Cat - (The Play!!!)

You’ve got to hand it to Gerard McCarthy, pulling off a two hour musical theatre gag fest dressed in terrifying lycra, leg warmers and fluffy ears, toute seule. If that’s not enough of a challenge – writers Jamie Beamish and Richard Hardwick’s imagination takes a seriously dark turn as Dave the Cat’s bitterness turns to revenge and the jokes turn to horror.

This is definitely a show for performers, musical theatre performers to be precise and the warm receptive crowd laughed until they gasped, never missing a show-stopping reference; ‘Touch me, it’s so easy to lick me, all alone with my member’ being a fine example. Only those with a solid education in Lloyd Webber’s musicals need attend.

The Lord himself was on stage at all times, his picture framed on the piano and some of the more bizarre moments involved us imagining him riding Dave the Cat (in role as Jesus’ donkey) around the stage, followed by the song ‘Ride me Lord…’ One of the funniest numbers was the rap, ‘A to the L to the Lloyd to the Webber!’ with McCarthy’s dancing (and Richard Jones choreography) tickling even the grumpiest reviewer.

The first Act could do with a bit of editing but somehow the pace is maintained throughout the madness and there’s a truly fascinating exploration of that liminal space between ‘us’ and ‘them’ - the stage door. Apparently those on ‘the other side’ are beset with hygiene issues and sick fantasies...