A small antidote to a rainy Sunday afternoon in the run up to Christmas was spent in the warm and cosy, phone-free stalls of the Royal Theatre, surrounded by pre-school and primary children.
OK, so add in a repetitively screechy cat noise, and some singing, and this might not sound so relaxing, especially if you’ve done your duty in bringing up small children (mine are now all 17 years and over). Slightly masochistic perhaps?
Let me explain: there’s something strangely soothing in being surrounded by captivated, engrossed, under tens and toddlers who are entirely engaged in the fictional action going on on stage. I’ve done enough reviews in the last three decades to know when shows don’t get it right, and kids are distracted and fidgeting. Not so here.
Mog’s Christmas is an adaptation of an earlier show I reviewed back in 2022 by the rather brilliant Bristol-based Wardrobe Ensemble. It’s from Judith’s Kerr’s hugely popular, if a little old-fashioned, Mog the Forgetful Cat books.
There was a lot of déjà vu in the first half hour as it’s a bit of a recap of the previous show with the small cast, expertly narrated through the friendly postman/policeman/ V-E-T (Tom England) and magical musical maestro/actor Daniella Agredo Piper. We’re taken through Mog’s previous escapades through the seasons until we get to Christmas.
The cat noise by the very expressive Faye Lord as Mog can feel a bit grating at first. To be fair, she’s channeling the essence of a feline without any lines except ‘meow’ for the entire show. Pretty impressive to be acting without kneepads too (that might not last for the full run, but then I’m old and my knees wouldn’t last five minutes).
We’re basically reminded of the Thomas family’s sometimes fraught relationship with their per cat. Mog, like all cats, can be annoying and destructive – anyone with a cat who has just put up their Christmas tree can testify to this.
But Mog can also be an unwitting hero, and Christmas isn’t Christmas when the cat goes missing, so cue all sorts of shenanigans to get their pet back in the house in time for the big day. There’s magical snowfall, some menacingly funny trees and a good dollop of singing.
All the kids around us (and even our own 17-year-old) were rapt throughout. You could see parents and grandparents smiling and exchanging glances at each other as the toddlers on knees, pre-schoolers on boosters and primary aged boys and girls were fully engrossed, some calling out to characters. Such is the gift of good theatre, the hour or so flew past.
So if you’d like a break away from the weather, the seasonal stress, and the big noisy ol’ traditional Peter Pan next door in the Derngate, choose Mog. She’s not that bothersome after all.
Mog’s Christmas runs at Royal & Derngate until December 31. Tickets are discounted to £10 for students and under 25s, and there are relaxed, BSL and audio described performances too. Visit here for tickets and information.
