Faye Tozer vamps it up as Cruella in 101 Dalmatians

Three stars

Someone had clearly let the dogs out before Wednesday night’s delayed curtain up of this new canine musical. Not that the young audience seemed to mind once things eventually got going after the runaway hounds had presumably been rounded up.

First on the scene was Pongo, the abandoned mutt whose adoption by puppy loving Danielle takes them on a walk in the park, where they become entangled with fellow pedigree Perdi and her human, Tom. From here this perfectly matched happy family embark on an adventure that sees them almost lost to the high fashion ambitions of Cruella de Vil. When dogs and cats combine forces, however, they knock spots off her.

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Drawn from an original stage adaptation by Edinburgh based playwright Zinnie Harris, the show’s book by Glasgow panto legend Johnny McKnight with songs by Douglas Hodge look to Dodie Smith’s 1956 children’s novel rather than the 1961 Disney animated feature or its 1996 John Hughes scripted live action progeny. Bill Buckhurst’s new touring production has fun with both the modern setting and the way the story is led by the four-legged friends at its centre.

Jessie Elland as Danielle and Samuel Thomas as Tom make for a charmingly geeky couple whose outfits are so cartoonishly loud they might pass for 1980s children’s TV presenters. As too might the comedy double act of Casper and Jasper, played with extreme camp by Charles Brunton and Danny Hendrix. As Cruella, ex Steps alumna Faye Tozer vamps it up for all she’s worth, while Hodge’s songs move between a curious mix of cockney knees up and, for Cruella, oomph powered showbiz bombast aplenty.

The real stars of the show, however, are Jimmy Grimes’ array of Dalmatian puppets, which sees the ensemble cast led by Linford Johnson and Emma Thornett bring Pongo, Perdi and their ever expanding litter to four-legged life. As Danielle and Tom settle in with the full brood, a dog’s life doesn’t look so bad after all.