Dog Man: The Musical, based on Dav Pilkey’s bestseller, will be shown in London | stage

Dog Man, the half-dog crime fighter dreamed up by Captain Underpants author and illustrator Dav Pilkey, will make his debut on the London stage.

A musical based on Europe’s best-selling comic books will be staged at the Southbank Center next summer. It premiered off-Broadway in 2019, and is framed as a show created by best friends George and Harold, introducing the Pelkey ​​duo as the creators of the storyboards. Drawing on parts of the series including A Tale of Two Kitties and Lord of the Fleas, the plot brings together familiar characters from the irreverent world of Dog Man such as the treacherous cat Petey, his clone Lil’ Petey, the robot 80-HD and the cyborg fish Flippy.

The musical, aimed at children over the age of five, had several sold-out seasons Off-Broadway and also toured the United States. His arrival in London will mark 10 years since the publication of the first Dog Man book. The character of the badly injured cop who emerges from surgery wearing his trusty dog’s head has previously appeared in Captain Underpants.

In reviewing the 2019 production of the musical at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, Laurel Graeber of The New York Times wrote: “The show benefits from direction and choreography by Jane Weinman, from Tim McCabe’s set designs and some puppets, which maintain the comic book feel of the novel.” Graeber praised Brad Alexander’s “high energy score” and how lyricist Kevin Del Aguila imaginatively maintained the novel’s parody of Charles Dickens.

The Dog Man series has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide and has been translated into about 50 languages. The Dog Man movie and video game Dog Man: Mission Impawsible were released last year. The fourteenth book in the series, Big Jim Believes, was published in November.

Pilkey said the musical “exceeded my highest expectations” and left the audience “and myself in complete awe.” He described the show as “the perfect blend of unforgettable music, humor and love.” Dog Man: The Musical runs at the Southbank Centre, London, from 30 July to 16 August.