101 Dalmations The Musical

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

With her distinctive monochrome style, maniacal laughter and murderous intentions Cruella de Vil is arguably one of the boldest, baddest villains ever created.

And the character has been brought to life brilliantly in this delightful adaptation of the classic Dodie Smith book, 101 Dalmations.

Re-imagined as a musical with music and lyrics by Douglas Hodge and a book by Johnny McKnight, from a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris, the canine caper is currently bringing a smile to faces both young and old at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre.

"Animal loving" fashionista Cruella plots to swipe all the Dalmation puppies in town in her quest to create a fabulous new fur coat, spelling trouble for puppy parents Pongo and Perdi and their adorable, tail-wagging young litter.

Cue an adventurous rescue attempt, with some hilarious consequences and a pleasingly happy ending.

It's quite a feat to conjure up 101 excitable animal actors on stage, but the concept is executed brilliantly with clever puppetry, expertly directed by a talented cast, whom you almost forget are manipulating the canine characters.

The storytelling is swept along nicely with some catchy song and dance routines, with Jessie Elland and Samuel Thomas displaying some lovely vocals as Danielle and Tom, accompanied beautifully by Emma Thornett and Linford Johnson as Perdi and Pongo.

But the star of the show is undoubtedly Kym Marsh, who played the larger than life character of Cruella with gusto, aided by her larger than life vocal ability. Although, admittedly, her thunder was stolen ever so slightly by the absolutely adorable puppy Linda, who appeared on stage for the show's final two minutes.

High energy, brilliantly clever puppetry, loads of fun for all ages and guaranteed cuteness overload ­— what's not to love?

See it at Southampton's Mayflower Theatre until Saturday, October 26.

EMMA JOSEPH