Cruella cuts loose

The mere mention of the name Cruella De Vil will send chills up the spines of even the most courageous canines, not to mention their owners. After all, the dog-napping De Vil doesn’t covet other peoples’ pets for companionship – she likes to turn man’s four-legged best friends into fur coats.

The villainess with the half-moon pastry hairstyle first appeared in the 1956 children’s book, “The One Hundred and One Dalmatians” by Dodie Smith, and was immortalized in the 1961 animated feature “One Hundred and One Dalmatians” where she was voiced by Betty Lou Gerson. A 1996 live-action remake of that Walt Disney classic starred Glenn Close. The story of Pongo and Perdita and their large litter of purloined puppies is now a live musical, with a score by Styx front man Dennis DeYoung, opening next week at Boston’s Wang Theatre starring Rachel York as the pelt-coveting Cruella, and featuring a cast of 30, plus 15 dalmatians.

York is a bona-fide Broadway leading lady with starring roles in “City of Angels,” “Les Miserables,” “Victoria, Victoria,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” and “Sly Fox.” She also memorably played Lucille Ball in the 2003 CBS-TV movie, “Lucy.” In a telephone conversation last week from a Dallas tour stop, the 38-year-old Orlando native said she was having fun playing a less-than-likeable character.

Town Commons: Do you remember when you first become aware of “101 Dalmatians?”

Rachel York: My first memory is seeing the movie, but I know I read the book, too. As a kid, I can even remember doing impersonations of Cruella De Vil for my family.

TC: What do think of Cruella De Vil?

RY: I think I’ve always loved the character, because she is just so out there and over-the-top, you can’t look away from her. When I first heard they were auditioning for “The 101 Dalmatians Musical,” I avoided the films so that they wouldn’t be fresh in my mind. I just knew that I had the Cruella De Vil character somewhere in me and that I was ready to play her. I devised my interpretation, with help from our director, the amazing Jerry Zaks, and then I watched the animated version just to see how we were doing. My Cruella is inspired by strong females like Bette Davis, Shirley Bassey, Eartha Kitt, and Anne Baxter in “The Ten Commandments.” Our Cruella still has the pallid grey complexion, of course, but she’s also very glamorous.

TC: You and your fellow cast members are performing on stilts to allow audiences to see life from a dog’s point of view. What’s that like?

RY: They’re 15-inch stilts and they weigh about 15 pounds each so it took some time to get used to them. I have a chance to get a real work-out and be ridiculously over the top every time I put on the stilts. I think they give Cruella more power, too, which is fun to play.

TC: People of a certain age know Dennis DeYoung as a songwriter and founding member of the rock group Styx (“Lady,” “Come Sail Away,” “Mr. Roboto.”) Tell us about his score for this show?

RY: One of the highlights of this whole experience has been the chance to do a great variety of music by Dennis DeYoung which includes a terrific reggae number called “Be a Little Braver.” I also have three of my own numbers including “Hot,” which I do sort of like Marilyn Monroe in “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “Hail to the Chief,” and “Cruella Gets Her Way” which really allow me to cut loose vocally.

TC: Your canine co-stars have their own customized tour bus complete with grooming station and portable playground. Are you concerned that they might upstage you?

RY: They don’t just have their own bus, they also have personal assistants. I’m not too worried about sharing the stage with them, however, because I mug more than any of the real dalmatians ever could.

Rachel York stars in “The 101 Dalmatians Musical” at the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., Boston, Dec. 23-27. For tickets and information, visit the box office or call 866-348-9738.