A stage musical based on Dav Pilkey's bestselling Dog Man graphic novels is making its European premiere at London's Southbank Centre, running through 16 August 2026 before heading out on a UK tour next year.

Dog Man: The Musical first appeared Off-Broadway in 2019. The show is adapted from Pilkey's book series — the same author who created Captain Underpants and Cat Kid — and features songs by Brad Alexander, with book and lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila (WhatsOnStage).

The London production is directed and choreographed by Alison Pollard, taking over from original director Jen Wineman. Renan Teodoro plays the title character, a half-dog, half-policeman hero. Sam Kipling plays the villainous cat Petey, with Rebecca-Jo Roberts as Petey's clone and Vanessa Dumatey as an evil fish (WhatsOnStage).

The Southbank Centre's official listing gives the current run as 4 to 16 August 2026, with an approximate running time of one hour and 40 minutes (Southbank Centre). The European premiere was first announced in December 2025, with an initial run listed from 30 July to 16 August. Tickets went on sale on Friday 5 December 2025 (BroadwayWorld).

Set design is by Timothy R Macabee (WhatsOnStage). The Southbank Centre is also hosting a separate event, A Morning with Dav Pilkey and DOG MAN, featuring the author alongside favourite characters and sneak peeks (Southbank Centre).

After the London run closes, the show will hit the road. A 2027 UK tour has been confirmed, with dates announced so far including Basingstoke's Anvil from 5 to 7 February and Malvern Festival Theatre from 12 to 14 February. More venues are expected to be added (dogman.live).

For families who have devoured the books — the Dog Man series has sold in the tens of millions worldwide — the Southbank residency is the first chance to see the characters on a British stage. The tour then takes the production to regional theatres that rarely host children's musicals with this scale of New York pedigree behind them.