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While the late Judith Kerr will be forever best known for her mildly unsettling picture-book classic ‘The Tiger Who Came for Tea’, she also spread joy to generations of kids with another, more-lovable feline: Mog. The accident-prone tabby debuted in 1970’s ‘Mog the Forgetful Cat’, and enjoyed three decades of gentle adventures with the Thomas family before poignantly meeting her end in 2002’s ‘Goodbye, Mog’.
Adapted by theatre company the Wardrobe Ensemble and directed by Helena Middleton and Jesse Jones, ‘Mog the Forgetful Cat’ tackles the original story plus later tales ‘Mog and the Vee Ee Tee’ and ‘Mog’s Bad Thing’ (don’t worry, no ‘Goodbye, Mog’).
And the great thing about having an entire 32-year series of stories behind you is that this stage version doesn’t have to do that thing where a kids’ picture book adaptation is 15 minutes of story and 45 of padding.
Half-sung all the way through, it’s full of good-natured, eccentric cheer, with Georgina Goodchild lovably dopey as the beleaguered feline. Clearly the decision has been taken to not have her costume look slavishly similar to Kerr’s illustrations, but she captures her clumsy, toddler-like brio perfectly. The rest of the cast multitask furiously and amusingly - the most virtuosic scene is at the vets, and sees three actors play both pets and their owners simultaneously. It’s all very gentle, but leans subtly into Kerr’s unsentimental worldview, where Mog is genuinely a bit irritating – here Mr Thomas very possibly mimes an expletive at the audience when Mog wees in his chair.
It’s a show made with love, care and good humour, serving as both an introduction to Mog for the little ones and a trip down memory lane for their parents. Catch it at the Old Vic this month, or if you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe next month with small children, it’s pretty much the biggest family show at the festival and nigh-on essential viewing if you want to find something wholesome to plonk your little treasures in front of.