Reading a children's book aloud while auditioning for Salt Lake Acting Company's "Go, Dog. Go!" was a breeze for Deena Marie Manzanares.

A classic children's books lover and reader, Manzanares was in familiar territory. "I love physical comedy," said Manzanares, who plays Blue Dog and leads a pack of clever dogs through a jackhammer ballet. "I get to do some of my most favorite things in this show that I have ever gotten to do."

Producing a children's musical is less familiar territory for the professional theater company, which has spent 40 years producing contemporary -- and mostly very adult -- plays.

The stage adaptation by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz is based on the 1961 children's book by P.D. Eastman, which follows a colorful group of dogs. Like the book, the play features dogs of all shapes and sizes in what theatergoers might perceive as very human activities, such as working, dancing and celebrating. As actor Jay Perry says, "It really does bring play into a play. It's so much fun."

The stage adaptation was first produced by the Seattle Children's Theatre during its 2002-03 season. SLAC hopes to reach future audiences by mounting a play with a cast of professional actors for children. Part of the company's outreach program has been to invite 1,000 students from seven elementary schools to the show.

The approach is to treat the young audience, many of whom have never been to a theater before, with the same level of respect their parents would receive. "It's telling a story that they know in an honest way," said director Jerry Rapier. "It's not just an introduction to the learning principles in the book, it's really an introduction to what it means to come to the theater."

The actors say it takes just as much work and commitment to produce a show aimed at children, with dance numbers that include a scooter and car ballet, as well as a bubble-wrap tap number. "It is a workout," Manzanares said. "It's nonstop running around."

Set designer Keven Myhre said he was inspired by the source, which led to designing large doghouses with primary-color props. The show's musical director, David Evanoff, took the original score for an accordion and turned it into music that sounds as if it were produced by a giant orchestra. He described the show's sound as "cartoonish and upbeat," a mashup of cool jazz, old-school show tunes and lots of polkas.

The contemporary theater company isn't creating an intellectual exercise or a novelty act or even much of an original conceit, but staying true to a source with fewer than 100 words.

"At the end of the day, what we're really trying to do is celebrate people's memories of the book," Rapier said. "We are not reinventing the wheel or putting our stamp on 'Go, Dog. Go!' "

rorellana@sltrib.com