bold comedy-drama, centering middle-aged females (and their dogs). In the midst of the joviality, there is a sense of pathos in the piece that does come out and real life struggles become evident. And so does dogged wisdom.
Written by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok
Directed by Ajay Chowdhury
Performed by Vinita Belani, Patty Gallagher, Joanna Holden, Tom Barnes, Jarreau Antoine
Set Design: Sean Cavanagh
Lighting Design: Oliver Brown
Sound Design: Annie-Celeste Taylor
Costume Design: Rashida Humayun
