The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat - Belgrade Theatre, Coventry

Photo: Robert Day

This is an all new musical based on the book of the same name by Eric Idle, adapted for the stage by Dougal Irvine.

From the start, when you are involved in a company warm up, singing a song and making noises, you can tell this is going to be a fun family show. It is established that the poem The Owl and the Pussycat doesn’t make much sense, why would an Owl and a Pussycat go to sea in a beautiful pea green boat?The players decide to make the poem into a story that at the same time tries to make sense of parents, shopping and the extinction of the dinosaurs. This is no small task in 2 hours.

Owl and Pussycat don’t quite fit in with their peers, they have a secret that makes them different. These two unlikely friends soon find themselves on a journey to the Land of Bong to save the world.

Danny Lane is the shy and gentle Owl while Sally Frith is the outgoing dancing Pussycat. Both work well together contributing different things to the adventure. Playing Flicker and Brimstone at the same time with a twist of the hat is Yanick Ghanty. His ability to change between characters instantly is impressive, the fight scene between his two characters will have children giggling and parents in wonder. Other multi character players are Miri Gellert who handles the puppets Yin and Yang to great effect and plays the nonsense speaking Turkey. Lizzie Wofford playing Professor Bosh, Pig and Dinosaur and Dougal Irvine as the Guitar and Pyron the dragon. The energy and enthusiasm from the cast shine through and ensure an enjoyable performance.

The set was cleverly lit with projections to create the different scenes, this added an extra dimension to the production.

This is a lovely show that is sure to keep the children and adults entertained. There are plenty of messages hidden within the story, including to be yourself and that diversity and nonsense are good. These make this more than a light hearted musical and hopefully will give children and adults alike something to think about. A perfect treat for the family that will put smiles on their faces.

Reviewer: Annette Nuttall