101 Dalmatians Musical
Encyclopedia
The 101 Dalmatians Musical is a musical
produced by Luis Alvarez, directed by Jerry Zaks
, and sponsored by Purina Dog Chow. The music written by former Styx
member Dennis DeYoung
, who also co-wrote the lyrics with the musical's book author B.T. McNicholl. Based on the 1956 children's novel
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
written by Dodie Smith
, the musical follows a pair of Dalmatian dogs as they search through London in search of their litter of fifteen puppies, which were stolen by Cruella DeVil to make dog skin fur coats. The musical features Rachel York
as the infamous Cruella DeVil, and has actors sharing the stage with fifteen real Dalmatians and using stilts to simulate the novel's original canine perspective.
The musical was praised by critics for the cast performances, particularly York, and the innovative use of stilts and live dogs. While the plot was generally praised, several reviews noted that the plot suffered from filler and excessive scenes. Reviewers also generally found the music to be fun but forgettable.
, a former classmate of Mrs. Dearly. Cruella tries to buy the litter, but Pongo and Missus' owners refuse to sell them. She hires two men, Jasper and Jinx, to kidnap the puppies, along with many other Dalmatians in the city, to make dog-skinned fur coats. Pongo and Missus' run away from home to find their puppies. With help from other dogs across the country, they find them, along with many other puppies, at Cruella's mansion and must get them back home without getting caught by the pursuing Cruella and her henchmen.
novel One Hundred and One Dalmatians
. He asked director Jerry Zaks
to direct, and the creative team went to Mexico to do a workshop production
. B.T. McNicholl wrote the libretto
based on the novel, and worked together with Dennis DeYoung
, formerly of the band Styx
, to craft the lyrics for the production. DeYoung acted as the primary composer for the production. In writing the songs, DeYoung notes that after reading the original novel and viewing all of the adaptations, he felt it was a children's work and that it was his "responsibility to write at least a couple of songs that kids would like to sing once they leave the theater." He used different themes for each character type, aiming to write "more traditional Broadway songs" for the humans, while using pop
tunes for the dogs.
The choreographey is by Warren Carlyle
. In addition to having humans playing the primarily canine characters, 15 actual Dalmatian dogs are featured in the production, trained and handled by Joel Slaven. The dogs are a mix of show dog
s and ones adopted from various rescue group
s around the country. After the production has finished its run, the dogs will be put up for adoption.
To achieve the novel's telling of the story from the canine perspective, actors portraying human characters were set on 15-inch stilts so that they would be taller than the canine characters, and the puppies are played by child actors. Rachel York
was cast as the infamous Cruella DeVil. After a workshop
in Mexico, The 101 Dalmatians Musical made its worldwide debut in October 2009 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. As of 2010, it is on a nationwide tour. On January 31, 2010, Rachel York announced on her blog
that she had stepped down from the role of Cruella DeVil to pursue other projects, and that the role would be taken over by Sara Gettelfinger
. The tour was originally scheduled to run through June 2010, however on March 19, 2010, the production company announced that the tour would end on April 18, 2010, when it concludes its engagement at Madison Square Garden
.
s Eric Henrickson called it a "heartfelt family musical" and a "fun introduction to the live stage for young audiences" that had the kids in the audience...dancing in their seats" which he felt made the show "success[ful] on its most important level.". He praised the introductory tune was "colorful" and "tuneful", and the musical's actors for their performances. In particular, he highlights York as a "divinely wicked Cruella" who is "the best part of the show" and Ludwig as a charming Pongo who was "underutilized". Henrickson criticized the performance for getting "bogged down in staged bits", particularly the song for Jasper and Jinx and the addition of filler to the story, and for the "disjointed hodgepodge" of musical numbers that do not "fit well together or with the setting" and found some of the choreography "more show choir than showstopper."
Sandy MacDonald of Theater Mania called it "highly enjoyable" and found the use of the stilts to be "cleaver". Cautioning against allowing young children to watch the production due to Cruella's goals, she praises York's performance, stating that she "maximiz[es] her magnificent voice and captur[es] every sadistic quirk and sneer of one of the scariest villainesses ever created". She also praised the child actors for being both "natural and engaging", the performances of Luwding and Ojeda as Pong and Missus, respectively. Donald V. Calamia of the Encore Michigan thought the musical successfully grabbed and held kids' attention. Calling it a "slick and gorgeously designed production", he also praised York as "delightfully and deliciously evil" who manages to avoid scaring children in the audience by using various "layers of humor". He found Maguire a "scene-stealer" and felt Foldesi's Perdita "[gave] the show heart", but also noted that the show may have trouble succeeding on Broadway
due to the lack of the "'wow'factor" and moments common for the Disney-style productions the audience may be expecting. He also felt the actors, beyond York, were unable to "take his or her character to that same level of perfection or intensity" as one would expect from such a production. BroadwayWorld.com's Jerry Ellis found it "pleasantly diverting, tuneful and fun to watch" and an "expensive and imaginative production", though he notes that the actors in human roles seemed to struggle with their balance on the stilts and could have been executed better. He also felt the story was "meandering and unfocused at times", but considered the choreography to be "well-conceived and, for the most part, wonderfully performed". He highly praised the performances of the supporting cast.
In reviewing the Madison Square Garden
performance, David Rooney of The New York Times
panned the production, calling it a "mirthless, low-concept pantomime" and feeling that Gettelfinger's performance as Cruela DeVil was a "watered-down facsimile of a classic villainess." He felt the Dalmatian costumes were substandard and lacking in innovation and that the actors on stilts seemed to be constantly trying to maintain their balance. In discussing DeYoung's lyrics, he considered them "late-’70s-style power ballads" that lacked "emotional connection [and] suspense" and did not add anything to the story's narrative.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
produced by Luis Alvarez, directed by Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks is a German-born American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing The House of Blue Leaves, Lend Me A Tenor, and Six Degrees of Separation and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama...
, and sponsored by Purina Dog Chow. The music written by former Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
member Dennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure that lasted from 1970 to 1999.-Early life:...
, who also co-wrote the lyrics with the musical's book author B.T. McNicholl. Based on the 1956 children's novel
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
The Hundred and One Dalmatians, or the Great Dog Robbery is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith. A sequel entitled The Starlight Barking continues from the end of the first novel....
written by Dodie Smith
Dodie Smith
Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith was an English novelist and playwright. Smith is best known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Her other works include I Capture the Castle and The Starlight Barking....
, the musical follows a pair of Dalmatian dogs as they search through London in search of their litter of fifteen puppies, which were stolen by Cruella DeVil to make dog skin fur coats. The musical features Rachel York
Rachel York
Rachel York is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in City of Angels, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Victor Victoria, Kiss Me, Kate, Sly Fox, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...
as the infamous Cruella DeVil, and has actors sharing the stage with fifteen real Dalmatians and using stilts to simulate the novel's original canine perspective.
The musical was praised by critics for the cast performances, particularly York, and the innovative use of stilts and live dogs. While the plot was generally praised, several reviews noted that the plot suffered from filler and excessive scenes. Reviewers also generally found the music to be fun but forgettable.
Plot
In London in 1957, a pair of Dalmatian dogs, Pongo and Missus, live with their human owners, the Dearlys, and enjoy a happy life. One day Missus gives birth to eight puppies, and the family is visited by Cruella De VilCruella de Vil
Cruella de Vil is a fictional character and the iconic villain in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Disney's 1961 animated film adaptation One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Disney's live-action film adaptations 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians. In all her incarnations,...
, a former classmate of Mrs. Dearly. Cruella tries to buy the litter, but Pongo and Missus' owners refuse to sell them. She hires two men, Jasper and Jinx, to kidnap the puppies, along with many other Dalmatians in the city, to make dog-skinned fur coats. Pongo and Missus' run away from home to find their puppies. With help from other dogs across the country, they find them, along with many other puppies, at Cruella's mansion and must get them back home without getting caught by the pursuing Cruella and her henchmen.
Musical numbers
- "A Man's Best Friend"
- "A Perfect Family"
- "Hot Like Me"
- "There's Always Room for One More"
- "World's Greatest Dad"
- "One True Love"
- "Hail to the Chef"
- "Twilight Barking"
- "Be a Little Bit Braver"
- "Break Out"
- "Having the Crime of Our Lives"
- "Spot-On"
- "My Sweet Child"
- "Cruella Always Gets Her Way"
- 101 Dalmatians"
Original cast
- James Ludwig as Pongo
- Catia Ojeda as Missus
- Mike Masters as Mr. Dearly and Horse
- Kristen Beth Williams as Mrs. Dearly and Tabby Cat
- Rachel YorkRachel YorkRachel York is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in City of Angels, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Victor Victoria, Kiss Me, Kate, Sly Fox, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...
as Cruella De VilCruella de VilCruella de Vil is a fictional character and the iconic villain in Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians, Disney's 1961 animated film adaptation One Hundred and One Dalmatians, and Disney's live-action film adaptations 101 Dalmatians and 102 Dalmatians. In all her incarnations,... - Michael Thomas Holmes as Jasper and Gruff Yorki
- Robert Anthony Jones as Jinx
- Chuck Ragsdale as Prince
- Madeline Doherty as Nanny Butler and Gypsy wife
- Erin Maguire as Nanny Cook and Collie Inn Keeper
- Julie Foldesi as Perdita
- Sammy Borla as Lucky
- Lydia Clemente as Cadpig
- Piper Curda as Roly-Poly
- Catherine Missal as Patch
Production
In 2006, theatrical producer Luis Alvarez acquired the rights to produce an adaptation of the Dodie SmithDodie Smith
Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith was an English novelist and playwright. Smith is best known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Her other works include I Capture the Castle and The Starlight Barking....
novel One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians
One Hundred and One Dalmatians, often abbreviated as 101 Dalmatians, is a 1961 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and based on the novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith...
. He asked director Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks
Jerry Zaks is a German-born American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing The House of Blue Leaves, Lend Me A Tenor, and Six Degrees of Separation and the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical and Drama...
to direct, and the creative team went to Mexico to do a workshop production
Workshop production
Workshop production is a term used to describe the first performance of a theatre production, similar to the term premiere, the difference being that a workshop production often pays less for the rights to perform the play, in exchange for losing the right to call its performance a premiere...
. B.T. McNicholl wrote the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
based on the novel, and worked together with Dennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung
Dennis DeYoung is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer best known for being a founding member of the rock band Styx, a tenure that lasted from 1970 to 1999.-Early life:...
, formerly of the band Styx
Styx (band)
Styx is an American rock band that became famous for its albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Chicago band is known for melding the style of prog-rock with the power of hard rock guitar, strong ballads, and elements of American musical theater....
, to craft the lyrics for the production. DeYoung acted as the primary composer for the production. In writing the songs, DeYoung notes that after reading the original novel and viewing all of the adaptations, he felt it was a children's work and that it was his "responsibility to write at least a couple of songs that kids would like to sing once they leave the theater." He used different themes for each character type, aiming to write "more traditional Broadway songs" for the humans, while using pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
tunes for the dogs.
The choreographey is by Warren Carlyle
Warren Carlyle
Warren Carlyle is a director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for Finian's Rainbow.-Biography:...
. In addition to having humans playing the primarily canine characters, 15 actual Dalmatian dogs are featured in the production, trained and handled by Joel Slaven. The dogs are a mix of show dog
Show dog
A show dog might refer to any dog entered into a dog show. More specifically, a show dog is a dog which has been specially bred, trained, and/or groomed to conform to the specifications of dog shows, so as to have a chance of winning...
s and ones adopted from various rescue group
Rescue group
An animal rescue group or animal rescue organization is dedicated to pet adoption. These groups take unwanted, abandoned, abused, or stray pets and attempt to find suitable new homes for them...
s around the country. After the production has finished its run, the dogs will be put up for adoption.
To achieve the novel's telling of the story from the canine perspective, actors portraying human characters were set on 15-inch stilts so that they would be taller than the canine characters, and the puppies are played by child actors. Rachel York
Rachel York
Rachel York is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in City of Angels, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Victor Victoria, Kiss Me, Kate, Sly Fox, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...
was cast as the infamous Cruella DeVil. After a workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
in Mexico, The 101 Dalmatians Musical made its worldwide debut in October 2009 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. As of 2010, it is on a nationwide tour. On January 31, 2010, Rachel York announced on her blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
that she had stepped down from the role of Cruella DeVil to pursue other projects, and that the role would be taken over by Sara Gettelfinger
Sara Gettelfinger
Sara Gettelfinger is American actress, singer, and dancer.-Early life and education:Gettelfinger was raised in Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. She graduated from the Youth Performing Arts School at duPont Manual High School in 1995...
. The tour was originally scheduled to run through June 2010, however on March 19, 2010, the production company announced that the tour would end on April 18, 2010, when it concludes its engagement at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
.
Reception
Lawson Taitte of the Dallas Morning News considered it "grand entertainment - and a pretty good musical", and felt the use of Dalmatian colored costumers, without dog features, and the use of stilts for the human characters, worked well. While he felt none of the music was memorable, he did find it fun. He particularly praised York's performance as Cruella, calling it an "over-the-top (but tasteful!) tour de force" with powerhouse vocals and sex appeal", and felt the kids were "cuter" than the live Dalmatians in the musical. The Detroit NewsThe Detroit News
The Detroit News is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival Free Press's building. The News absorbed the Detroit Tribune on February 1, 1919, the Detroit Journal on July 21, 1922, and on November 7, 1960,...
s Eric Henrickson called it a "heartfelt family musical" and a "fun introduction to the live stage for young audiences" that had the kids in the audience...dancing in their seats" which he felt made the show "success[ful] on its most important level.". He praised the introductory tune was "colorful" and "tuneful", and the musical's actors for their performances. In particular, he highlights York as a "divinely wicked Cruella" who is "the best part of the show" and Ludwig as a charming Pongo who was "underutilized". Henrickson criticized the performance for getting "bogged down in staged bits", particularly the song for Jasper and Jinx and the addition of filler to the story, and for the "disjointed hodgepodge" of musical numbers that do not "fit well together or with the setting" and found some of the choreography "more show choir than showstopper."
Sandy MacDonald of Theater Mania called it "highly enjoyable" and found the use of the stilts to be "cleaver". Cautioning against allowing young children to watch the production due to Cruella's goals, she praises York's performance, stating that she "maximiz[es] her magnificent voice and captur[es] every sadistic quirk and sneer of one of the scariest villainesses ever created". She also praised the child actors for being both "natural and engaging", the performances of Luwding and Ojeda as Pong and Missus, respectively. Donald V. Calamia of the Encore Michigan thought the musical successfully grabbed and held kids' attention. Calling it a "slick and gorgeously designed production", he also praised York as "delightfully and deliciously evil" who manages to avoid scaring children in the audience by using various "layers of humor". He found Maguire a "scene-stealer" and felt Foldesi's Perdita "[gave] the show heart", but also noted that the show may have trouble succeeding on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
due to the lack of the "'wow'factor" and moments common for the Disney-style productions the audience may be expecting. He also felt the actors, beyond York, were unable to "take his or her character to that same level of perfection or intensity" as one would expect from such a production. BroadwayWorld.com's Jerry Ellis found it "pleasantly diverting, tuneful and fun to watch" and an "expensive and imaginative production", though he notes that the actors in human roles seemed to struggle with their balance on the stilts and could have been executed better. He also felt the story was "meandering and unfocused at times", but considered the choreography to be "well-conceived and, for the most part, wonderfully performed". He highly praised the performances of the supporting cast.
In reviewing the Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
performance, David Rooney of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
panned the production, calling it a "mirthless, low-concept pantomime" and feeling that Gettelfinger's performance as Cruela DeVil was a "watered-down facsimile of a classic villainess." He felt the Dalmatian costumes were substandard and lacking in innovation and that the actors on stilts seemed to be constantly trying to maintain their balance. In discussing DeYoung's lyrics, he considered them "late-’70s-style power ballads" that lacked "emotional connection [and] suspense" and did not add anything to the story's narrative.