BWW Reviews: Disney's 101 DALMATIANS KIDS Romps Across The York Little Theatre Stage

When you walk into a theatre and the proscenium is covered with white with black puppy spots, you know you're in the right place for 101 DALMATIANS KIDS. When "Kanine Krunchies" (the fun "puppy chow" Chex Mix-type snack, name adapted for the show) is being sold at the door, and there's a Dalmatian rescue showing off its furry friends, you know you're in the right place. So - you do like puppies, don't you? Because if you don't, clear out fast. (If you don't, you are also mean, heartless, and - oh, wait, you're Cruella DeVil!)

The children's version of 101 DALMATIANS, 101 DALMATIANS KIDS, is on stage at York Little Theatre, directed by Sara Smith, and full enough of kids and puppies, live and stuffed - stuffed TOY ones, you mean person, not real ones! - to keep anyone busy for the whole show, which, with a long intermission, runs to about an hour and a half. As a disclaimer, this reviewer did not actually count to see if child Dalmatian puppies and stuffed ones together actually added up to 101 (along with parents Pongo and Perdita, played by Darrin Richard and Molly Young), but it has to be acknowledged that there sure are a lot of them!

If you need to be told the story line of this play, you have been isolated from American culture for the past 50 years or so. It's a hardy Disney perennial, and the original animated movie is still loved. There's been a live-action remake that some people also love. The show's book is adapted from the original screenplay by Marcy Heisler, and there are roughly a score of composers and lyricists of the Disney variety who have come up with cute, adorable songs to be sung by cute, adorable kids playing Dalmatians - and a couple of mean, evil songs to be sung by the mean, evil Cruella DeVil and her fiendish but dumber-than-bricks henchmen.

Although there's a cast of what feels like hundreds, with all the Dalmatians, Scotties, French poodles, English bulldogs and the like, plus assorted police and ordinary mortal humans, the star of any version of this story is the mean, the evil, the wicked, the just plain bad, nasty, and awful Cruella DeVil. Though, truth to be told, she's really well-dressed. That's the problem, as her black, white, and red wardrobe color scheme would look so great with a Dalmatian fur coat, wouldn't it? And PETA is nowhere around to stop her, so the dogs have to. Good dogs! Brave dogs! Was it mentioned that this show is adorable? It's surprisingly not cloying or insipid, and adults can survive the kid fun easily enough, with the right Cruella. Maria Fisher of Hempfield High School is the right Cruella, chewing up just the right amount of scenery per inch of stage space while hissing just enough venom to terrify a small puppy in its tracks. And she looks good doing it, which is key to Cruella - love her or hate her (hate her! Hate her!), she's stylish. Evil? Stylish? Likes furs? Maybe Cruella is Vogue editor Anna Wintour's even more evil twin. And Maria Fisher's got it down cold.

It's not a perfect production. The sheer amount of cast exceeds the sound system, so there are moments it's difficult to hear what's happening on stage, though you can certainly see it - you do know the plot, right? And the Disney composers lack a bit of originality - the chase scene music is strangely close to Henry Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme, and "Dalmatian Plantation" has a repeated refrain that off the cuff sounds exactly like ANNIE's "We'll Have A New Deal For Christmas", almost note for note if this reviewer's ears are working. There are assorted other "heard that one before" moments that also aren't all Disney tunes. But at least if they're copying, they're copying from the best. (And if they are, that's Disney's problem, not YLT's.)

Disney usually requires the use of canned music for its kids' musicals, so the sound isn't as great as live music would be, but it's well-handled.

There's a lot to love about this show, and YLT's production has a uniformly delightful young-and-younger cast here, with of course the exception of the dreadful, the atrocious, the godawful, Cruella DeVil, who's played here as well as you'll see anywhere. Evil can be fun, at least on stage - and this is definitely some very fun evil.

On stage, alas, only through March 2, leaving an insufficiency of Cruella in the world. Politicians should learn from her - if you're going to be evil, at least do it with flair, and always look good doing it. For information, visit www.ylt.org. If you can't catch it, try the upcoming BAT BOY, which isn't a children's musical but should be equally fun.

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