Kate Fleetwood as Cruella de Vil with Pongo and Perdi puppeteered by Yana Penrose, Emma Lucia, Danny Collins and Ben Thompson. Photo Mark Senior.
It was a really lovely evening, when I visited the Open Air theatre in Regent’s Park. Nestled about a ten minute walk from the Jubilee Line “Baker St” stop, it was easy to find and upon arrival everything was suitably spotty. The Dalmatian-themed carpet was set and the punters were lining ups in the green grass sat on benches. A newly commissioned musical, written by Douglas Hodge (music and lyrics) and Johnny McKnight (book), originally from a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris. Based on the book by Dodie Smith, leading the cast was the iconic villain Cruella de Vil was Olivier and Tony Award nominee Kate Fleetwood.
The storyline centres around Cruella de Vil sets her sights on a new Dalmatian fur coat, and there’s trouble ahead for Pongo, Perdi and their adorable litter of puppies. It’s based on the classic story set in the heart of Regent’s Park, and this new musical adaptation, packed with puppetry, is perfect for a summer’s day.
One I got past the jarring (yet rather sweet puppets), I felt I was able to ease more to the action on stage in the second act. However, the storyline and the entire piece as a whole just didn’t flow for me. There were some great moments (and they were rather short-lived)which came with the number Cruella sings, as she weaved out into the outdoor auditorium. As far as the Dalmatias go, to see so many – but in such an uninviting way made it fall flat and unconvincing. The weakness was that the puppets (Pongo/Perdi) were so awkward in their interactions, that it was unbelievable. Further, the puppies didn’t add anything nor feel part of the plot – when they should have been integral.
There were a few moments where I winced at the crassness of jokes surrounding death of Cruella’s sister, which again put the book as something that could have achieved – with say, a sensitivity reader – and if were it worked on a little more. Overall, I was expecting a much more coherent show where I felt immersed in the action onstage. At least the only thing which saved the production was its high-camp and panto-esque quality. If you want to keep kids entertained during the summer hols, this this may be the place (though there is a risk of adverse weather being an open theatre and sadly being in the UK).
The cast truly gave it their all, but ultimately given the source material lacking pizzaz and a bad score was what led to this potentially pooch-tactic production being put down.
Until 28 August 2022
🎟: https://openairtheatre.com/production/101-dalmatians
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