101 Dalmatians
The puppies are back in town. Following its 2022 premiere at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, 101 Dalmatians returns for a limited summer run — this time wagging its tail across the proscenium stage of the Eventim Apollo. It’s an ambitious transfer, reimagined with a heavy dose of 1950s retro styling that nods to both Dodie Smith’s original 1956 book and the classic early Disney aesthetic.
Just like in Smith’s original, Zinnie Harris and Douglas Hodge’s adaptation follows Pongo, Perdita, and their many, many puppies as they’re pursued by the maniacally glamorous Cruella de Vil, who has set her sights on their spotty pelts. Under Jimmy Grimes’s direction (it was originally directed by Tim Sheader), a small army of puppet dogs (and a few cats) springs to life through the skilful hands of visible puppeteers. It definitely takes a moment to adjust — the puppets sit very close to uncanny — but once you’re in, you’re in.
The clear standout froim teh cast is Britain’s Got Talent winner Sydnie Christmas as Cruella. She devours the stage with the kind of cartoonish gusto you want in a Disney villain —all cackles, claws, and costume changes. Dressed by Sarah Mercadé in a parade of outfits that wouldn’t be out of place in a Lady Gaga tour wardrobe, she’s camp in all the right places.
The rest of the cast, including Aston Merrygold (of British boyband JLS) as bumbling henchman Jasper and Laura Baldwin as Danielle, bring plenty of energy. However, the show’s tear-jerking emotional core...