101 Dalmatians have arrived at the Palace Theatre in puppet form, offering family-friendly entertainment, heart warming themes and one EVIL villain.
With extremely impressive production value, ranging from magnificent set pieces to lavish costumes, as well as some of the best puppets I’ve yet to see on stage – 101 Dalmatians will leave all entertained, from little ones to… not so little ones.
I came into this production of 101 Dalmatians in Manchester in quite an interesting position, because if I’m being completely honest, I don’t think I’ve watched any of the movie adaptations or read any versions of the original novel since I was a young child.
So in what is quite a rarity for myself, I was watching a musical in which I hadn’t a clue what was going to happen. This made for a fun and entertaining ride throughout the entire show, although I’m sure those who’re already familiar with the plot will still find as much enjoyment as I did.
The show as a whole was thoroughly spellbinding – offering fantastic ensemble numbers, belly-laugh comedy, a sincere and wholesome plot and as we’ll discuss in a moment, a truly fitting nemesis.
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To highlight individual performances, I’d like to first start with the protagonists of our story. Samuel Thomas as Tom, Jessie Elland as Danielle, Linford Johnson as Pongo and Emma Thornett as Perdi.
These four made a superb litter (little dog based pun for you there), spending the entirety of Act One as a foursome, building up their characters and demonstrating to the audience how important they all are to one another.
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Kym Marsh as Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians in Manchester. Credit: Supplied, Phil Tragen
Then in Act Two splitting up into their separate human/animal dynamic duos, both venturing on different quests with the sole purpose and saving the 99 other dalmatians.
Special shout-out to Linford, Emma and the other members of the ensemble who throughout the show expertly maneuvered the K9 puppets in such a way that the biggest compliment I could pay them, is to say, that after a while I forgot they were even there.
Now for the grey area between protagonists and villains… Casper and Jasper, portrayed wonderfully by Charles Brunton and Danny Hendrix. This dynamic duo offered constant comic relief and had by far the most fleshed out character arcs of the entire show. Transforming from clueless sidekicks, to misguided villains all the way through to repentful heroes.
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This brings us to the one, the only… Cruella De Ville. Portrayed by Kym Marsh, there was no escaping the fact that she was the person people in the audience were most eager to see. With expectations high and being tasked with taking on the role of such an iconic villain, I’m happy to say that Kym 110% delivered.
With an ominous stage presence, Kym held the audience in the palm of her hand throughout every scene she featured in. Offering up stellar vocals and dance moves to match, she really was the villain the dalmatians needed.
All in all, 101 Dalmatians thrills as it offers big set pieces, flashy musical numbers, terrifying villains, magical puppetry and all out family-friendly entertainment.
Iconic musical Annie is returning to the stage in Manchester next summer
Emily Sergeant
One of the most iconic musical productions of the 21st century will be heading out on a tour of the UK and Ireland next year.
And of course, an iconic musical will be taking to an iconic Manchester stage.
Renowned theatre producers Michael Harrison and David Ian are ‘delighted’ to announce that their smash-hit production of the musical Annie is being revived for 2026 and 2027, and will be embarking on a huge UK-wide tour, stopping off at some major cities in the process.
Unfamiliar with the musical Annie? Yet to see it on stage? Or haven’t been able to watch the beloved 1982 film of the same name? Let us fill you in.
Set in 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage – but her luck soon changes when she’s chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas with famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks.
Meanwhile, spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family.
➕ ATG+ PRESALE ➕
The smash hit West End production of ANNIE, the world’s favourite family musical, returns to Manchester for 2 weeks only.
Groups presale 👉 Today 12pm General sale 👉 Friday 12 Sep 10am
Based on the 1924 comic strip, Little Orphan Annie by Harold Grey – which, in turn, was inspired from the poem, Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley – Annie the musical originally debuted on Broadway in 1977 where it ran for nearly six years, before eventually spawning numerous productions in countless other countries, as well as national tours.
Over the last four decades, Annie the musical has won seven Tony Awards, including for Best Musical, and a wide variety of other accolades.
The songs ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘It’s the Hard Knock Life’ are among its most popular and well-known musical numbers.
Annie the musical will be taking to the Manchester Palace Theatre stage from Tuesday 9 – Saturday 20 June 2026, with the tour continuing right through to mid-March 2027, and even more locations yet to be announced.
Tickets for the show are officially now on sale, and you can get your hands on them here.
Featured Image – Matt Crockett (Supplied)
Theatre
‘Pioneering’ immersive theatre productions to take place inside shipping containers across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A pioneering production company is bringing immersive theatre inside shipping containers to Greater Manchester.
DARKFIELD has announced their first shows in Greater Manchester for seven years, and will present their three most critically-acclaimed experiences at iconic venues across the region as part of an ‘exciting’ collaboration.
Keen audiences will be able to head to The Lowry, Aviva Studios, and HOME this month to see theatre like they’ve never seen it before.
Renowned for their trademark shipping containers popping up across the UK and internationally, bringing mysterious and exciting experiences across the country, DARKFIELD will present SÉANCE, FLIGHT and ARCADE so crowds can find themselves immersed in the supernatural, boarding a new airline, or navigating a war torn world.
Fresh from sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, BFI London Film Festival, and an extended residency at Shoreditch Town Hall, ARCADE will arrive at The Lowry – which is the company’s newest production.
‘Pioneering’ immersive theatre productions inside shipping containers will be happening across Greater Manchester / Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic | Fiona Rita Blyth
Aviva Studios will welcome one of DARKFIELD’s most popular and critically-acclaimed experiences, FLIGHT.
Over 30 minutes in total darkness, FLIGHT explores the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics, taking audience members through two worlds, two realities, and two possible outcomes to their journey.
And then over at HOME, the company’s first shipping container experience, SÉANCE, will be on show.
The interior of a 24ft container will be transformed into a Victorian séance room, and asks audiences to believe not only what is happening inside the container, but also in what might be conjured up into the room with them.
“We are delighted to be returning to Greater Manchester to present our shows in collaboration with three incredible venues,” commented DARKFIELD, ahead of their arrival in our region.
“We can’t wait to welcome audiences across the region to experience the strange worlds we’ve created.”