Residents from Bernard Sunley, our residential, nursing and dementia care home in Woking, Surrey, had a ‘paw-fect’ afternoon when they visited the New Victoria Theatre in Woking to see the smash hit musical 101 Dalmatians.
“The residents thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular show,” said Monika Ahmed, an Activities Coordinators at the care home. “Most of the residents love the TV programme Coronation Street, so it was a real treat for them to see Corrie star, Kym Marsh, playing the greatest villain of them all, Cruella De Vil.”
Dodie Smith’s 1956 classic canine caper was transformed into life at the Woking theatre. “The songs were so catchy and the puppetry amazing,” continued Ewelina Wagner, an Activities Coordinator at Bernard Sunley. “The residents loved the wonderful dancing, the funny songs and choreography – and, of course, all the adorable and irresistible puppies.”
The 1956 dog-tastic story of two Dalmatian dogs, Pongo and Perdita and their cute puppies, was made into an animated feature film by Walt Disney in 1961 and has since been revived in 1996 and 2000, with Cruella having her own film in 2021.
“Our residents love animals, especially dogs,” continued Monika. “Jazz, our Care Home Manager’s dog, visits them every day. One resident remarked that the dogs in the show were like Jazz as they considered the humans as their pets but allowed them to think that they are the owners.”
“We know how much the residents love visiting the theatre, especially to go and see musicals,” said Andy Cumper, the Registered Manager at Bernard Sunley – and Jazz’s owner. “When we heard that 101 Dalmatians was on at The New Victoria Theatre, it was the ‘paw-fect’ place to take everyone for a ‘woof-iful’ afternoon outing.”
Members of the Bernard Sunley Care Team accompanied the residents to see the dog-napping adventure. “When the curtain went up and the performance got underway, everyone was captivated by the show. During the interval, the residents tucked into tasty ice cream treats and talked about their own pets they had grown up with and loved during their lives,” continued Ewelina. “When the cast came out for their bows, the residents clapped so much they really ‘raised the woof’ with many rounds of ‘a-paws’!”
“The residents are not only keen movie buffs, but they also know a lot about dogs as well,” added Monika. “One resident told me that puppy Dalmatians are born with white coats and that it takes about three to four weeks for their distinctive spots to develop. Another said that the story of 101 Dalmatians is actually based on what happened to the author, Dodie Smith, in real life. Dodie and her Husband had two Dalmatians who gave birth to 15 puppies, just how it is at the start of the book and film.”
“I really do learn something new from the residents every day,” continued Ewelina. “I had no idea that according to the Walt Disney Animation Studios archives, 101 Dalmatians was the first Disney film to use the Xerox process to animate the drawings of hundreds of spotty dogs – and that it was the highest grossing film of 1961, beating West Side Story and The Guns of Naverone. The residents are fonts of all knowledge when it comes to films and dogs.”
“All the residents thoroughly enjoyed themselves and had ‘fur-tastic’ afternoon watching the performance, with its ‘furry-tail’ ending,” added Andy. “They are already chatting about what they’d like to see for their next thespian outing.
“The New Victoria Theatre has quite a few productions planned, but with Christmas fast approaching, the pantomime Sleeping Beauty may well be on their Christmas lists. The residents do love a good old pantomime, so we’ll have to see what Santa can do to make their Christmas wishes come true,” Monika concluded.
Find out more about Bernard Sunley care home by calling 01483 764 300 or emailing enquiries@fote.org.uk.