A DELIGHTFUL theatre version of The Cat in The Hat graced The Palace Theatre for two days only.

The whole production is great fun, performed with gusto and clarity.

The recommended age for the books is three-to-seven, so I took along two seven-year-old Cat fans for an insight. 

In pre-iPad days, Dick and Sally were stuck in the house on a cold and wet day with nothing to do until a giant cat in a hat shows up. With simple rhymes and a love of chaos he transforms their day into fun, frolics and naughtiness, and even makes tidying up fun.

 


The whole production is great fun, performed with gusto and clarity. The set and costumes are striking and replicate the book; voices are clear and the rhyming style of the story works well, encouraging children to join in, quietly. 

This production by Lillie Collier based on Katie Mitchell's original National Theatre adaptation, gets children's theatre just right. Although the storyline requires a good deal of silliness the show never reduces to relying on silliness for comedy.  The scenes with bubbles are just brilliant, thanks to designer David Shields.

Cat In A HatCat In A Hat

The Cat in The Hat was written by Dr. Seuss in 1957 in response to the concern that children's reading books presented abnormally well-behaved, unbelievable child characters who weren't sufficiently engaging.  I'm more familiar with Dick and Dora, who never transgressed.  I can't imagine being excited about seeing Dick and Dora on stage, but there's a real buzz when you enter the theatre to see Dick, Sally and The Cat.  Even better, the show and the theatre didn't exploit a potential merchandising opportunity; the children are here to see a show and not to pester their parents and grandparents for yet more spending.

My seven-year-old companions really enjoyed it, but they would have liked more. The show's 45 minutes is probably ideal for the younger age-group, and there were plenty of three-year-olds fully engaged in their first theatre experience.

The Cat In The Hat showed at the Palace Theatre on 7-8 April and continues in Grimbsy and Bromley theatres see here.