Ellie Rose Amit and Charlotte Pine’s comedy about cats includes grooming, a spot of the zoomies and plenty of needy behaviour. But the joke is that these are the traits of two demanding pet owners: overanxious Shira, who has confined Iris to life as a house cat, and the vain Arlan, who makes Jeffabelle do tricks for TikTok.
Produced by Leeds University’s Aireborne Theatre, and directed by Amit, it’s full of promise and proof that student performance – increasingly priced out of the fringe – is vital to the Edinburgh festival ecology.
These cats don’t purr or miaow but talk through their emotions: Jeffabelle is fed up with having to jump at cucumbers and Iris has exacting standards about how she is stroked. But Danny Gordon Boyd and Phoebe Nichols, respectively, have a tactile body language that captures feline languor, superiority and playfulness. When Iris escapes through a window, Jeffabelle takes her for a night on the town to get in touch with her wild side – followed by a bashful “morning after” scene about exactly who sniffed whose bum first.
As these opposites attract, so do their owners Shira (Beth Sanders) and Arlan (Sonny Birrane), both couples nuzzling in one sweet scene. The script reflects on loneliness, liberty, life in early adulthood and the healing power of cats who “make you kinder to yourself”, says Shira. The writers clearly have their own furry inspirations and are attuned to moggy behaviour. “Water always tastes better when you don’t know how long it’s been out for,” says Jeffabelle, lapping away at a dubious drink.
Sanders displays great comic timing and the play makes hay with the awkwardness in both relationships, even if the cats’ adventure loses momentum, some jokes could be sharper and the ending feels unfinished. But it’s an appealing concept, lots of fun and gives a quirky account of human behaviour – and the cats who tolerate us.
• At theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, Edinburgh, until 23 August. Then at Etcetera theatre, London, on 26 August.
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