Families flocked to the Luhrs Performing Arts Center this Saturday to see TheaterWorks USA’s production of ‘Dog Man: The Musical’ written by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander. 

The show featured two friends, Harold and George, as they challenge themselves to perform a musical based on their favorite comic book: ‘Dog Man’. The musical is adapted from the comic book series from Dav Pilkey, creator of ‘Captain Underpants.’

With the head of a dog and the body of a policeman, Dog Man loves to fight crime and chew on furniture. But while trying his best to be a good boy, can he save the city from terrors like Flippy the cyborg fish and Petey the evil cat? And will George and Harold finish their show before lunchtime?

The story featured crime-biting Dog Man as he saves the city from the evils of telekinetic cyborg fish, Flippy, criminal feline felon Petey the cat and his clone, Li’l Petey. The musical featured high energy performances from a cast of only six actors. Each performer delivered lively entertainment with elaborate choreography, humor and even the use of puppetry. 

Cast members also demonstrated a great deal of physical effort to fully interpret their roles through barking, belting and devoting full physicality to their characters. Jake Wernecke, Sadie Jane Kennedy and Glory Yepassis-Zembrou delivered especially great performances in their respective roles of Petey, Li’l Petey, and Flippy the fish.

The dialogue also playfully tapped on the fourth wall, evoking laughter from audience members of all ages. Set design and costume design immersed the audience into the pages of one of Pilkey’s comic books. The audience was on their feet during the most energizing number of the show, “Robo Dance Party.”

Written by Kevin Del Aguila and Brad Alexander, ‘Dog Man: The Musical’ kicked off its seven-month North American tour, set to visit theaters in locations all over the U.S., including Michigan, Ohio, California and Texas. 

The musical’s messaging goes far beyond the tales of a doggy do-gooder: during the show, Petey creates a robot called the “80-Hexotron Droidformigon,” or “80-HD” for short. This is a pun on ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The 80-HD robot ultimately helps Dog Man and friends to save the city from evil.

Pilkey was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Much like characters Harold and George, his teachers instructed Pilkey to sit in the hallway during class where he spent his time creating his own original comic books, including ‘Dog Man’ and ‘Captain Underpants.’

By portraying ADHD as a superpower, he eradicates the stigma surrounding his disorder and interprets it as an asset to creativity in his best-selling series. His stories are semi-autobiographical and celebrate friendship, empathy and the triumph of the good-hearted, demonstrating anything is possible through the power of friendship and limitless creativity.

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