Picture: Matt Crockett
101 Dalmatians was reviewed at Leicester Curve where it continues until 27 July 2024. The tour continues until 5 January 2025.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Last seen at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2022, a musical adaptation of 101 Dalmatians has been playing our regional stages over the last few months, and tails are (quite rightly) wagging. Although it had potential, the show needed to go through a bit of obedience training around its story and a spot of grooming with its score and characters. The hard work has paid off, and 101 Dalmatians is now a much better-behaved animal. With an iconic villain at its helm (Steps’ Faye Tozer as the evil Cruella De Vil), and more puppy-dog eyes than you can possibly resist, the show is playing this week at Leicester Curve, revisiting Dodie Smith’s classic 1956 “tail” and bringing out the child and animal lover in all of us.
Tom (Samuel Thomas) and Danielle (Jessie Elland) meet one day while out walking their dotty dogs Pongo (puppeteered and voiced by understudy Benedict Hastings on press night) and Perdi (Emma Thornett). The attraction is instant for both sets of couples, and they soon find themselves as a family. Tom’s fashion designs get him a chance to pitch ideas to the Haus of DeVil, run by the infamous Cruella (Tozer). Cruella’s insatiable desire for real animal fur in her clothing hits a new high when she sees Pongo and Perdi and learns that a litter of puppies is on the way. Cruella offers to buy the puppies, but seeing her wicked intentions, Tom and Danielle refuse. Enraged, Cruella orders her bumbling nephews Casper (Charles Brunton) and Jasper (Danny Hendrix) to dognap the spotted pooches so that she can make herself a coat that no one will ever forget.
One of the lovely things about musical theatre is seeing a show return stronger than before, which is certainly the case here. Although the Regent’s Park production was by no means bad, it took a few missteps by unwisely trying to update the character of Cruella as a social media influencer, focusing too much on two-dimensional human characters rather than the dogs, and also featuring a somewhat patchy score which veered too closely to “unmemorable”. But with a reworked book that puts the focus back where it should be, and Cruella reimagined as the wicked fashionista we all know and hate, the show is vastly improved.
Directed by Bill Buckhurst, the show feels more assured now, with a clearer sense of what it is and realising it doesn’t need to radically reinvent its source material. Smith’s timeless story will always be engaging, and Johnny McKnight’s book adds wit and warmth to it, along with some delicious dark humour for Cruella which really works. The pace is much improved as the story no longer spends too much time on the humans and instead focuses on the dogs and Cruella (which will undeniably be what the audience cares more about).
The puppetry (designed by Jimmy Grimes) also feels stronger, nuanced and charming with invention and personality. The actors blend seamlessly with their canine counterparts, quickly becoming one. As with other productions of this type (The Life of Pi, Animal Farm), any fears that the puppeteers detract from the magic are quickly dispersed, and little kids and big kids alike will believe that Pongo and Perdi are alive and talking in front of them.
Douglas Hodge’s score has had some reworking, with some of the original weaker songs being replaced and the stronger ones remaining (‘Litterbugs’, ‘One Hundred and One’), and overall it feels more confident and cohesive, with more catchy hooks and memorable melodies. Cruella’s jazz-infused cabaret-style numbers also work well, sold brilliantly by Tozer. It would be so easy for the Steps star to “phone it in” and be another example of stunt casting, but she is genuinely brilliant in the role. Playing it camp with a dark edge underneath, her Cruella prowls the stage like Norma Desmond with the attitude of Miranda Priestley, and it’s a joy to watch.
It may border on “panto villain” once or twice, mostly down to how the relationship with her nephews is written, but Tozer shows a formidable stage presence, a strong voice and sharp comic timing, and we can only hope she takes more roles like this in the future.
Other performance props need to go to Thornett and Hastings who provide the voices of Perdi and Pongo while also puppeteering the canine characters. They give real personality and heart to the dogs, and even though it’s done so well that they start to become almost unseen behind their dogs, their presence and contribution is most certainly felt throughout.
It’s apparent how much work has gone into tightening 101 Dalmatians since the Regent’s Park run, and it’s all the better for it. A colourful and fun musical, with plenty of bark and bite to make it a great watch for all the family.
Rob Bartley
Cast note: The role of Cruella De Vil is shared across the tour by Faye Tozer, Kym Marsh and Kerry Ellis. Check local venue listings for details.
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