Douglas Hodge, music and lyrics; Johnny Mcknight, book. From a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris, based on the novel by Dodie Smith
Tristan Baker & Charlie Parsons for Runway Entertainment
Palace Theatre, Manchester
July 30-Aug 10, 2024 then touring; 2 hr 15 mins
It’s two minutes into 101 Dalmatians and already I’m close to having a tear in my eye as a singing puppet dog sets the context: the need for a safe and secure home, for all dogs.
Dodie Smith’s engaging tale, built into a national treasure by Disney’s 1961 animation, has arrived in Manchester in musical form.
It’s an endearing, entertaining show that pulls on your heartstrings from the outset, as lost dog Pongo sings Take Me Home from his newly-found stall in the dogs home.
I think most adults know the story. Two newly-homed dalmatians, Pongo (Linford Johnson) and Perdita (Emma Thornett) find romance, not just for themselves but also, in a cosy mirroring, for their new owners Tom (Samuel Thomas) and Danielle (Jessie Elland). The litter of puppies soon to arrive attracts the desire of cruel fashionista Cruella De Vil (Kym Marsh), who wants their skins for a coat (though today, any self-respecting fashion baby would probably parade them round the park). Cue deceit, puppy theft and eventually safety for all, with a little redemption along the way.
The cast is strong. Kym Marsh’s Cruella is delightfully witty and entertainingly cruel. She’s a huge hit with the audience, particularly for her comic timing. Samuel Thomas and Jessie Elland are sweet and engaging as the new dog owners and young lovers Tom and Danielle, who benefit as much from the adoption as do the dogs. This is excellent casting, which lifts a very predictable romance well above the routine level.
Charles Brunton and Danny Hendrix, as the two comedy baddie brothers, Casper and Jasper, bring the stage to life. Their eventual redemption is fairly predictable, but they never fail to delight and quickly establish rapport with the audience
But the real stars of the show are the ensemble cast of puppeteers, who bring to life the dogs, designed by one of the War Horse puppet designers, Jimmy Grimes. War Horse has propelled the popularity of this style of puppet work, but it might not have been used to this scale before as Pongo and Perdi become parents to a large litter of puppies. Excellent puppet manipulation, combined with beautiful ensemble and solo singing, help to make the show feel alive despite the absence of even one real dog on stage for almost the entire show.
Linford Johnson as Pongo and Emma Thornett as Perdi stand-out, and make the most of their individual songs, providing a substantial lift to the emotional pull of the show. The rest of the team have less opportunity to shine but work brilliantly as a united ensemble throughout the musical sections.
There’s much in this show that trades on familiarities with British and some American musicals. Ensemble songs are reminiscent of other East End community musical tunes, even though nobody is getting married in the morning, and I’m almost expecting Charles Brunton and Danny Hendrix to burst into Brush up your Shakespeare.
The songs do their job but are hardly memorable, while the emotional songs work very well – though only the much-repeated Take me Home is likely to be running through people’s heads this morning.
The musical could be slightly shorter, perhaps by losing a couple of songs and some of the plot repeats. The Palace Theatre has done well to secure this for the school holidays and plenty of families are taking advantage of that fact.
For most adults there’s probably too little plot jeopardy, though as a possible compensation there’s plenty of opportunity to spot parallels with current human issues. But it’s a great family evening out for dog lovers – and even cats end up with some good press.
More info and tickets here
