Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.
Lydia and I headed into the city centre yesterday evening to attend the press night for 101 Dalmatians – a musical version of the classic story, currently being performed at The Alexandra. We went in on the train, as the theatre is just a few buildings away from the back entrance of New Street Station, making it easy to get to via public transport.
I fondly remember reading the original Dodie Smith 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, along with the somewhat weirder sequel The Starlight Barking, as a child – we had an omnibus paperback of both stories and I read both of them multiple times. Of course, I also grew up watching the Disney classic animated adaptation, and the live action remake that came out when I was eleven.
101 Dalmatians the Musical is a relatively new adaptation of the classic tale, first performed at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in 2022. Based on a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris, this new musical was written by Douglas Hodge (music & lyrics) and Johnny McKnight (book).
The story of the musical followed my recollections of the book fairly faithfully – although with the same trimming of extraneous characters and side plots as the film adaptations have made in the past, and it was generally a good adaptation of the famous story. I would say it was a mixture of the best parts of the two Disney adaptations and the novel.
Both Lydia and I really enjoyed the performance, especially the songs which were fun and toe-tappingly catchy. We both left the theatre with “Take me Home” stuck in our heads, and the finale song during the curtain call was particularly joyful.
Throughout the performance there were many funny moments, both for adults and for children, which had the whole audience laughing. It wasn’t all laughs, however, with some truly moving moments mixed in, and even a few parts that had us on the edge of our seats.
Kym Marsh was exceptional as Cruella De Vil, and both her stage presence and voice were astounding. She was the perfect baddie you all love to hate, with just the right amount of dramatics and evil laughs. A good 101 Dalmatians story relies on Cruella being just right, and Kym has absolutely nailed it with her incredible portrayal of the famous character.
As for the rest of the cast, they also did an amazing job. Mr Tom Dearly and his partner Danielle, played by Samuel Thomas and Jessie Elland, made perfect dog parents for Pongo and Perdi. The baddie brothers Jasper and Casper, portrayed by Danny Hendrix and Charles Brunton, were a fantastic mix of reluctant (and only just barely adequate at the job) criminals and lost orphan boys who just wanted to be loved, making them ultimately redeemable in the end.
When it comes to the dogs themselves, the puppets – and the cast members operating them – were fantastic. It’s amazing how much they were brought to life with the manipulation of their body language, with the voice and facial expressions of the puppeteer only enhancing their stage presence. We were both immersed into their story and the different personalities of the dogs were soon evident – and frequently amusing – despite them being portrayed by puppets throughout the show.
Overall it was an absolutely delightful evening, with very well done staging & lighting, marvellous singing, dynamic puppetry, and a lot of laughter. Lydia and I chatted about it all the way home and she insisted we give it a five star rating.
Lydia says: I think that it was all very funny but quite sad and emotional at times. The production was very good and the songs, music and choreography were all spectacular.
The UK tour of 101 Dalmatians is at The Alexandra in Birmingham until 6th July, before continuing around the country. Kym Marsh and Faye Tozer are sharing the role of Cruella de Vil, with Kym performing for the majority of the shows, including the Birmingham dates.
You can find out more information about the tour on the 101 Dalmatians website and at The Alexandra website atgtickets.com, where you can purchase tickets starting at £13.00. The show has a running time of approx. 2 hours and 15 mins, including a 20 min interval.
