Mutts

A play sure to delight animal lovers, but imbued with enough perceptive wit to engage a more general audience, Mutts tells the story of nine poor, unfortunate dogs who have wound up thrown in the pound. In order to stave off the boredom of their incarceration, and keep their minds from dwelling on the bleak fate that awaits should no one come to claim them, this motley assortment of canines engage in spirited arguments about the facts of life and share stories of their past.

Red (Jabez Retallick) is a naïve country kelpie, is discarded due to his ineptitude in rounding up livestock, and has his romantic "dog is man's best friend" illusions shaken up. The slow-witted Spock (Damien White) and spoilt glamour-pooch Molly (Shannon Gray) both let their wanderlust get the better of them, though the latter holds out some hope that her owner has not forgotten her. Socks (Maxine Grubel), whose propensity for digging landed him in trouble, resorts to braggart posturing in order to mask his insecurities about the future, which brings him into conflict with the cynical and temperamental Peppa (Kristin Telfer), who is behind bars for lashing out at bullying humans. Meg (Kyla Booth) and Measles (Maxine Harding) swing back and forth between wild hope and abject despair, whilst their older, more world-weary cell-mates, Titan (Brian Godfrey) and Jude (Joanna Webb) endeavour to face the future with dignified resignation.

Shannon Norfolk's design is minimalist, but suitably evocative of the grimly claustrophobic animal refuge environment. The costumes are similarly low key, rather than full-bodied dog outfits, a few caps and stuck-on ears are all that serve to convey the characters' canine natures, other than the cast's body language and the intricacies of director Moore's blocking.

Fortunately that proves more than sufficient given the high quality of the performances. Each member of the cast does a wonderful job of creating a unique and consistent set of mannerisms that successfully conveys their characters' non-human nature, but never to the extent that it distracts from the underlying emotion of any given scene. Godfrey's grizzled veteran performance probably pulls strongest on the heartstrings, whilst Gray's bubbly ditziness tickles the funnybone most, but really, all the cast have magnificently striking moments.

This is not a tightly plotted piece, but because the dialogue is so snappy, this talky play never really drags. Though there is some mild profanity and innuendo that would make it unsuitable for very young children, older kids and teenagers should find Mutts an accessible and entertaining work. The story plays out with the kind of gentle, good-hearted snark that the "Garfield" comic strips excelled at during their 1980s peak, and makes for an amiable night out all round. This is only the second time "Mutts" has ever been performed and hopefully not the last. Those on the lookout for vibrant new theatrical works should definitely check it out.

Benjamin Orchard