101 Dalmations
101 Dalmations
Milton Keynes Theatre
(Review Complete)
"A cute musical, with a flip of its tail"
Review
Puppet puppies that are as cute as the real thing and an evil fashionista whose only ambition is to have a Dalmatian fur coat! This was the perfect recipe for a great show last night at Milton Keynes Theatre.
Although the basic story was familiar, there were quite a few changes from the original Disney film that everyone is so familiar with, based more around the original book, but it was all the better for that. All the familiar characters were there with Kym Marsh making a fine job of the wicked Cruella De Vil. She has a great voice and she strutted around the stage being evil and nasty to everyone. I loved her! Tom and Danielle, the mild mannered owners of Pongo and Perdi the dalmatians were played by Samuel Thomas and Jessie Elland respectively and they both played the shy dog loving couple beautifully.
The evil nephews of Cruella, Casper and Jasper, who actually turned out to be goodies by the end of the show, were played by Charles Brunton and Danny Hendrix. They were very much pantomime baddies but they were very funny and worked very well as a team. But the real accolades must go to Linford Johnson, Emma Thornett and the ensemble, who puppeted the dogs and puppies so brilliantly! Linford and Emma were Pongo and Perdi and the rest of the ensemble were puppies and the occasional cat. They created some wonderful characters and really brought them to life.
The scene where they escaped into the snow and one of the puppies looked like he may freeze to death was very moving. I could quite happily have taken all those puppies home! There were some good musical numbers both for Cruella and for the dogs, highlights being The Pub Song and Take Me Home. There was a lovely touch at the end where they tried to count 101 dogs. All the ensemble had 2 each and some others popped their heads around the door and there were quite a few pictures at the back but the cast made up the numbers by counting all the children in the audience who had purchased Dalmatian ears from the merchandise stall! All the children were delighted and they all did some barking.
The show was slightly slow at the beginning to set up but it ended up at a cracking pace. If you have children who love dogs this show is a must for you!
Reviewers: Julia Rufey (and her Grandson).
We are Gifted tickets so that in return we may give an honest review. All comments are those of the reviewer and theirs alone.