By Katie Isham.
Who doesn’t love an adventure based on cats, ninja skills and a snake slithering across the main London tourist attractions?
The first morning of the summer holidays and my nephew and I were headed on a theatre jaunt (23/7/26). The junior version of this review, straight from the child’s mouth was that it was “All pretty good!”. He stared, he laughed, he called out (in appropriate places). I pushed for a more in-depth review but he was already stomping down the stairs to get to the park. Can’t get the staff.
But we get ahead of ourselves. Let’s return to the foyer: we entered the Mayflower Studios, Southampton and the stage was set with a giant full moon, a metal rubbish bin and a slab of meat hanging from a pole. My young companion was most fascinated. “Maybe the moon is magic?” he asked. I can neither confirm nor deny, but the action on stage for the next hour definitely was.
The show begins with the three talented cast members taking on the roles of keepers from London Zoo. They reflect on the events of the Great Snake Escape before they take up the cat handles and continue the action in puppetry flashback.
Nowhere do the puppets seem jarring; the skilled puppeteers swoop and trot with them as if they are a unit, even swapping characters and multitasking seamlessly. The puppetry especially lent itself to cat comedy, wrangling of dangerous animals and slow-motion ninja moves.
Their voices added to the charm of the characters and their singing elevated the songs to real theatre spectacle. My small charge was bopping his head even though he’d never heard the songs before. It was a lovely relaxed show throughout, encouraging clapping along and pantomime style audience participation.
The cacophony of chuckles and shrieks from the audience mainly made up of youngsters was a joy to witness. The biggest reaction was from Toto using her bum to exit the cat flap. Obviously. But it’s not all bum jokes. There is enough humour and even a little romance to interest all ages.
The tour across the London landmarks was fun for adults; the meeting of Larry the Downing Street cat was particularly topical. The story comes from the books of Dermot O’Leary which he wrote to chart the adventures of his real cats Toto and her brother Silver. The tale is full of heart and plays true to the nature of cats. It’s not necessary to have read the books, but if you have read them, you’ll enjoy seeing the beloved characters brought to life, as the young lady sat next to us clasping her copy of the book will attest to.
However, some of the more dramatic scenes at the end were merely recounted as characters watched through a skylight and so more avid fans of the series may feel short-changed, but with time and scale constraints, the events had to move quickly along.
My junior companion was correct in his initial, albeit brief, review; it was indeed all pretty good. Suspend your disbelief, don’t question why a cat has ninja powers and indulge in the magic of the theatre. A great way to entertain and inspire youngsters with the magic of storytelling and puppetry.
Tickets for Toto The Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape (23 – 25 July 2026) are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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