Friday, November 22

Tag: Rachel Lea-Gray

101 Dalmatians – Edinburgh Playhouse
Scotland

101 Dalmatians – Edinburgh Playhouse

This musical is very much a children’s entertainment, so it’s therefore surprising that it runs the standard length of time, despite starting and finishing half an hour earlier than one normally expects.  It would benefit considerably from being at least half an hour shorter, without losing any of the essential story telling or spectacle.  The narrative is a simple one, the evil Cruella de Vil desires a wardrobe of outfits made of white with black spots fur, and to that end, sends her two incompetent nephews to steal all the Dalmatians in the area. With music and lyrics by Douglas Hodge, book by Johnny McKnight from an original novel by Dodie Smith, and directed by Bill Buckhurst, this musical has a lot in common with pantomime.  With Cruella the villain we all love to bo...