Tobermory is the perfect name for a special cat, in this cheeky adaptation of a short story by HH Munro aka Saki. Rachel Moorhead’s adaptation for the Questors Student Group takes significant liberties with the tale.
The setting is a house party given by Lord and Lady Blemley (David Richardson and Jennifer Roxanne Sills), and is staged on their terrace and in the garden. We meet their guests and relations, plus the various dogs, cats, and even a parrot who gather on the estate.
When scientist Cordelia Appin (Julie Mannion) declares a breakthrough in teaching an animal – Tobermory – to talk, the Blemleys and those around them worry about gossip as the cat makes pointed remarks and is known to frequent “the balustrade outside the bedroom”.
This is a story of wit, of wickedness, and of wildness. Much of the action is reported as it takes place off-stage, as a plot is hatched to dispatch the chatty feline, but a couple of moments of violence unfolds as we watch.
With a lot of characters to keep track of (I counted at least eight humans and seven animals/bird) Tobermory requires significant concentration, but it is a lively tale that for the most part keeps up the pace.
Those who know cats well will smile at some of the assumptions and behaviour. Saki purists, however, may balk at the changes made to Munro’s pair of jokers, Clovis (Tariq Said) and Bertie (Luca Olimpi) to aid Moorhead’s plot.
There are some excellent performances here: I’d like to highlight Annika Sauff’s haughty Eva, Anastasiia Shupyk’s companion Sophia, Sara Canelli’s snarky parrot, and of course, Vladimir Garcia as Tobermory, with special mention to Martin Vlastanov’s truly sinister Custard the cat.
This is Moorhead’s first full-length play, and with director Richard Gallagher, and costume designer Sarah Andrews, she brings us a world where privilege is blinkered, animals are devious, and anything is possible.
I’m giving this 3 stars.
Tobermory: a cat’s tale continues at Questors Studio until 21 Mar – tickets here.
Photo credit: Robert Vass