Space Dogs isn’t so much a musical as a TED Talk with music detailing the post-World War II race to conquer space.
I say TED Talk, but ‘Bill and Ted Talk’ might be more appropriate as the two amiable Americans, Nick Blaemire and Van Hughes who both wrote, and star in, this rather quirky 75 minute show put me immediately in mind of the protagonists of that Excellent Adventure.
The music is very firmly grounded in the rock scene of a quarter of a century ago – think Wheatus and Teenage Dirtbag with the occasional sprinkling of hip-hop. The sort of music your dad would like.
And there IS a lot to like here. Although I have my reservations – more of which later – the show is slick, relentlessly, almost aggressively forward-facing, and full of sneaked-in facts. Though they can’t necessarily be trusted. Still, why let the veracity of an urban myth spoil a good gag?
However, to the unfolding story…
Following America’s dropping of the Atomic Bomb at the end of World War II, the US and USSR are at stalemate.
They both have nuclear weapons, but short of destroying the planet to prove who has the biggest arsenal they need another way to show whose system of government is superior.
In 1953, following Stalin’s death, the USSR looks for the perfect man to head up a space programme to look into the possibility of putting objects and animals into space utilising the then-newly developed ballistic missile capability, as a precursor to putting a man in space before the Americans.
They find him in the sixth year of his imprisonment (he’d fallen foul of a Stalin purge in 1938) and know him only as The Chief Designer. His name, Sergei Korolev, wouldn’t become public knowledge until after his death in 1966.
Korolev has an idea to use dogs as guinea pigs… and as such rounds up a number of all female strays to use as test subjects, including a stray from the Moscow streets named Laika.
The testing and training goes ahead but, due to a slightly garbled message intercepted from the Americans, plans get brought forward as it looks as if the US is going to beat the USSR into space.
Russia launches Sputnik 1 on 4th October 1957. The first artificial object ever launched into Earth orbit.
The pace increases, with the Americans jolted out of their complacency, then on 3rd November 1957 Laika becomes the first living creature to enter Earth orbit.
On 12th April 1961 the USSR wins the space race when Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space.
There are stuffed toys, some nice POV songs from the dogs, and lots of quirky special effects – such as Sputnik 1 being a glitter ball – but overall it all felt just a bit, well, patronising.
It may well be that the American educational system doesn’t teach this stuff, but a lot of what was on offer felt like Blaemire and Hughes were teaching their grandmother how to suck eggs.
For a start you’d think from seeing this show that WWII was America and Russia defeating the Nazi’s, which is unfortunate at best.
And to go back to my Bill and Ted analogy, what is charming naivety coming from the mouth of a twenty-three year old, comes over as smug condescension from a man in his forties…
This is a clever show, but probably needs re-casting with guys twenty years younger than Blaemire and Hughes to have any future. Still, fun while it lasted.
Venue: The Other Palace Studio
Director: Will Blum
Book, Music, and Lyrics: Nick Blaemire and Van Hughes
Cast includes: Nich Blaemire and Van Hughes
Dates: 30th July to 9th August 2026
Running time: 75 Minutes, no interval
Date Seen: Thursday 30th July 2026