JADAR

★★☆☆☆

Dodie Smith’s The Hundred and One Dalmatians is one of the most popular children’s stories in history, thanks in large part to its Disney animated and live-action film adaptations. There have been several stage adaptations of the book, including two musicals. The first stage musical adaptation was in the US whilst the second, 101 Dalmatians, premiered at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and has now embarked on a UK tour.

The tour has been called a reimagining of the original production but, interestingly, the tour stays pretty faithful to the book whilst the RPOAT production was, itself, a (sociopolitical) reimagining of the original story, in which Crulla De Vil is a fame-hungry influencer who scapegoats dogs (relevant but silly, for everyone loves dogs – even racists!).

The tour is led by Kym Marsh, who chews up the scenery as one of the most iconic villains in literary and cinematic history. She is sharing the role with Faye Tozer, whilst Kerry Ellis, “the Queen of the West End”, is stepping into Cruella’s crocodile skin shoes for the final two cities. Marsh is unsurprisingly playing Cruella in her city of Manchester.

Marsh is deliciously camp as the iconic villainess. The role requires a lot of energy, and she gives it her all – even when the creatives have her do ridiculous things, like accidentally drink dog medicine and then start behaving like a dog. Yes, really. The descent into madness would have been much stronger if she just went mad… not dog.

The central couple, Danielle and Tom, are played by fellow soap star Jessie Elland and Samuel Thomas (Kym’s new beau). Thomas, who won Best Actor at the inaugural The Stage Debut Awards, has great comedic timing, and Elland, who is making her musical debut, has a lovely voice.

Tom is an aspiring fashion designer, much like Anita in the live-action film – this gender change is refreshing. But other than that, the protagonists have been written very archetypically. They’re at best uninteresting and at worst boring. Their scenes are all so sickly sweet and saccharine.

They’re also just plain dumb: they let two random manual workers wearing mustaches on strings into their home as they’re heading out, they don’t recognise the men from Cruella’s office, and they don’t even suspect Cruella when their puppies go missing. It’s hard to care for characters who are so irresponsibly stupid.

Charles Brunton and Danny Hendrix (Cruella’s idiotic nephews, Casper and Jasper, respectively) are the strongest performers, but they benefit from better-written characters with backstories, a clear arc, and character development – even though it’s all very expected.

Linford Johnson and Emma Thornett have the hardest jobs playing Pongo and Perdi, respectively – they’re not only actors but also puppeteers.

Jimmy Grimes’ puppet design and direction are fresh and inventive but all the singing animals are a bit unsettling and also pantomimey. The opening scene, with all the singing animals in the pet shop, is not a strong introduction to the show, but at least it prepares you for what is to come. The puppets are lifelike but the choice to have the actors/puppeteers wear colours is a strange one; they should be dressed more neutrally to make them less distracting.

The set design (David Woodhead) is pleasant. The action is enclosed in a series of lit arches, which makes the production feel contained – like a storybook come to life. Having the ensemble bring set on and off feels whimsical but looks a bit sloppy. The lack of a big set means you can often see actors trying to sneak onstage behind the set – again, distracting.

The other design elements are stronger: Sarah Mercadé’s costumes are camp, and I’m sure she had a lot of fun with Cruella’s drag-like designs; James Whitehead lights the stage beautifully, increasing the surrealism.

The score, composed by the celebrated Douglas Hodge, is disappointing, but there are a couple of highlights. Marsh’s villain number, ‘Animal Lover’, is no ‘Poor Unfortunate Songs’, but it is nonetheless fierce, with lots of sassy animal references, such as “crocodile tears”, “kitten heels” and even “SKIN tight”. The closing song, ‘101’, is warm and touching.

Those two songs were released as singles, which might be the only reason that I remember them; I don’t actually recall any of the other songs. The American musical adaptation was criticised for its unmemorable score, and this new adaptation is no different.

The music, itself, is pleasant but not particularly catchy, and the lyrics are sometimes clever but other times cringe-worthy. When it was announced that this tour was a reimagined production, I was hopping for an entirely reimagined score. Whilst there are quite a few new songs (including ‘Animal Lover’), it all sounds the same – sweet but uninspired.

For all the show’s flaws, the kids in the audience had a great time – and the show is for them, sure, but a show for kids should also entertain the adults taking their kids to see it.

Furthermore, an adaptation of a classic story that multiple generations have grown up with ought to have wider generational appeal.

101 Dalmatians will not reach icon status like some of the novel’s previous adaptations, but it’s a fun, wholesome show that will put a smile on your kids’ faces (and some of you might even enjoy seeing Kym Marsh running around like a dog).

101 Dalmatians runs at Palace Theatre Manchester until August 10 and tours the UK until January 5 2025. Kym Marsh shares the role or Cruella De Vil with Faye Tozer and Kerry Ellis – so be sure to check the tour schedule, if you hope to see a specific performer.

Photo: Johan Persson