As someone who grew up on classic Disney films, 101 Dalmatians is a story I hold dear to my heart. That being said, I was slightly apprehensive of how the show would be done, however from minute one, I was captivated.
The stagecraft on display in this impressively modern take is nothing short of amazing. The whole show had a real family fun feel, at times becoming even pantomime-esque, but I don’t think there was a single person who wasn’t smiling throughout.
The story did not waver too far from the original tale. It follows the lives of Danielle and Tom, Dalmatian owners who end up with a litter of 15 puppies, which soon find themselves under the threat of being turned into a coat by Cruella De Vil. Seeing the original story intact with the puppies rescuing the other 84 in Cruella’s demise was very welcome.
The staging of this show combined all elements of the classic family story with beautifully modern twists. The house of Danielle and Tom is colourful and simplistic and a great contrast to the dark side of De Vil’s mansion. The bright sparkling light of ‘House of De Vil’ upon her first entrance was one poignant moment of modernisation and was very welcome.
When it comes to the performances of the actors, it was superb. It takes masses of talent to sing at this level as yourself, but to do it while crouching, hunched over, and puppeteering puppies and dogs alike, AND singing like that is phenomenal. On top of that, it is hard to make a puppet life-like when you are clearly on stage and in control, but not once was my eye drawn to the actors themselves. Every movement, head tilt, and tail wag was captivating and the stagecraft on show deserves every plaudit.
Kym Marsh, playing Cruella de Vil, is clearly the star of this show. From the moment she graced the stage, the audience was in awe. You can tell she enjoys playing the villain and she had the performance down to a tee. Every cackle, every point, every shout had meaning and purpose. Marsh even had the perfect amount of comedy in her role that had the audience on the side of the villain from time to time, which takes some doing – the line ‘Put a pin in the repeating please it’s pretty irritating’ was a personal favourite. When you combine that with what can only be described as an amazingly flamboyant costume in her first scene and a stunning singing voice to match throughout – is there anyone who can play Cruella better?
Danielle (Jessie Elland) and Tom (Samuel Thomas) were a fantastic pairing for these roles. The awkwardness of their first meet and the mannerisms with the dogs on stage showed a wonderful understanding of the story and they were both simply fantastic to watch.
Pongo (Linford Johnson) and Perdi (Emma Thornett) were standouts for me. Nothing but admiration can be had for the level of skill on show. It is not an easy task to make the dogs so life-like while maintaining the stamina to sing to that level, but these two excelled in a truly lovable performance.
Crowd favourites of the performance were Casper (Charles Brunton) and Jasper (Danny Hendrix). These two work so well together – the performances with brilliantly funny and had me laughing from minute one. They somewhat resembled the slapstick duo of a pantomime from time to time but it was great to watch, and the comedic timing of their jokes and their banter between one another was second to none.
Finally, the ensemble. Incredible. The high intensity of the roles they played combined with the enthusiasm on display made a set of outstanding performances. It is hard to pinpoint certain moments of the group as everyone had fantastic points. The two I will mention, during the ‘Pub Song’ the comic involvement of a Boris Johnson cameo brought the house down! I will name one of the ensemble actors, Hugo Rolland, and the line ‘I’m hungry’ constantly repeated – comedically timed to perfection. Every single one of the ensemble members made this show what it was and deserve every praise.
The reveal of a real dalmatian before the finale absolutely stole the show, wagging its tail and making the entire audience fall in love – what a great touch!
The songs and music alike were magical and encapsulated everything needed to make this a family favourite and it can’t go unmentioned. Musical director, Leigh Stanford Thompson nailed this and is nothing short of brilliant.
Overall, this is a show not to be missed! It is family fun for adults and children alike. 101 Dalmatians is here until August 10, so you’ve got until then to make sure you don’t miss one of the shows of the summer. Get your tickets at https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/101-dalmatians/palace-theatre-manchester/
