Mog The Forgetful Cat by The Wardrobe Ensemble at Cambridge Arts Theatre.
This is a delightful show, Judith Kerr’s story about Mog the Forgetful Cat is beautifully acted and thoughtfully told.
Hanora Kamen who plays Mog is wonderfully feline and you feel the human family’s frustration when the naughty puss spills mum’s pan of peas, sits on dad’s flowers and squashes a precious hat.
Cast of six play multiple roles
The cast of six play multiple roles with great aplomb – including Mog’s human family of four, all the animals at the vet which Mog must visit after she gets a thorn in her paw – and the magnificent moggies at the village’s annual cat show.
Mog has various adventures, and we see her in her house and garden through the seasons of the year. There are some nice musical numbers, which in a show designed for grown-ups would have brought enthusiastic applause but the audience of mainly four to six-year-olds were utterly absorbed.
I expect at that age, you don’t realise that’s what you are expected to do. Not unless you have been given specific instructions. (Only silent sweets and you can clap when they stop.)
The show has a great deal of finesse and warmth. I absolutely loved it. I wonder if for some of the very little children – and it is recommended for ages three plus – it might just have been just a smidgeon too sophisticated and subtle. I wondered if they realised how clever it was.
There is a lovely score with piano accompaniment throughout and an inspired set which provides Mog and her family with a charming home and garden – and an enormous cat flap.
This is an engaging show for young theatregoers, which older people will appreciate too.
Mog the Forgetful Cat is at Cambridge Arts Theatre until Sunday, March 5. The show runs for one hour. Performances mornings and afternoons.
