Turning Judith Kerr's slim volume, a classic celebrating its fortieth birthday this year, into a 55-minute show calls for a spot of embellishment. Music, songs and magic are David Wood's forte but the slightly overblown nature of the performances of the three actors jangle somewhat and the insertion of simplistic sing-alongs seems a little strained. The ineffably polite tiger is, thankfully, mute, but 'it's behind you!' shrieking is milked for all it's worth before he's allowed to display his prodigious appetite in a series of neatly staged moves that are indeed worthy of this splendidly eccentric shaggy cat story. The visuals are spot-on, every detail of the set and costumes taken from Kerr's illustrations. Age 2-5.
