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Oct 13, 2009 8:30 am US/Central
4-Legged Thespians Hit Orpheum Stage
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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"101 Dalmatians" starts tonight and runs through Sunday at the Orpheum. (File)
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This week, the Orpheum Theatre is going to the dogs. "101 Dalmatians" is kicking off its national tour here Tuesday night.
The show follows the story of the classic Disney movie of the same name. Cruella De Vil dognaps ten puppies from their parents and their owners.
The show features real dogs, actors playing dogs and actors portraying the human characters from the film.
Making everyone stand apart is tough, so the actors playing people are wearing stilts. The stilts allow them to be taller than the actors playing some of the animals.
Fifteen actual Dalmatians are also in the show. Most of the animals are rescue dogs and are traveling the country in a special tour bus.
Four trainers, including Shannon Dennison, work with the animals to get them ready for the stage and the crowds.
"We've done a ton of desense (sic) work with these guys," says Dennison. "We've been working with them for about 3 months and we've taken them every place possibly imaginable, and we've done a lot of work desensing (sic) them to those types of things."
The trainers are also quick to point out that Dalmatians are not for everyone as a family pet. The dogs are very high energy and need a lot of attention and care.
"We do ask that everyone does their homework. They're not for everyone," says Dennison. "They are very, very energetic dogs. They need a lot of enrichment. They're not the type of dog that's going to be happy 8 hours a day sitting at home on your couch."
The people who created the music for the show are also top-notch. Dennis DeYoung composed and co-wrote many of the songs. He is one of the founding members of the rock group Styx.
"101 Dalmatians" starts tonight and runs through Sunday at the Orpheum. Tickets cost from $23 to $73. The theater asks that children be at least 6 years old to attend the show.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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