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music by Brad Alexander, book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila, directed by Jen Wineman

TheatreWorks USA, CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge Street, Toronto

May 7–June 14, 2026

Petey: “M is for ‘Mutilation’”

Dog Man: The Musical is a loud and noisy show with acting that deliberately goes over the top as if acting were a competition like pole vaulting. It’s the kind of entertainment that adults involved in character franchises think that children enjoy. I, however, have seen lots of children’s theatre at Young People’s Theatre and elsewhere, not to mention the annual pantos by Ross Petty and Rob Torr. None of the best of these had characters who are as grating aurally and histrionically as those in Dog Man. Despite this, the best aspects of the show are its clever home-made design and its emphasis on reading.

What I have noticed after seeing so many children’s show is that what really engages children’s imagination is a good story. All the over-exaggerated acting and hyper-enthusiasm is a construct that adults mistakenly think will appeal to children. Dog Man: The Musical is staged as if children had a miniscule attention span, but whether the 7-10-year-olds that the show is meant for can actually follow constant shifting from plot to plot is unclear. At intermission, an articulate young audience member told his mother his favourite part of the show was an umbrella.

Dog Man: The Musical is based on stories in the first three of the Dog Man graphic novels (2016-17) written by Dav Pilkey, a spin-off of Pilkey’s more famous Captain Underpants series. The musical begins with our meeting George and Harold, the two characters from the Captain Underpants series who write the Dog Man comics. They tell us they want to make a Dog Man musical to prove to their teacher that making a musical is not hard.

The musical they make retells not only the original story of Dog Man but includes his fights against his two enemies the cat Petey and the fish Flippy. It so happens that a policeman was on patrol with his dog when a bomb made by the evil Petey exploded. Only the body of the policeman could be saved and only the head of the dog, so doctors decided to “save” both by sewing the dog’s head onto the man’s body. Hence, Dog Man was created.

The first of the two main plots focusses on Petey. In an effort to double his ability to do evil, he decides to clone himself. Unfortunately, for him the cloning machine produces a kitten version of himself that he calls Li’l Petey. Though Petey tries to train Li’l Petey up to be a criminal, Li’l Petey is so kind-hearted that eventually he brings out Petey’s fatherly side and he forgoes evil for good.

Interleaved with this plot is one involving the fish Flippy. Flippy belonged to the Chief of Police. But when the Chief was given two bottles — one of fish food and one of brain enhancers —the Chief mixed them up. The now super-smart Flippy, who has telekinetic powers, is chased so far to the north that he freezes. He is brough back to life with metal parts to become a bionic fish. Flippy finds a factory that makes “Living Spray” and sprays buildings that come alive. With them he plans to destroy the city.

There is so much plot here you might think there was no room for songs, but Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander and written 14 numbers for the show, most of them instantly forgettable. The best is old school disco “Robo-Dance Party” sung by Li’l Petey, which unfortunately is cut short by his Petey.

The main problem with Dog Man as a musical is not just the songs themselves but the fact that words are nearly unintelligible. Patti LuPone complained recently in a BBC interview that Broadway had become so loud that lyrics can no longer be heard. Although amplifying musicals is supposed to allow for more natural singing, the irony is that the distortion caused by the process and the mixing of the sound with the orchestra, or here with a pre-recorded soundtrack, can blur or obliterate the words especially at high volumes. That’s exactly what happens in Dog Man where frequently only one or two words per song can be understood. Not hearing the lyrics to songs rather defeats the whole point of a show being a musical.

Performances cannot save a musical in a situation like this, though some of the singers enunciate more clearly than others. Principal among these are Glory Yepassis-Zembrou as Flippy and Sadie Jayne Kennedy as Li’l Petey. Yepassis-Zembrou masters the art of comic villainy while Kennedy manages never to be too cutesy as Li’l Petey, thus making her the most sympathetic character of the show.

In contrast, Troi Lennoxx Gaines and Mundo Ballejos completely fail to engage the audience as George and Harold. The reason is their impersonation of children as hyperactive bobble-heads who speak with bizarre over-emphasis. It is likely meant to convey youthful enthusiasm but it makes the pair come across as numbskulls. If children had a league concerned about their representation it could sue for perpetuating such ludicrous stereotypes of children.

As Petey, Anthony Rodriguez has the strongest voice of the male performers, but when he sings, he’s the hardest to understand. Rodriguez tries to play the comic villain but comes off as neither comic not villainous.

There is a strange paradox in the Dog Man universe that Petey the cat and Flippy the Fish, who are animals, can speak and sing, but Dog Man, who is only half dog, cannot. Nick Manna makes the most of Dog Man’s silences and his attempts to communicate probably resonate with children’s own frustrations in trying to make their ideas known.

The best aspect of Dog Man: The Musical is its staging. Timothy R. Mackabee’s set is a garage, and Harold and George tell us that they will stage their musical using whatever they can find in the garage. Therefore, building are two sides of a cardboard box painted, hats are plastic containers held on with rubber bands, a volcano is a garbage can with red cloth flowing out of it. Besides this, the performers manipulate home-made-looking stick puppets and or puppets dangling from fishing rods. When there is an explosion, someone opens an umbrella (see above) with “Kaboom” painted on it. The message, that I do hope gets through, is that kids can do the same at home.

Similarly, Li’l Petey writes and illustrates her own books. Reading the books written about them by Li’l Petey helps convert Petey and Flippy from bad to good by awakening their conscience.

Judging from the laughter of the numerous children in the audience the parts of the show that succeeded best involved slapstick or characters of a younger age telling off characters who are older. Two verbal sequences went over especially well. Someone reminds the Chief to take his brain food to improve his memory. He says he does need to, whereupon he immediately asks what the person told him. Another involved Li’l Petey asking Petey and later Flippy what something was so. To every answer, Li’l Petey asks “Why?” until the other is exasperated. I think almost every child has had that experience.

There are less happy inclusions. Petey’s “evil alphabet” really should be eliminated. Who wants children aged 7–10 to learn that “H is for ‘Homicide’” or “M is for ‘Mutilation’”? It is meant to be funny but is certainly not.

There are currently 14 Dog Man books with a 15th scheduled to be release this year. Obviously, any fan of the series will want to see their hero live on stage, even if he turns out not to be the vibrant character they imagine. For parents seeking to introduce their children to theatre, I would avoid this raucous, ear-assaulting musical. Wait until Young People’s Theatre starts up again in fall for a richer, more satisfying experience.

Christopher Hoile

Photos: Glory Yepassis-Zembrou, Mundo Ballejos, Jake Wernecke, Sadie Jayne Kennedy, Marquise Neal and Brandon James Butorovich as Dog Man; Brandon James Butorovich as Dog Man, Mundo Ballejos, Marquise Neal, Jake Wernecke, Sadie Jayne Kennedy and Glory Yepassis-Zembrou; Marquise Neal as George and Mundo Ballejos as Harold. © 2026 Jeremy Daniel.

For tickets visit: www.mirvish.com.