'101 Dalmatians' at Cadillac Palace: '101 Dalmatians' proves four legs better ... Chicago Tribune (blog)
If you can last through all the two-legged elements of the woefully misconceived mutt known as “The 101 Dalmatians Musical” (and, believe me, that will take the endurance of a Husky), your reward is a terrific final scene wherein a litter or three of charming rescued Dalmatians suddenly race across the stage, pulling levers, doing tricks, sliding through gates and pretend to urinate on planters to make flowers grow. As soon as these spotted pooches take the stage, you feel like a long-abandoned skier who has just been rescued by a St. Bernard with an ample supply of brandy. But most problematic of all, it makes the actors look stiff, uncomfortable and inhuman. Sara Gettelfinger, who has only just joined the company as Cruela, looked singularly ill at ease as she tottered around between her diabolic numbers, all delivered in a wildly over-the-top, full-throated style that could make Patti LuPone look like a semi-mute Chihuahua. At one point, I thought Gettelfinger was going to come a cropper, two-tone wig and all.
You really can’t blame the actors. The usually reliable Jerry Zaks has directed this show in a style of faux-vaudevillian high-camp. It’s a big mistake, given the material. Cruela (like the child-catcher in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”) is the stuff of nightmares, yes, but also part of the fabric of childhood literature. But the show can have no emotional appeal, nor deliver any life-lessons to the many young people in the audience, if no one appears invested in truth. That’s the most egregious aspect
