101 Dalmatians The Musical is a stage adaptation of the famous story. It’s a fun show, especially for kids, but it’s a bit weird. Here’s my 101 Dalmatians The Musical theatre review.
Overview of 101 Dalmatians The Musical
101 Dalmatians The Musical follows the famous story of 101 Dalmatians. This story was made most famous by the Disney films – both cartoon and live-action. So my 101 Dalmatians The Musical theatre review shouldn’t give major plot spoilers if you know the Disney film.
However, 101 Dalmatians The Musical isn’t actually a Disney musical. It’s just based on the same story that the Disney films are. But it’s not Disney – so don’t expect to hear the Disney song ‘Cruella de Vil’. The music in 101 Dalmatians The Musical is original to the stage show, and not linked to the Disney film.
101 Dalmatians The Musical follows a similar story to the Disney films, but with some changes. There are still the two adult Dalmatians – Pongo and Perdita. They’re owned by Thomas and Danielle (not Roger and Anita like in the Disney films). The two dogs have 15 puppies, and Cruella De Vil steals the puppies because she wants to make a fur coat using real Dalmatian puppy fur.
Pongo and Perdita go to rescue their puppies. They find that Cruella also stole many more puppies – 99 puppies in total. There are some dramatic scenes as Pongo and Perdita, with the help of some other animals, rescue the puppies from Cruella and bring them back home. Meaning their owners, Thomas and Danielle, now have 101 Dalmatians.
What I liked about 101 Dalmatians The Musical
101 Dalmatians The Musical definitely isn’t my favourite musical. There were lots of aspects that I wasn’t too sure about. But there were parts I liked as well.
Puppets and storyline
The puppets of the dogs were really good. They were really realistic in the way they moved, and I really liked the puppets. The puppies were really cute. I found it a bit weird at first that the dogs talked and sang – I was expecting only the humans to be talking and singing in the show. So it was a bit of a surprise when the Dalmatians started talking and singing. But it just about worked, and the puppetry was really good.
101 Dalmatians The Musical is a nice story. Not much happens in the show, but it’s a nice story with a nice happy ending. It’s a fun show for kids. There’s not too much in the show for adults, beyond it being a nice story about dogs. But I think kids would generally enjoy the show.
Characters and a puppy
Some of the characters in 101 Dalmatians The Musical were very gay and camp – and I liked them. Thomas is actually very camp – but he’s with Danielle, so I’m not sure if it was intended for him to come across as quite so gay and camp. I liked his character anyway.
And instead of Horace and Jasper from the Disney film, Cruella’s two sidekicks this time are Jasper and Kapser. They’re her nephews – so they’re brothers, and not a gay couple. But they’re wonderfully camp. I really liked their characters – they were good fun. And they turned out to be good people, getting attached to one Dalmatian puppy who didn’t have any spots. They named this puppy Linda, after their mum (who, it turned out, Cruella had actually killed). It was nice to see them getting attached to the puppies and becoming the good guys in the end.
The real highlight of the show was a 2 minute slot at the end, where Jasper/Kasper come on stage with a real Dalmatian puppy. It was so cute, and got a great reaction from the audience.
What I wasn’t so sure about
Despite there being some nice elements to the show, there was a lot about 101 Dalmatians The Musical that I wasn’t so sure about.
Music and pantomime humour
The music in the show as ok enough, but it was very forgettable. I don’t really remember any of the songs from the show. And there aren’t any that I was thinking I would like to listen to again at home. The music worked ok enough in the show, but it wasn’t something I’d choose to listen to over and over again.
The humour was very childish. Some of the parts that were meant to be funny felt like they were targeting a 6-year-old-boy-at-a-pantomime style of humour. Some of it felt a bit like a pantomime. There wasn’t loads for adults in the show.
The weirdness in the show
But the main thing about this show is that a lot of it is quite weird. Especially in the second half. There’s a long scene where Cruella taking a potion that was meant for the dogs – and she turns into a dog. It was weird. The actress who played Cruella was a famous musical theatre performer, Kerry Ellis. She’s played some huge roles in big shows – including Elphaba in Wicked. She was a great performer (definitely the best cast member – in a different league to the others).
But I have no idea why she agreed to do this show. There was a long scene where she was just rolling around on the floor, being a dog. It was weird. And it was kind of embarrassing to watch – especially knowing she was such a great performer who has done some genuinely good shows. And now she was doing this. It was weird.
Un-child-friendly scenes in between the weirdness
There was also a big theme in the second half of the show about electrocuting the dogs, and the people. Again, this just felt a bit weird – especially in a show that was clearly designed for children. It was actually quite sad to see the dog puppets of Pongo and Perdita in pain on the floor after being electrocuted. It didn’t feel very family-friendly to include scenes like this. And it was a bit weird as well.
Another scene that felt unsuitable for the children was when the smallest puppy, Button, dies – before coming back to life. Button is the smallest of the 15 puppies, and was exhausted from running. And there was a really heart-wrenching scene where Button collapses and seems to die. I could hear a lot of kids in the audience asking their parents what was happening and what was wrong with Button – they seemed upset. It didn’t feel like an appropriate scene in a show that was clearly intended for children.
As soon as Button was ok again, the show quickly went back to the weirdness and having people pretend to be dogs and chase around the stage. It was a quick jump from a sad scene to silly weirdness again.
Would I recommend 101 Dalmatians The Musical
I think I would recommend 101 Dalmatians The Musical, but with some hesitation. In many ways, the show is good for children. There’s not loads for adults, but children might enjoy it. It’s a nice story that’s easy to follow, and there are some silly and weird scenes that some children might find funny. Some of the show has a feel of being a pantomime, with child-ish humour. However, there are some sadder scenes as well – such as electrocuting dogs and the smallest puppy nearly dying. And these scenes make it less appropriate for children. So I think I would recommend 101 Dalmatians The Musical for children, but with parents there too to offer support for the less child-friendly scenes.
Hope you enjoyed my 101 Dalmatians The Musical theatre review! Check out my other theatre reviews for more shows in the West End, across the UK and the world.
