Ahead of their upcoming performance, we recently had the pleasure of speaking to the creative team at The Wardrobe Ensemble, the masterminds behind the magical adaptation of Mog the Forgetful Cat. Here’s what they had to say…
How did Mog the Forgetful Cat come about?
“We were approached by the Old Vic after they had seen some of our other work for children. We then met the team at Harper Collins to share our ideas for the stage adaptation – luckily they liked them! We then did a one week R&D where we read all the books and decided which ones we felt translated best to the stage.” – Helena
“The show was supposed to open in 2020 but obviously the world had other ideas… so we paused the production process but kept thinking and talking about Mog. In 2022, we were finally able to restart, with most of the same team we had before!” – Hannah
Are the Judith Kerr books something that you all grew up with?
“They certainly are! I loved reading Mog and The Tiger Who Came to Tea. There is such warmth contained within their pages. We spoke a lot in the early stages of research about the feeling you have as a child when you read a book for the first time or, as often is the case in schools and in homes, you are read to by a teacher or a family member. It is so powerful and so wonderful. It provides a moment of safety and comfort and it is an absolute pleasure to have a job that brings stories to life in a new way for children and their families.” – Tom
“I absolutely loved the Mog stories and The Tiger Who Came to Tea when I was younger. I would always be so excited to pick up any new Mog books at my school book fair. It’s been such a privilege to work with Judith Kerr’s family and Harper Collins to bring the books to life.” – Helena
What can audiences expect from the show?
“Warmth, playfulness, silliness, comfort, joy, nostalgia.” – Tom
“The show should be entertaining, fun, silly, and make children and adults laugh side by side in equal measure.” – Ben
How will the staging work?
“We’ve picked some of our favourite Mog stories and spliced them together to create a fun-filled hour of japes and scrapes with plenty of music and songs. We meet all of Mog’s ‘people’ plus a few extras including a robber, a V.E.T, and a pet shop owner to help us tell those stories the best way we can.” – Kerry
Do you have a favourite part?
“I think the trip to the V.E.T is my favourite part. What should be a fairly standard visit to get a sore paw fixed really escalates into a frenzy of dogs, parrots, and hamsters chasing Mog about the waiting room creating havoc – and there is a pretty catchy song in there too.” – Kerry
“I love playing Mr Bunce. We use Mr Bunce, and other characters like the V.E.T and the Policeman, as narrators to link together the stories we are telling and to give the children a familiar presence to follow throughout. It’s so joyous having the chance to be that touch point for the kids and is a role I relish.” – Tom
“My favourite part of the show at the moment is when I get to sing a song about how much I love my chair.” – Ben
See Mog the Forgetful Cat at Taunton Brewhouse from Saturday 8 July. Book now.
