Space Dogs the Musical at The Other Palace Review
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Way down in the basement of The Other Palace is a studio space that regularly plays host to new and developing musicals, including a little show called Heathers that you may have heard of (one that hasn’t done too badly for itself!), and most recently Jordan Luke Gage’s Redcliffe, which enjoyed huge success in a fully staged run at Southwark Playhouse this summer.
Now an “out of this world” new musical is running at The Other Palace Studio – Space Dogs tells the true story of Laika, a stray dog from Moscow, who became one of the first animals to venture into space. She was commemorated with a monument, featured on postage stamps and envelopes, and has inspired music, literature and now, a musical!
In this two-hander, writers and performers Nick Blaemire and Van Hughes play all of the characters (including an entire pack of 40 Russian space dogs!), telling Laika’s story against a backdrop of scientific discovery, political intrigue and the Cold War Space Race.
The set is simple but effective. Large flags from the USSR and USA hang at the back of the stage, upon which are various guitars, a keyboard, laptop and a road case that will open to reveal various props and be used for some scenes. There’s a small cuddly dog sitting on top of a large globe-patterned beach ball. From this simple staging, we are easily taken to the various locations in our story – from a Russian gulag to the launch of Sputnik 1 (a glitterball) – with the ding of a bell, a simple change of costume and some inventive use of torches in place of the spotlights you’d get in a larger venue.
The script takes us through the history of the Space Race – with possibly a few liberties taken with historical accuracy, but plenty of facts to keep us interested. Blaemire and Hughes tell the story as narrators who will then jump into a character for a specific scene. At times, they will (deliberately) give the impression that their performances are not completely polished which gives the show a lot of its charm, but, with direction from Will Blum, the transitions are slick, the energy high and the pace good, it mostly flows well.
But this story does feel like a bit of an odd choice for a musical, and it’s a recurring quibble as the show progresses. There’s a dog shaped elephant in the room – you only need a rudimentary knowledge of history and the space programme to know that space travel is not a natural lifestyle choice for a dog. Hughes plays the “Chief Designer”, the brains behind the idea of sending animals into space to then ensure as little risk as possible for the day when a man leaves Earth’s atmosphere. We open with a song extolling the virtues of dogs and celebrating man’s relationship with his best friend, and there’s a lot about our toy/puppet Laika learning to trust and bond with the Designer, something that will resonate with any pet owner who has won the love and loyalty of an animal.
Initially, the story addresses this well – our little pack of dogs are strays so, from their anthromorphised perspective, a journey into space is no more dangerous than living on the streets. Dogs live in the moment and don’t look to the future, so they’re happy to take their chances in exchange for the basic comforts of a bed, sausages to eat and water to drink.
But then there’s a big focus on propaganda in the battle to win the Space Race – so there’s an emphasis on selecting the dog with the “cutest face” for this dangerous mission, the bond between man and dog becomes cynical and, watching with a 21st Century attitude towards animal cruelty, Laika’s innocent trust is heartbreaking and jarring in a show that is mostly played for laughs. Although this is a good device for hammering home a message, it feels a bit too much within the context of this piece of writing.
The guitar-heavy score doesn’t have a stand-out musical theatre number, but Blaemire and Hughes are talented musicians and singers, impressively harmonising and moving between genres that take inspiration from 80s rock, 50s do wop and even a high-energy rap. The lyrics won’t win any awards with repetitive rhymes like “Fill the void” and “You can’t avoid” but the songs are full of humour and delivered with confidence.
Running at just over an hour and a quarter, Space Dogs feels slightly too long. At around the half hour mark, the duo turn up the Studio lights, address the audience to ask for any questions (none) and then give a totally unnecessary recap on the very clear action that has happened so far. Cutting this, along with perhaps Laika’s over-emphasised blind trust in the Chief Designer, would make for a pacier performance and more manageable run time.
But, it’s an interesting take on the Space Race, the (heated?) rivalry between the USSR and USA and also the sacrifices we make in the name of progress. With engaging performances and some clever staging, it’s an entertaining piece of theatre. But, if you’re a sensitive, animal-loving soul, brace for impact!
Space Dogs the Musical runs at The Other Palace Studio until Sunday 9th August 2026.
★ ★ ★