Most everyone knows the story of Pongo and Perdy and the evil Cruella DeVil, thanks to Disney’s animated renditions of the original book by Dodie Smith. There's a new breed touring the nation though, 101 Dalmatians the Musical presented by Purina.
The Broadway musical prides itself on being a re-discovery of the 1957 novel, however, some critics claim it is more closely a mixed pedigree of Disney’s 1961 and 1996 versions. Either way, the family-friendly musical is good, wholesome entertainment. The musical looks at life the way I think many of us should...through the eyes of dogs.
As with The Lion King and Cats, this show features a variety of stage performance with use of puppets, humans dressed as animals and even live dalmatian dogs (though pretty limited). It follows the story of a dalmatian couple (and their humans), as they deal with life and family, and the evil Cruella De Vil’s mischievous plot to steal their litter of puppies for a fur coat.
Looking through the eyes of a dog, everything must appear larger than (human) life, so the humans that play humans in the musical are dressed elaborately and use stilts to appear more to scale from a dog’s (and audience) point of view.
Dalmatians aren’t known for their trainability, so the use of all humans dressed as the dogs makes sense to me for entertainment purposes. Who would want to watch dogs run around on stage barking instead of acting and singing Broadway tunes?
I had a dalmatian, uniquely named Pepper, when I was 8 years old. She snuck out of the house a million times, got into trouble wherever she was, and hardly knew her name or how to sit, even after expensive training classes. I could only imagine (and cringe at the though of) her on a stage in front of an audience expecting her to behave. However, not all dalmatians are as dumb as Pepper was, and what is a musical about dogs, without some living and breathing canines? Though the real dogs (as opposed to the humans dressed as dogs) don’t appear as part of the main plot and story, they do have a special part in the curtain calls and serve as a grand finale.
I haven’t had the chance to check out the new 101 Dalmatians the Musical yet, since it doesn’t grace itself on Denver until late 2010, but after reading a bunch of reviews, I’m a little mixed on whether I will like it or not. However, I’m willing to give it a chance given that it was one of my favorite stories growing up!
Have you seen it, or do you plan to go see 101 Dalmatians when it comes to your city? Tell us what you think!
