101 Dalmatians musical | Syndie Christmas, Jeff Brazier and Aston Merrygold at London opening night

On 24 July 2025, WhatsOnStage took a trip to the Eventim Apollo in west London, where 101 Dalmatians the Musical celebrated its official opening night. At the after party, we caught up with three of the show's stars, who are leading the limited summer run in Hammersmith, to get their thoughts on the production's amazing puppetry and how it feels to be upstaged by a real-life Dalmatian puppy! Watch Britain's Got Talent winner Sydnie Christmas (who takes on the iconic role of Cruella De Vil), Jeff Brazier (making his musical theatre debut as Casper) and JLS' Aston Merrygold (as Jasper) in our opening night video! The London cast also features Laura Baldwin (as Danielle), Samuel Thomas (as Tom), Linford Johnson (as Pongo), and Emma Thornett (as Perdi), alongside Dylan Collymore (ensemble), Victoria Compson-Bradford (swing), Benedict Hastings (ensemble), Lottie Johnson (ensemble), Rachel Lea-Gray (ensemble), Kenan Lewis Smith (ensemble), Callum Martin (ensemble), Ronan O’Hara (swing), Joe Sleight (ensemble), Chioma Uma (ensemble), and Jhanaica Van Mook (ensemble). Based on Dodie Smith’s classic story, the musical follows Cruella De Vil as she schemes to capture Dalmatian puppies to create a fur coat, placing Pongo, Perdi, and their litter of pups in danger. Featuring music and lyrics by Douglas Hodge, with a book by Johnny McKnight and stage adaptation by Zinnie Harris, the piece is directed by Bill Buckhurst. Also on the creative team are set designer David Woodhead, costume designer Sarah Mercadé, and choreographer Lucy Hind. They’re joined by musical supervisor Alfonso Casado Trigo, orchestrator Jack Hopkins, puppet designer Jimmy Grimes, lighting designer James Whiteside, and sound designer Chris Whybrow. Leigh Stanford Thompson serves as musical director, and casting is by Lucy Casson. The associate director is Blythe Stewart and the associate choreographer is Llandyll Gove.  101 Dalmatians the Musical runs at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith until 30 August 2025.