★★★★

“joyous and fun”

It’s a story that reminds us of our childhood in many ways. Although originally a 1956 novel by Dodie Smith, for many of us, our memories will be of when we first saw a version of the film. Well this show (adapted for the stage by Zinnie Harris and directed by Bill Buckhurst) certainly transports us back to our youth with a musical twist on the well-known and much loved adventure.

Possibly of most concern to people going to the show is a fairly obvious question. “How will they be able to pull it off?” One may think that the film couldn’t possibly translate to the stage and for understandable reason. The main characters are dogs and there are a lot (101!) of them. However, this element is probably the most masterful of the production. Throughout the performance, actors handle life-size puppets of dogs, fit with moveable legs, necks and mouths and with wagging tails. This was an incredibly ambitious undertaking, that could easily have come across as a lazy imitation. However, because of the authenticity of the enactment (and Jimmy Grimes’ puppet direction) one can easily look past that these are puppets and indulge the characters in what they are saying. Clearly, we are watching remarkable innovation from the puppet team (Mikayla Teodoro).

The show benefits from precise and clear choreography (Lucy Hind) throughout. David Woodhead’s set is stunning enhanced with clever lighting from James Whiteside. Actors who play the canine characters expertly multitask by singing (music and lyrics by David Hodge) and manoeuvring their puppets simultaneously. The characters of Pongo (Linford Johnson) and Perdi (Emma Thornett) are particularly impressive. It looks a particularly tiring performance for the actors, but the show maintains its energy remarkably through to the end.

Nevertheless, the standout performance comes from Sydnie Christmas as Cruella De Vil, for whom it is her first musical theatre performance since winning Britain’s Got Talent in 2024. Christmas is, above all else, a very convincing villain, as she kidnaps 99 dalmatians to try and use their fur. However, she takes the character to new levels, which we haven’t seen before, as she nails musical numbers one after another. It is a spellbinding performance from someone who will go on to lead countless West End productions.

The other star names in the production are Jeff Brazier and Aston Merrygold who play Casper and Jasper, Cruella’s nephews, or more like Cruella’s terrified obedient assistants. Their performances are more than adequate if not spectacular, not reaching the depths of sincerity that we see from Cruella. Even so, that shouldn’t be seen as a criticism of their performance, more that the strength of the show comes from the togetherness of the ensemble rather than a few star performances.

The show is joyous and fun, if not always effortlessly so. At times, jokes are forced such as: “Nobody makes a mug of Cruella De Vil, unless it’s sold as official merchandise.” Notwithstanding this, one couldn’t ask for much more from a family-friendly show with astonishing music, choreography and live interaction.

AN INTERROGATION

Hampstead Theatre

★★★★

“The three-strong cast is uniformly compelling”

Debuting his play in Edinburgh in 2023, writer director Jamie Armitage had to deliver this police interrogation drama in a tight 59 minutes. At the Hampstead Theatre, he uses the extra 10 minutes to great effect, packing his bonus time with an odd twitch, an extended silence or an implacable blank expression denoting nothing – not guilt or innocence.

It is these small touches – like a dab of white that brings alive a painted eye – that add so much to this exquisitely polished gem.

The set-up is familiar from a thousand cop shows: a nervous female detective is convinced of the guilt of an amiable and upstanding citizen, and she has to break down his faultless veneer against the clock. This kindly gent has given up his Sunday to amble his way towards a discussion about the unseemly business of two women, one killed a while ago and another missing.

He must answer for some strange coincidences in his tale but he’s happy to do so. Why not? He’s an establishment CEO, head of a brain injury charity, pillar of the community, knows people in Government. He has alibis up to here.

No, there’s absolutely nothing remotely guilty about middle aged, middle class Cameron Andrews. But fidgety DC Ruth Palmer has a hunch.

How will she set about the task? To what extent will she succumb to or exploit these inherent power dynamics?

And so we begin, the clock counting down in the hunt for the missing woman. Not so much cat-and-mouse as cat-and-another-cat, this one licking its self-satisfied whiskers, too clever by half and not likely to be undone by a brittle young woman.

The set is simple yet evocative. Plastic chairs, plain table. Water cooler. Yellow office lighting draining colour from already pallid skin. You can practically smell the stale sweat and cold coffee.

It’s a pin drop experience as we lean in to pick up on every inflection, and squint to analyse every tell and posture. The live-stream screen on the back wall is both a help and hindrance in this regard. Yes, it draws attention to the telling gestures for the people at the back, but the sudden close-ups also signal when A Big Moment is looming, which is clumsy in such a subtle piece.

The three-strong cast is uniformly compelling. Colm Gormley as John Culin, the mentor detective, plays his cards close to his chest. Does he have Palmer’s back, or is he playing another game entirely?

Rosie Sheehy and Jamie Ballard as Palmer and Andrews are flawless. Their softly-spoken interchanges are so light, yet so freighted. There’s not much action but they seem to morph throughout as if the mind games were physical. They reel, deflate, rise, go again. But only ever minutely.

In set-up and purpose, An Interrogation draws on influences from Silence of the Lambs to Line of Duty. So it’s tempting to play interrogation cliche bingo – her slip, his slip, the accusation, the big gamble etc.

But this absorbing play is too disciplined to oversell those moments. It is all quietly brilliant.

Good job this tense little duel lasted only about an hour. I finally got to exhale.

101 DALMATIANS THE MUSICAL

Eventim Apollo

★★★★

“joyous and fun”

101 DALMATIANS THE MUSICAL

Eventim Apollo

Reviewed on 24th July 2025

by Luke Goscomb

Photography by Johan Persson

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AN INTERROGATION

Hampstead Theatre

★★★★

“The three-strong cast is uniformly compelling”