TAKING a classic Disney movie, first released 63 years ago, and adapting it into a stage musical is not something that should be taken lightly.
The creative team behind 101 Dalmatians the Musical are obviously a fearless crew, because that is exactly what they have done, and they have done it very well indeed!
Told in just under two hours, the tale follows the format of the original film, but a lot of the irrelevant details from the movie have been omitted, to allow more time for character development – and that is very important when the majority of the central characters just happen to be Dalmatian dog puppets.
We start with a harrowing scene where a family pet is taken out to the woods and abandoned. The pet, we soon discover, is a Dalmatian dog who, luckily, is found and taken to an animal rescue centre. His rather unfortunate odour prompts the helpers at the centre to christen him Pongo. Pongo is a rather elaborate puppet, by the way, operated (in the absence of regular puppeteer Linford Johnson) by Benedict Hastings.
Very much in the style that other shows, like The Life of Pi and War Horse, have used, the puppets are intricately jointed and move incredibly well. They also, thanks totally to the skill of the operators, have great facial expressions and personalities. Each of the ten-strong ensemble members takes on the puppetry, whilst also providing the singing and speaking voices for the animals and all the movement that is required to ensure that the audience remains transfixed – and they do.
Benjamin Durham, Lottie Johnson, Rachel Lea-Gray, Tom Norman, Hugo Rolland, Lindo Shinda, Eugene Shire, Jasmine Triadi, Victoria Compson-Bradford and Kenan-Lewis Smith work tirelessly throughout the show, operating dozens of dog, and cat, puppets and providing them with crystal clear vocals in almost all of the 24 original songs in the show.
Having been cleaned up and rehomed, Pongo is out in the park with his new owner, Tom (Samuel Thomas) when they, quite literally, bump into a young lady called Danielle (Jessie Elland) and her Dalmatian dog Perdi (Emma Thornett). In no time at all, a family of two humans and two dogs is formed and, proving that they are getting along really well, Pongo has made Perdi pregnant.
Tom wants to work as a fashion designer and, as luck would have it, he is offered a job at The Haus of De Vil. The owner of the family brand has two assistants, named Casper (Charles Brunton) and Jasper (Danny Hendrix). Both hapless and hopeless, the two brothers feature in most of the camp comedic scenes in the production, and there are a great many of them.
Heading up the fashion house, with a penchant for using animal skins in their designs, is the seriously evil, Cruella De Vil, played by West End and Broadway superstar, Kerry Ellis. Wearing some dazzling outfits, made from a variety of exotic animals, Cruella decides that she wants a “puppy coat” and sets her assistants the task of collecting up all the Dalmatian puppies they can find, which they do. Kerry really owns this role and is, quite clearly, loving the opportunity to “play the baddie” and yet still raise the roof with her simply incredible voice.
From here we go into the classic tale of dogs losing puppies to kidnappers, some puppies escaping, finding parents again and then returning to free the remaining puppies from an evil tyrant. Ok, as I read that back, I realise that it might not be a really classic tale, but that’s what happens.
No spoilers about the ending here, you’ll have to go and see it for yourself if you want to find out, but I can say that, in a particularly sad part of the story, you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium. To counteract that silence, there are a great many laugh out loud moments in the show, and the live six-piece band create a sound that, effortlessly, fills the auditorium from top to bottom in every song.
101 Dalmatians is not a show that will change the world, but it is a really enjoyable festive season treat – with a beautiful “snowfall scene” in act two. What it does do though, is take a tale that is older than some of the grandparents in the audience, and bring it right up to date for the hundreds of lucky children who are sitting wide-eyed with wonder as the magic unfolds right in front of their eyes.
If you get the chance, pop down to the Theatre Royal Brighton during this holiday season and, with 101 Dalmatians, you’re sure to be in fur a treat!
**** Four Stars
