Writer Kevin Del Aguila on the European premiere of Dog Man the Musical
Hold on to your pants because the incredible Dog Man by Dav Pilkey has been made into a musical and is coming to a venue near you!
In this series of best-selling graphic books for children, young writers Harold and George hit the age of ten, where grown-upness awaits. However, they decide they can still be kids forever while simply adding a level of sophistication to their stories. Superhero Dog Man is born and a whole load of crazy adventure ensues. We’re so ready for this adaptation; but how do you make a 2D comic into a 3D musical in the first place? Can it retain the intergenerational appeal of the multi-million-selling source material? And how to portray a lead character who is a policeman with the head of a dog? There was only one person to ask, so we called up writer Kevin Del Aguila to find out more.
Hi Kevin – thanks so much for stopping by to chat with us today. OMG! Dog Man on stage! For anyone who is unfamiliar with the story, can you explain a bit about the books and their writer Dav Pilkey?
Dav Pilkey is an author and artist who creates outrageous, madcap graphic novels for kids. Dog Man is his series of wildly popular books, ostensibly written by 11-year olds George and Harold, the main characters of his Captain Underpants series. The story is about a policeman and his canine partner who get “blowed up” while trying to dismantle a bomb. To save what’s left of them, doctors sew the dog’s head onto the policeman’s body, creating the greatest crime-biting cop of all time: Dog Man! It’s totally unhinged and hilarious.
You’re an Emmy award-winner with a wealth of experience in creating memorable music in work for children, from classics on television such as Blue’s Clues to Wonder Pets – why did you particularly want to work on this title for the stage?
Dog Man was a joy to adapt because the source material is so funny. The fact that it’s told through the lens of two 11-year olds with a bunch of references to various cinematic genres and classic literature provided endless inspiration for songs and comedic bits. Plus, it’s just as much fun for the adults as the kids. My greatest joy is watching families in the audience, all laughing at the same jokes and sharing the same enjoyment of the show.
So your job here was to turn an iconic 2D comic book full of animal characters into a musical. Where did you even start with that?
When I was commissioned to adapt it for the stage, my son was in 4th grade and extremely well-versed in the books, so it was incredibly helpful to have a young expert in the household. We would read the books together before bed and he became a live-in focus group for all of my jokes and crazy ideas.
The exceptional Brad Alexander crafted the score for the show. How was that collaboration?
Brad and I have worked on numerous projects together — musical adaptions of the books Click, Clack, Moo, Duck for President, and the TV reboot of Clifford the Big Red Dog. We even wrote a musical adaptation of the Dog Man spin-off Cat Kid Comic Club. So, working with Brad has always been a delight. We share a similar sense of humour and have an innate trust in one another.
What do you find are the challenges of writing respectfully for young audiences while still retaining all the fun, and what did you lean into from within the Dog Man stories?
Aside from not being able to use expletives, I don’t find writing for a young audience much different than writing for adults – kids are just WAY more vocal about how they feel. There’s no critic as brutal as a theatre of squirming kids. And kids feel a deep ownership of the Dog Man books because they’re a little raw and edgy – they don’t feel sanitised by a grown up. We wanted to capture a little of that fun anarchy and respect the intelligence of the audience. They know Dog Man through and through, and we were determined to give them everything they’d hope for.
What can you tell us about the cast and the staging?
I have been in the USA during rehearsals, so I’ve only heard recordings of the cast rehearsing, but I can tell you that they sound FANTASTIC! The conceit of the show is that George and Harold are creating a musical version of their Dog Man comic using whatever stuff they can find around their house. This leads to a lot of DIY costumes and props, which all serve to ignite the imaginations of the audience and emphasise the power of unbridled creativity. This is the first theatrical experience for many of our audience members, so, just as the Dog Man books help kids develop a love of reading, our hope is that this show helps to inspire a new generation of theatregoers.
Dog Man the Musical has been running for several years now, selling out venues in the USA and Australia, but this tour sees its European premiere. How does it feel bringing it across the Pond and where are you looking forward to visiting?
I couldn’t be more excited. My musical adaptation of the DreamWorks movie Madagascar toured the UK and I was disappointed that I never got to see it. So, I’m doubly thrilled to be able to see Dog Man with British accents! And if anyone has extra tickets to Paddington while I’m there, I’ll take them.
And finally, who is your favourite character in the show and why?
I love Petey, the world’s most evilest cat. He tries desperately to be an evil villain, but once he becomes a ‘Papa” to a little, optimistic clone of himself named Li’l Petey, he learns to care about someone outside of himself and do good in the world. It’s a funny and touching take on fatherhood. 🙂
Thanks very much to Kevin for taking the time to tell us about this exciting, fun production. Dogman the Musical is aimed at ages 5+ and plays at the Southbank Centre from Wednesday 29 July to Sunday 16 August as part of a UK tour.
