Brad Alexander brings infectious energy and heart to Dog Man: The Musical, composing the score for this stage adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s hugely popular children’s book series. Following acclaimed runs in the US, the show now makes its European premiere.
Packed with humour, adventure and heart, Dog Man: The Musical follows the story of a heroic half-dog, half-human crime-fighter, in a fast-paced and imaginative production designed to delight audiences of all ages.
Dog Man: The Musical runs at Southbank Centre from 29 July to 16 August 2026, with further UK tour dates throughout the summer and autumn. Tickets are available here.
What can you tell us about the show?
Well, I don’t want to give too many spoilers but, as with the amazing Dog Man books by Dav Pilkey, which are essentially stories within stories, our show is a musical within a musical. George and Harold create a comic book, invite us in, and then we’re in Dog Man’s zany world.
And because it’s a musical, there’s lots of high-energy singing and dancing. Kevin’s book is hilarious.
You’ve composed the music for this adaptation of Dav Pilkey’s beloved books, how did you approach bringing such a popular and playful world to the stage?
When Kevin and I were commissioned to write the show, our kids were prime Pilkey-verse age and obsessed with Dog Man. We owned the whole collection and read it constantly.
Seeing how fanatical our own kids were made us realise that the musical would have to be extremely faithful to the books, or the die-hard fans would come after us with pitchforks. Dav, of course, had to like it too, which he thankfully did, and that’s why he trusted us to adapt Cat Kid Comic Club (cast album now available on your favourite streaming service!).
In that same spirit, I tried to write music that evokes the world and tone of the books. If I had to describe the sound of the show, I’d say it’s a blend of pop/rock and contemporary musical theatre with a dash of symphonic film score.
It has a lot of different colours because the show is a rollercoaster of action and emotion. When villainous cyberkinetic fish Flippy uses “living spray” to turn buildings into city destroyers, for example, the score toggles between funk and cinematic orchestral.
When Dog Man offers Li’l Petey shelter and the two sci-fi misfits form an unbreakable bond, the score tilts into alt-pop sweetness.
The Dog Man series has a huge global fanbase across generations, how did you ensure the score would appeal to both younger audiences and adults?
The target audience for the books is about 6–10, and kids’ tastes in music can change dramatically around kindergarten and first grade, where one day they’re watching Daniel Tiger, and the next they’re singing along to The Beatles.
I wanted the Dog Man score to reflect that shift. Also, Dav sprinkles in wonderful pop culture references from the ’80s, which we definitely capitalised on for the parents.
I loved reading the books with my son because they’re packed with moments that cracked us both up. One of Dav’s many superpowers is crafting scenes, one-liners and running gags that work for literally all ages, and we wanted to replicate that in the score.
Jen Wineman’s direction and choreography also do a stellar job of mining the comedy from the books.
This musical has already enjoyed success off-Broadway and on US tours, how has the show evolved for its European premiere?
We’ve been in the US for the UK rehearsals, but the production has been in Jen’s brilliant hands in London and we can’t wait to see it. She’s been sending us little audio clips from rehearsal and they’re thrilling.
Plus, everything sounds better in British.
Can you tell us about working with Kevin Del Aguila and the wider creative team to shape the tone and storytelling of the piece?
Kevin and I have been collaborating for almost 20 years, so we really have a shorthand as writing partners and friends.
With this show, we both had other projects going on, so instead of writing in the same room, Kevin basically constructed a beautiful, lol libretto, handed it to me, said “tag”, and we went back and forth like that.
Once we had a working draft of the script and songs, we sent them to Jen. She totally understood the Dog Man vibe, dug what we had written, and had a ton of ideas and smart questions. Like us, she was decidedly nuts.
Our whole creative team is wonderfully loony in their own way, not to mention impossibly talented, and they brought endless magic to the show.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Dog Man: The Musical?
As in the books, Dog Man can’t speak or sing, but it never stops him from saving the world and it shouldn’t stop you from seeing the show!
