Dalmatians: In the spotlight

If this is a dog's life, sign me up.

Gallivanting about the country in a poshly appointed bus. Spending most of the day playing with toys and pals. Actually working only a few minutes per night.

That's the lot in life for the title characters in "101 Dalmatians," a musical making its world debut at the Orpheum Theatre on Tuesday. And for most of the pooches, it's a rags (or worse)-to-riches saga.

Nine of the production's 15 woofers either were strays or came from rescue centers. That's fitting in that, onstage, the dogs are on a rescue mission of their own: removing Pongo, Missis Pongo and their offspring from the rapacious clutches of Cruella de Vil.

Trainer Joel Slaven said his favorite of the bunch, Rascal, was "dropped off at the vet's when he was 4 months old with a broken leg, and the owner said he couldn't afford to fix it." Five months later, Rascal and his poocherrific pals spend most of their time on the "Rolling Doggie Palace," a revamped bus formerly used by the Jonas Brothers.

Phoenix-based Taylor Tours transfigured the standard tour-bus layout -- lounge in front, then sleeping quarters, then a lounge in back -- by moving the bunks (two for trainers, one for the second driver) to the front, clearing out the rest and re-walling.

The bus motored east to Long Island City, N.Y., where Showman Fabricators concocted sleeping quarters for the dogs. "Basically, we made our own Ikea crates, except with easier instructions," said "101 Dalmatians" production manager Jeff Quart. Each crate had four pieces with two doors, and slid right into the appropriate slot. The bus exterior was "wrapped" with the production's logo.

Other amenities include a portable playground and a grooming lounge -- a far cry from the days when Dalmatians were best known as the firefighter's scruffy, scrappy companion.

All of which raises the question: Is Cruella really after the dogs, or their digs?

Bill Ward • 612-673-7643

5 QUESTIONS FOR DOG TRAINER JOEL SLAVEN

Q How does the training process start?

A First, we just play with them after they're adopted, just to form a bond. And we kind of let the dogs tell us what they want to do. We try to find dogs that are high-energy and confident, and that like to have things in their mouth and to tug on things.

Q What's the biggest challenge in training them?

A It's hard to get them to socialize, so that they don't fight amongst themselves. That's harder than teaching them behavior.

Q Are Dalmatians smart, as dogs go?

A I would say average at best. They are not a working breed, like German shepherds and Labs, so they're harder to teach than those breeds. They're bred more for looks than performance. But they're not lazy dogs, and that energy can work to our advantage.

Q This is a musical. Do they "sing"?

A Not in unison. There is one dog that goes to his mark and howls on cue.

Q What do you think of "The Dog Whisperer"?

A I like him, I'm a big fan of Cesar [Millan]. I've read hundreds of dog-training books, and he does it right. He really understands canine behavior. Now, I'm not sure how he deals with all the humans.

BY THE NUMBERS

• 31 1/2 hours for the "Rolling Doggie Palace" to get from Orlando, Fla., to Minneapolis.

• 4 hours between (outdoor) potty stops.

• 0 dogs got bus-sick on the journey.

• 32 weeks the show will be on tour, starting Tuesday and finishing at Madison Square Garden.

• 4 Tony Awards for director Jerry Zaks.

• 17.5 million albums sold nationwide by Styx, whose frontman, Dennis DeYoung, is the show's composer.

• 1957 Year that Dodie Smith published the "101 Dalmatians" book.

• 2001 Year that a Spanish stage version of "101 Dalmatians" debuted.

• 0 connection between that play -- or the "101 Dalmatians" movies -- and this production.

• 7 feet tall, the height of stilt-wearing Cruella De Vil.

• 6 Dalmatians portrayed by humans in doggie outfits: Pongo and Missis Pongo by adults and their four offspring by children.

BILL WARD