101 Dalmatians at Orpheum Theatre on 10/14/09
By: Donette Ambrosy
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| Rachel York as Cruella de Vil - Photo credit Joan Marcus |
I confess it took me well into the first act to start feeling the puppy love, as it were. Rather than being portrayed by people in dog costumes, or via some Animatronic means, the dogs were instead played by actors dressed in relatively ordinary human apparel. A few ink splotches thrown haphazardly onto a white cardigan and pants were meant to indicate a Dalmatian; a pink tutu a poodle, and so on.
Initially I found this confusing and irksome. I spent the better part of the chaotic opening number desperately seeking to differentiate human from canine, when it suddenly dawned on me - the human characters are all on stilts! This innovative approach of presenting the show from “doggie perspective” was bolstered by the ingenious set design. Still, would it have hurt to add a dog nose here or there for effect? Maybe a flea collar or two? I suppose expecting the actors to perform on all fours for two-plus hours would be, well…inhumane.
The role of Cruella de Vil was flawlessly executed by Rachel York. Instead of the expected haggard old crone portrayed in the cartoon, York’s Cruella is overtly sexy, yet no less loudmouth and despicable. She is the epitome of the character you love to hate, and just plain love. “Hot,” a jazzy number performed by Cruella at her mansion soiree, brought a whole new zest to the first act and provided welcome respite to earlier sappy numbers with equally sappy names, such as “A Perfect Family,” “There’s Always Room for One More,” and “One True Love.” Dennis DeYoung, founding member of Styx, wrote the score; a fact which helps account for the somewhat cheesy rock anthems present throughout.
During the second act, the rambunctiousness of the puppies, played by an impressively talented cast of children, went a long way to compensate for the naturally, er, stilted movements of the human characters on stilts. By far, the most lively and well-choreographed number was “Spot-On,” featuring vibrantly-costumed gypsies who capture the Dalmatians and force them to perform.
The antics of the human “puppies,” however, paled in comparison to the adorable tricks performed by fifteen live Dalmatians in the closing scene. One particularly funny glitch transpired when one of the trick dogs bounded onstage, only to forget all about his trick and wandered away, sniffing the floorboards.
But perhaps my favorite aspect of the show was the presence of slightly subversive off-color jokes sprinkled in for the benefit of the adults in the audience (but safely over the heads of the children). Pongo’s reference to “shooting blanks,” and allusions to the secret lesbianism of the nannies were distinctly outside the realm of Disney territory.
Location Info:
Orpheum Theatre
Artist Info: Orpheum Theatre
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