Mog the Forgetful Cat – The Lowry, Salford and Touring

Mog the Forgetful Cat was reviewed at The Lowry, Salford. The production then tours until 29 June 2023.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Judith Kerr’s mischievous feline creation has been delighting children since the first Mog picture book was published in 1970. It is surprising, then, that this musical adaptation from The Wardrobe Ensemble, in collaboration with the Old Vic and the Royal & Derngate, Northampton, marks the first time that the character has been brought to life on stage.

Thankfully, the resulting show, co-directed by Helena Middleton and Jesse Jones and devised by Middleton, Jones, the seven-strong cast and an array of Wardrobe Ensemble collaborators, captures all the fun and family-friendly magic of Kerr’s books perfectly.

A lot of this is to do with Laura McEwen’s picture book perfect set, an adaptable backdrop that conjures up the Thomas family’s home and a range of other locations depicted in Kerr’s illustrations with simple ease. McEwen’s costumes also make the characters look like they’ve sprung from the pages of the Mog stories, a riot of browns and yellows that will be recognisable to anyone who grew up in the 1970s. There’s also invention on display elsewhere in the innovative costumes that are split down the middle to allow actors to portray pet owners and their beloved pets simultaneously.

Georgina Goodchild, impressing in her professional stage debut, may not have an identical look to the character from the books, but her fluid, physical performance as Mog conveys the essence of the beloved family cat perfectly. This is especially true in the many dream sequences, where Mog gets to fly or – in one of many simple but effective examples of ingenious stagecraft – transforms into a butterfly.

The adaptation cleverly weaves together several of the best-loved Mog stories into an episodic narrative that covers a year in the life of the cat and her owners, with Rajiv Pattani’s subtle lighting effects and Beth Duke’s sound design showing the changing of the seasons.

The show starts in a relaxed, accessible fashion, with Tom England’s pet shop owner Mr Bunce – who also acts as narrator – asking the kids in the audience about the pets they have or would like to own. As these interactions continue, the lights come down and the cast begin to assemble, and, before you know it, the show has begun. It’s a canny device that works brilliantly for any pre-schoolers who may be coming to the theatre for the first time.

There is also a nicely judged level of cheeky humour – Mog wees on Mr Thomas’ favourite chair or scratches the vet’s bottom in a raucous visit to the surgery – that will tickle the older children in the audience.

Joey Hickman’s simple but effective songs – mostly played on piano or, occasionally, trumpet by Max Gallagher, who also gets to join in with the fun in an array of supporting roles – work as a seamless accompaniment to the onstage action without drawing too much attention to themselves. The only exception to this is the catchy ‘Bother That Cat!’ which gets several reprises and is performed with gusto by the well-drilled cast.

It all adds up to a delightful family treat that honours the most well-loved elements of the original books while adding some nicely understated novel touches of its own.

Chris Bartlett