The Dog/The Cat

The Dog/The Cat features two short plays written respectively by Brendan Cowell  and Lally Katz, and presented by Fremantle Theatre Company in conjunction with JackRabbit Productions. Performed on the same set and featuring the same three performers, these yin and yang plays fit nicely together as an evening’s entertainment.

The Dog quickly establishes its location with an overflowing “Doggie Waste” bin, on the turfed shared set. We meet flatmates Marcus (Adam Sollis) and Ben (James Sweeny) as they alternately walk their dog Jerry Seinfeld, through their interactions with university lecturer Miracle (Siobhan Dow-Hall) and her dog Lola. A bitter-sweet tale of relationships, there are some great laughs, through expertly drawn characters. A touching and very enjoyable piece of theatre.

The Cat begins equally well. The story of separating couple Alex and Albert (Siobhan Dow-Hall and Adam Sollis) and their cat, ‘Cat’, (James Sweeny), it is captivating, and oddly believable - even when it ventures into the surreal, although the final few scenes perhaps take us a little over the edge. James Sweeny’s facial expressions are a delight. There are some lovely surprises which I am loathe to spoil.

The three excellent performers have fabulous rapport and coped well with an opening night audience that were chattier than suburban, seniors’ matinee (despite obviously loving the show). An intelligent lighting design from Katrina Johnson supported the show well, as did a sound design featuring local bands from Kat Shaw.

Playing on a thrust stage with the audience on three sides, this is intimate theatre, with steep rakes ensuring that everyone is close to the action. 

Sure to appeal to both cat and dog lovers, these fresh little plays with a local feel are great fun.

Kimberley Shaw