The Cat in the Hat

Synopsis

From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that the cat in the hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met. With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, he is certainly fun to play with. And he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mum find when she gets home...?

Our Review:

Michael Coveney - 17 December 2009

Having lately investigated the pains of youth, director Katie Mitchell is now celebrating the joys of childhood in her austere, obsessively faithful stage version - running time, just 40 minutes - of Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat. No-one’s wired for sound, no-one mumbles and all angst is on hold.

It’s as though the picture book has been pinned to the theatre, where Sally and The Boy (Helena Lymbery and Mark Arends) - why doesn’t he have a name? - look dolefully through their cut-out black and white windows, in a pure blue skyscape, wondering how to liven up their day.

The restraints placed on Mitchell and her team by the Dr Seuss estate prove, in part, an aesthetic liberation: Angus Wright’s elongated Cat - in his prickly, furry cat suit and black and white striped topper - could not be more friendly a feline, achieving his balancing apotheosis on the big ball (complete with cup, books, fish and milk on a dish) with a perfect finesse.

The Fish in the Bow...

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Latest User Review

H. Pelton - 18 December 2009:

Outstanding...

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