» Review: Brighton Festival -The Owl and The Pussycat
Hiccup Theatre’s The Owl and the Pussycat was a great load of lovely quince, mince and runcible spoon nonsense. Owl and Cat made their way through this enchanting performance (based on Edward Lear’s poem), with imagination, and inventiveness; Their pea green boat was a fallen step ladder, then an up-ended umbrella; leaves plucked from the colourful set turned into boats and bees, woods and trees. Claire Harvey (Cat) and Simon Kerrigan (Owl) gave accomplished, humorous, and touching performances, accompanied by composer Ivan Stott who wove singing narrations and plucking instruments from a tree. John Barber (puppet maker) surpassed himself with the pig and turkey. Pig danced around the bong tree, watering his umbrella flowers and making jokes with Ivan’s hand up his back the whole time… but nobody seemed to notice. The audience sat wide-eyed with mouths open, drinking in the magic.
P.S. my mum told me a runcible spoon was a double-headed devise from which you could eat cheek to cheek.
8 May, Sallis Benney Theatre
Rating: 
Fleur Shorthouse
