U.K. and Ireland Tour of 101 Dalmatians Musical Finds Its Cruella de Vil

Coronation Street star Kym Marsh, who played Annette in the London production of Saturday Night Fever, has been cast as Cruella de Vil in the forthcoming U.K. and Ireland tour of the musical version of Dodie Smith's classic book 101 Dalmatians.

Directed by Bill Buckhurst, this new musical version of 101 Dalmatians, reimagined from the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production in 2022, will launch June 22–29 at the New Wimbledon Theatre before visiting Birmingham, Norwich, Canterbury, Leicester, Manchester, Belfast, Wolverhampton, Newcastle, Southend, Dublin, Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Woking, Cardiff, Southampton, Aberdeen, York, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oxford, and Brighton.

Marsh, also seen in BBC One’s Doctors and Channel 4’s Hollyoaks: In The City, said in a statement, “I’m over the moon to be joining the cast of 101 Dalmatians playing the iconic Cruella De Vil—has there ever been a more fabulous baddie?! Obviously she’s a million miles away from me in real life—and my dogs are very glad about that—but being able to bring to life my take on this renowned character is a real treat. Douglas [Hodge] and Johnny [McKnight] have written this brilliant new musical filled with songs I’m already finding myself humming under my breath. The 101 Dalmatians story spans generations and I'm sure young and old alike will absolutely love this production."

With music and lyrics by Douglas Hodge and a book by Johnny McKnight, from a stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris, the musical follows fashionista Cruella de Vil, who plots to swipe all the Dalmatian puppies in town to create her fabulous new fur coat.

The upcoming production will also have sets by David Woodhead, costumes by Sarah Mercadé, choreography by Lucy Hind, musical supervision by Alfonso Casado Trigo, orchestrations by Jack Hopkins, puppet design by Jimmy Grimes, lighting by James Whiteside, and sound design by Chris Whybrow. The musical director is Leigh Thompson, and the casting director is Lucy Casson.

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of101 Dalmatians starred Olivier and Tony nominee Kate Fleetwood as Cruella de Vil. Timothy Sheader directed with choreography and movement direction by Liam Steel and musical supervision and orchestrations by Sarah Travis. Read the reviews here.

This new adaptation is separate from both Disney's 1961 animated film and an earlier musical adaptation by BT McNicholl and Dennis DeYoung that toured the U.S. in 2009 starring Rachel York as Cruella.

Visit 101Dalmatians.co.uk.