CAttS

Wonderfully, confoundingly funny
Guardian – Top 5 Comedy Shows of 2022

Everybody wants to be a cat because a cat is just a cat.

From ‘acclaimed clown’ and emerging idiot Frankie Thompson, CAttS is a lip-sync ballet through the distractions and obsessions that help us cope with an increasingly dystopian reality. Because after all, wouldn’t we rather think about cats?

The stage is set with a treadmill, yoga mat, step-up box and a big silver exercise ball . A suitable assortment for a richly physical show.

Thompson fiddles with a retro VCR and Jane Fonda’s Original Workout flickers on to a screen. “I’m trying to work out how to cope,” she tentatively tells the crowd. Before she can get going, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical interrupts, the show weaves together feline references from disparate origins – Postman Pat, The Aristocats, Don’t Tell the Bride, Antiques Roadshow.

Thompson flits between manic workouts and controlled lip-syncing of the characters on our journey, her brilliantly expressive face bringing the audio to life. Her interpretation of The Simpsons’ Crazy Cat Lady is a lovely, silly interlude, sending the audience ducking as cats fly around the room.

Underneath the fun and silliness, we’re invited to think about stress, being overwhelmed and becoming comfortable inside your own head. Thompson is a magnetic performer, her clownish physicality a joy to watch. What is a “crazy cat lady”, anyway? Maybe we all need a cat of our own to help us feel a little bit less crazy. The Guardian.

★★★★ hysterically funny, deeply strange Time Out