REVIEW - 101 Dalmatians is the perfect family musical full of humour and happiness!

On Wednesday, we were invited to Palace Theatre, Manchester to see 101 Dalmatians. See what our reviewer, Lizzie Johnston thought about this fantastic family musical...

101 Dalmatians, the classic children’s story full of puppy delights, love, and not forgetting the iconic villain, Cruella De Vil. It’s a story we’ve all grown up knowing and now it’s taken to the stage as a musical at Manchester’s Palace Theatre. 

As with any family show, you turn up to the theatre to find it buzzing with people of all ages and kids excited for their theatre experience. I particularly love going to a show that has a well known storyline as the audience tends to dress up to match - I spotted lots of polka dots and Dalmatian ears! It really does add to the atmosphere and shows just how hyped the audience is for the cast to take to the stage. 

101 Dalmatians follows the story of fashionista, Cruella De Vil, on her quest to make the most epic outfit and fur coat of all time. The catch is that she wants the most unique fabric - Dalmatian puppy skin. As Cruella hunts down the dogs, trouble for Pongo and Perdi and their adorable litter of puppies lies ahead. 

You may be thinking, ‘how have they got 101 dogs to behave on stage?’, well it’s all done through the cutest puppets ever. The ensemble cast and puppet masters were top tier and really brought the animal madness to life. From the first scene in the dog's home right up to the ending with the full fleet of Dalmatians, the puppetry was excellent and you really did get pulled into the movements of each one, making you believe that they could just be real dogs. I am a fan of puppetry and have seen quite a few shows where it’s at the forefront, and it’s absolutely no mean feat to take the movements of an animal and trick the audience’s eye into believing it could be on the stage. 

It wasn’t just wagging tails, the ensemble cast had great voices that came together and harmonised beautifully throughout the show too. The music itself was fantastic, completely uplifting, toe tapping and catchy - everything you want from a fun musical. I was singing the 101 song all the way home! The show was full to the brim with music and the score flowed beautifully throughout the show, there wasn’t a scene without any sort of singing.

Lead by Linford Johnson (The Glee Club, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and The Girl Next Door) as Pongo and Emma Thornett (Mayflies, Are You As Nervous As I Am, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks) as Perdi, the family unit full of Dalmatians was all about fun, cheekiness and heartstring-pulling cuteness. Johnson and Thornett worked together to bring the dog couple to life by using hilarious mannerisms that you’d associate with dogs from sniffing bums to running around full of energy.

The two lovebirds and Dalmatian lovers of the show, Jessie Elland (Emmerdale and Cobra) as Danielle and Samuel Thomas (Assassins, The Normal Heart, and The Man of La Mancha) as Tom, set the show off to a fantastic start with their ridiculously sweet meeting. Their relationship was very similar to the one of Pongo and Perdi, which just made the whole family unit very cute and loveable.

Kim Marsh (Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Doctors) took to the stage as the icon, Cruella De Vil, and my goodness did she make an entrance! From the over the top animal print outfits to the black and white hair, the look was nailed. Marsh made Cruella sensual yet absolutely bonkers, devilish but hilarious and really confident. Her voice was brilliant, strong and powerful which is a perfect match for De Vil. The audience was utterly delighted by her performance and sass. 

Her two sidekicks, Jasper played by Danny Hendrix (Cinderella, Zog, and War Horse) and Casper played by Charles Brunton (Scrooge, Spongbob SquarePants, and Chess), really brought the humour to another level with their slapstick comedy. It’s such a classic comedy style but never fails to make an audience laugh when done well, and these two were excellent.

The set and costumes were almost cartoon-like and could have been pulled straight from a children’s TV show. They were full of colour and matched the tone of the storyline and place perfectly, from the warm and cosy home to the cold and dark Haus of De Vil. This paired with the slapstick comedy and cuteness brought the whole production together. 

101 Dalmatians is the perfect family-friendly theatre outing for the summer holidays. It’s a popular story that everyone has heard of and a show that every age would love it as it’s full of happiness, humour and will leave you feeling elated. Dig out your polka dot outfits, pick up a pair of Dalmatian ears and head to the Palace Theatre, as the poster says ‘you’ll be barking mad to miss it’. 

WE SCORE 101 DALMATIANS THE MUSICAL...

101 Dalmatians The Musical is on at the Palace Theatre, Manchester until Saturday 10th August 2024.


Watch our "In Conversation with Jessie Elland" video


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