''101 Dalmatians'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with music and lyrics by

Douglas Hodge Douglas Hodge is an English actor, director, and musician who has had an extensive career in theatre, as well as television and film where he has appeared in ''Robin Hood'' (2010), '' Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return'' and '' Diana'' (2013), ''P ...

and a book by Johnny McKnight from a stage adaptation by

Zinnie Harris Zinnie Harris FRSE is a British playwright, screenwriter and director currently living in Edinburgh. She has been commissioned and produced by the Royal Court Theatre, Royal National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespe ...

, based on the 1956 children's novel ''

The Hundred and One Dalmatians ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith about the kidnapping of a family of Dalmatian (dog), Dalmatian puppies. It was originally serialized in ''Woman's Day'' as ''The Great Dog Robbery'', and details the ...

'' by

Dodie Smith Dorothy Gladys "Dodie" Smith (3 May 1896 – 24 November 1990) was an English novelist and playwright. She is best known for writing ''I Capture the Castle'' (1948) and the children's novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (1956). Other works i ...

Background

The musical was originally announced to premiere at the

Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

Regent's Park Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. It occupies of high ground in north-west Inner London, administratively split between the City of Westminster and the Borough of Camden (and historically betwee ...

(which is where the story is set) from 16 May to 21 June 2020, with an official opening night on 27 May.

Kate Fleetwood Kate Fleetwood (born 24 September 1972) is an English actress. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance as Lady Macbeth in ''Macbeth'', which first opened at Chichester Festival Theatre and was transferred to the West End and Bro ...

was announced to play

Cruella de Vil Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature fi ...

. However, the production was postponed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and was later rescheduled to run from 26 May to 20 June 2021 with previews beginning 15 May. On January 21, 2021, the 2021 run of the production was cancelled due to the continued COVID-19 restrictions. On 18 March 2022, the full cast was announced, including

Production history

World premiere: London (2022)

The musical premiered at the

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre Regent's Park Open Air Theatre is an open-air theatre in Regent's Park in central London. The theatre Established in 1932, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (1,256 seats) and is situated in Queen Mary� ...

, with previews beginning 12 July 2022 and an official opening on 21 July 2022. It ran until 28 August 2022. The production was directed by

Timothy Sheader Timothy Sheader (born 23 November 1971 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire) is a British theatre director. Sheader read Law with French at the University of Birmingham before moving into a career in theatre. Since 2007, he has been Artistic Directo ...

and choreographed by Liam Steel, with set design by Colin Richmond, costumes by Katrina Linsdsay, and puppetry design and direction by Toby Olié.

Cast and characters

Musical Numbers

Act 1

* Go Wild/Now Then * Wrong Tree * It's My Treat * Bury That Bone * Bite It Back * Turn Round Three Times * Litterbugs * Heads Or Tails * The English Pub * Two Bad Criminals * Litterbugs (Reprise) * Für Fur

Act 2

* Achoo * W.W.D.D * Dogtra * What The Bleep * Delay Her * I Can Smell Puppy * All Of Our Kisses * Turn Around Three Times (Reprise) * Cruella's Demise * Bury That Bone/Litterbugs (Reprise) * One Hundred and One

References

{{101 Dalmatians 101 Dalmatians Musicals based on novels British musicals Plays set in England 2022 musicals