Tabby offers purr-fect lively fun for the family

Tabby McTat, Albany Theatre, Coventry, October 12. The power of Julia Donaldson never fails to amaze. While Tabby McTat is not as popular a book as the Gruffalo, the packed lively audience at the Albany Theatre proves it has its fans. The four actors bringing this tale to life worked their way to the stage through the audience, hilariously propelled by one very excitable schoolboy who wanted more audience participation than the script allowed for. The story itself is quite disjointed. If you’ve seen any of the other Donaldson stage shows where characters are clearly defined through obvious costumes and a guiding set, you'll find this performance very different. The characters are mainly defined through a series of different hats, which, although carefully explained to the audience, could leave some kids feeling a bit lost. As you might expect from a show about a busking cat, music and song are prominent and a scene where the actors played invisible instruments was particularly captivating. Designed to entertain and delight a young audience, there was a good sprinkling of magic tricks too. It's not a straight retelling of the book, but as a piece of lively entertainment for the under-fives and their families it wins.

albanytheatre.co.uk