101 Dalmatians, at the Regents Park Open Air Theatre, has been two years in the coming.
Lockdown put paid to its planed premier during the Open Air's 2020 season, as it did for the first rescheduling in 2021.
The musical, by Doulas Hodge (music and lyrics) and Johhny McKnight (book), is here now and playing until the 28 August 2022.
(Images bt Mark Senior)
Theatregoers who come to 101 Dalmatians, in the right frame of mind, will delight in a truly ludicrous, genuinely funny and surely deliberate dogs dinner of musical.
Hodge and McKnight have adapted Dodie Smith's 1956 children's novel, The Hundred and One Dalmatians, set in and around Regent's Park.
They have then infused it with the cartoonish characters that has seen the Walt Disney 1996 animated version of the story become an enduring classic.
While I doubt 101 Dalmatians will enjoy a similar longevity, this makes my urging you to catch it while you can, all the more pertinent.
Particularly as the Open Air Theatre creates the ideal ambience for a light hearted, family friendly, tounge-in-cheek production of this nature.
Surely no need for a spoiler alert, about tale of Danielle and Dominic, a scattily happy couple and their two dalmatians Perdia and Pongo.
When the dogs produce 15 dalmatian puppies, these become the obsession for Cruella de Vil, played with wonderfully exaggerated panto-villainy by Kate Fleetwood.
This dastardly female, who is a scurrilous social media influencer and self-professed fashion icon, is hell bent on 'dognapping' the pups.
Her plan is to skin them, along with some 86 others, to produce an outfit for her appearance at the prestigious 'black and white' ball.
Ms de Vil bullies and cajoles the hapless Casper and Jasper to carry out this wicked deed.
But will they and she succeed?
We find out during the course of what is a joyous, often hilarious, musical maelstrom with the cast collectively hamming up the acting, song and dance to pitch perfect level.
The musical numbers, in a jumble of styles, and are played by a fine band of musicians who wander on and off the impressive stage set in gay abandon throughout.
And then of course there the necessary pack of dalmatians, which have been created by master puppet designer and director, Toby Ollie.
That there are many ways101 Dalmatians should just not work is to over think this production.
What we have is an exuberant evening in the theatre that will cheer audiences of all ages
101 Dalmatians plays until 28 August 2022.
www.openairtheatre.com/production/101-dalmatians
Antigone
3 to 24 September
Those looking for sterner stuff from their theatre will be drawn to Antigone which runs at the Open Air Theatre from 3 to 24 September 2022.
It is poet and playwright Inua Ellams adaptation of Sophocles's intense tragedy, first written in 441 BC.
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, which is located on the Inner Circle of Regent's Park was founded in 1932 and has been one of London's unique theatrical attractions ever since.
The theatre itself is surrounded by woodland, which is invariably used to great effect as a stage backdrop.
The UK's largest permanent professional outdoor theatre stages a summer programme of drama, comedy and musicals.
Despite having one of the largest audience auditoriums of any London theatre, the tiered seating and overall ambience gives the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre a real intimacy and special atmosphere.
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