Theatre Production: The Owl and The Pussycat
Location: The Old Rep Theatre, Station Rd, Birmingham, B5 4DY
Time: 29th May 11:30am
Theatre company: Full House Theatre @fullhousetheatre
Production Length: 55 minutes
Today, me and Matilda went to see a great adaptation by Harriet Hardie and Ben Miles of the very old and very famous poem by Edward Lear, The Owl and the Pussy Cat, with one of her best friends from school.
The story concentrates on Owly-Cat (Harriet Forgan) and her two family members Jumblie (Jordan Eilaych) and Quangle Wangle Quee (Ben Hammond) as they travel together to the land of dolomphious where the bong tree grows, in the quest to find out the history of Owly-Cat and how such a creature (part owl and part cat) came to exist.
We entered the theatre, welcomed in at the door by a member of the team and had the usual great customer service from The Old Rep employees who are always incredibly efficient, friendly and make you feel very welcome in the beautiful old fashioned building.
We were nice and early so sat in the foyer for a bit whilst waiting for the auditorium to be opened. There’s a section where you can buy drinks and sweets here, so we got ourselves a drink and browsed the leaflets in the foyer. There looks to be some more great shows coming to the theatre soon. So I do recommend checking out The Old Reps website here to see what else is showing soon.
We were soon welcomed into the auditorium. Where we were greeted by Owly Cat who was moving around the theatre, making cat and owl like noises to people as they entered. Matilda found this hilarious and kept belly chuckling which in turn, made me giggle, along with others in the room. Owly cat finally made her way down to the front of the room sitting in front of the stage in a nest like bed, pretending to be asleep.
The show then started.
The show begins with Quangle Wangle Quee moving around on the stage looking at a map. Jumblie then enters the stage to help Quangle Wangle Quee fill up a box with various items they might need for the journey that they are soon to commence. Items included a stool, an exhaust pipe and a shelving unit. All overflowing in the box. Making the children in the audience giggle.
Owly-cat then awakes from her sleep to join them on the stage where it becomes clear that they are a family of three about to embark on a journey to find more out about Owly-cat and where she may have come from.
It is a great story for teaching children about family. Both biological and the none blood related family that you choose.
The show was great. The use of movement, words and also songs kept the children entertained. Coupled with a fantastic set design where a few items of rubbish managed to turn into a mode of transport, the layout seemed to just magically work and provide a place for the actors to stand, dance, sit and even use shadow puppets at one stage. It was a very well thought out and designed stage set. Complimented further by a great cast of actors who could not only act but could harmonise together and sing very well. Harriet Forgans voice was captivating in parts and Rebecca Applin should be recognised for her contribution to this stage show and its music.
I asked Matilda what her favourite part was and she told me it was when she was able to catch the moon. I thought this was a really nice touch in the show, ensuring that the audience participation and connection that was created with Owly-cat at the start of the show, was continued at the end of the show with the other actors too. It was a well thought out part to the show that definitely got the children all excited. And the adults too. Well, definitely me. Ha!
I thought the show was cleverly done. I had wondered how the poem would be turned into nearly an hours worth of a play, but it was a fantastic twist and adaptation of the poem and one I will recommend to others.
The nonsense world of Edward Lear is one not to be missed.
Matilda and her school friend Finley gave it a very big thumbs up! Thank you for having us @theoldreptheatre. A perfect start to the half term week.
Disclaimer: We received complimentary tickets in return for an honest review. And this is exactly what we have given. It’s a tremendous show that is perfect for children aged three and above AND adults. Professional photos of the show are courtesy of The Old Rep.
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