Act Two improved no end for me with a welcome play on my emotions.  As Perdi and Pongo realise their puppies have been stolen, their heartfelt cries of “Where Are They?” and “Where Have Our Babies Gone?” are distressing.  

I doubt it was the case in 1956 but nowadays, pedigree dogs are stolen all the time and their identity chips surgically removed.  Maybe Doggy DNA can help?  We hear of dogs slipping their leads on walks and disappearing, or puppies stolen in burglaries.

The stolen Dalmatian puppies are locked in a cage protected by electronic locks.  There are actor children playing the puppies and I loved their number WWDD, or What Would Daddy Do?  We had met Captain Head (wonderfully sung by Stuart Angell) the St Bernard in the park and been introduced to the Twilight Barking message system.  There are Poodles, Scottish Terriers, Dobermans, Boxers and German Shepherds joining in the hunt for the puppies.

Cruella sings about her allergy to cats, “I’m allergic, When I get itchy, I get twitchy, I get tetchy.”  But the cats come to the rescue! Cruella is tricked into the cage and electrocuted and in a cartoon like design coup, her eyes stand out on red stalks and electric current flashes surround her head and she vomits! 

By the first few minutes of the Second Act, I was involved with the Dalmatians’ plight and feeling I could recommend this show.  The audience joined in, many of them wearing empathetic spotty frocks or black and white shirts but no leopard prints thank goodness which would have been bad taste. 

There is a wonderful finale with the advent of the hundred and first dalmation, the last puppy to be found, a pretty, little spotty puppy with a waggy tail, a real puppy we all want to take home with us.