The Found Dog Ribbon Dance
by Dominic Finocchiaro

“It starts off easy, sweet and very funny.

Norma is a professional cuddler.

Now I have heard of professional cuddlers but to my knowledge I have never met one nor have I ever understood the what, why and wherefore of their ‘profession’.

Nevertheless there she is engaging in her cuddling work.

Also just to get things off to a weird and wonderful start there we see on stage Dog, not just a dog but the Dog who as it turns out is a human man barking and otherwise behaving like one would expect of a dog.

Seems the dog got lost from its owners and found its way into the care of Norma.

But Norma wants very much to return the dog to its real owners and to that end visits the local coffee shop and posts a photo of the dog directing the owner where to find her and the dog.

Yes, yes I know this is all rather strange but hang in there, it gets even better.

At the coffee shop she is met by a barista, a fellow by the name of Norm.

Seems Norm is a huge fan of the late great Whitney Houston.

In fact Norm routinely takes video of himself dancing in a very flamboyant manner to Houston music.

At first their encounter is rather stressed.

But slowly Norm and Norma begin to develop a very much unexpected relationship.

As the story unfolds what becomes obvious is that both Norm and Norma have been long suffering from a failed relationship, shattered love and ultimately deep loneliness.

This is when the story begins to turn.

What starts as wild, outlandish and funny morphs into something far deeper.

But I will not spoil the story for you.

…It is one of those all too rare theatrical presentations that reaches beyond the easy and superficial and probes both heart and mind.

For this I also salute playwright Dominic Finocchiaro.

Want to see something remarkably unique and richly entertaining?

…Just what you are looking for.”Ron Irwin, Los Angeles Post-Examiner “Wow!

…The kind of play you’ll want to tell all your romcom-loving friends (and just about anyone else in search of smart, funny, heartstrings-tugging, feel-good new theater) not to miss.”Steven Stanley, Stage Scene LA “Recommended… Finocchiaro is a fine comic talent.”Gray Palmer, Stage Raw