Doctor Dolittle (tour)

Most people’s memories of the score to the sweet musical Doctor Dolittle stem from the classic film starring Rex Harrison. The previous UK stage version featured Phillip Schofield as the animal-loving Doc. The story was also remade for the movies starring Eddie Murphy. So there have been a fair few interpretations. Perhaps this explains why the opening night of the Manchester leg of the tour was so sparsely attended.

This is a shame as this inoffensive family show, although not flawless, does have its moments. The quack himself is played by Tommy Steele, who gives his usual upbeat performance – if his style may be a little bit cheesy by today’s standards, it’s totally in keeping with the infectiously feel-good nature of the piece. And while Steele’s singing voice is not what it was, the man can still move like the best of them.

One element that jars slightly is the loose love angle between Emma Fairfax (Abigail Jaye) and the doctor. The usual romantic complications lead to a state of equilibrium by the close which is what you expect. It’s the lack of chemistry between these two which fails to convince, as Steele is simply too old for Jaye. Nevertheless, this talented actress is in good voice and makes her character seem far feistier than she’s written.

The animals themselves are beautifully designed (by Scott Brooker), veering from muppet in style (a scene-stealing pig) to pantomime horse (a pushmi-pullyu llama). At times, the limitations of some of the costumes are tested to the limits, the pushmi-pullyu for example walks in so many different directions that the seams start to reveal the shape of the actors inside.

The plot itself is very slight for a show over two hours in length, and the pace drags in act two. Not only that, when Hugh Lofting first wrote the Doctor Dolittle books, the world was less aware of animal intelligence and cruelty, whereas today such messages seem a bit wasted on the target audience. For the most part, this is a nice family show that will keep younger members of the family smiling and singing along. But the rose-tinted nostalgia that songs like “Talk to the Animals” used to hold has largely ebbed away thanks to changing attitudes.

– Glenn Meads