This 65-minute mini musical, playing at the Sydney Opera House, is based on four books in the Dog Man comic book series, including Dog Man (2016), Dog Man Unleashed (2016), Dog Man A Tale of Two Kitties (2017), and Dog Man Lord of the Fleas (2018) by Dav Pilkey.
Geared towards readers and fans 8 years and over, the story of Dog Man is a strange and humorous one, where a policeman and his dog can only be saved by being surgically sown together – a dog’s head on a man’s body, to create Dog Man. The stories that follow include super villains such as Petey the evil cat and Flippy the cyborg fish.
Playing these roles on the stage are an incredibly talented group of performers including Nat Jobe and Liam J. Kirkpatrick who play George and Harold respectively, the ‘creators’ of Dog Man and Captain Underpants. These two introduce the concept of turning Dog Man into a musical and develop the production as it happens on stage. Jobe is an absolutely beaming ball of energy and lights up the stage, and Kirkpatrick offers a calming sweetness that is very personable for the younger audience members.
Our villains are played by Jack Dawson who plays the evil cat, Petey, who has an incredible booming voice and stunning vocals. Mackenzie Garcia is adorable as Lil Petey, Petey’s little kitten duplicate, and Nava Revalk as Flippy, the evil fish who enlists an army of buildings to terrorise the streets. The singing, choreography, and presence of all on stage is engaging and exciting, even for the adult chaperones in the audience. And of course, the Dog Man himself, Josh Whitten, who doesn’t actually speak or sing (because he has the head of a dog) carries the show from start to finish. With the occasional ‘woof’, and ‘bark’, carefully placed, he is much loved and adored and ultimately, saves the day in his own unique style.
The staging is simple and creative, akin to what you would see in a school play, with cardboard cut-outs and recycled bits and bobs, which makes perfect sense as the ‘creators’, George and Harold, are only in the fifth grade. Although it is suggested that the show is targeted at 8 years of age and over, there were a lot of younger kiddos in the audience who had a fantastic time and really enjoyed every minute of the onstage action.
The musical is playing over the school holidays, while the first feature film, Dog Man (2025), is playing concurrently at the cinemas (and a game was released late last year titled, Dog Man: Mission Impawsible). So, if your little one loves Dog Man, there is unlimited potential to keep them entertained these school holidays.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Dog Man: The Musical is playing at the Playhouse in the Sydney Opera House until 27 April 2025.
Tickets available here: DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL | Sydney Opera House
Reviewer attended on 13 April 2025.
