Pitschi, a Kitten with Dreams

• David Pollock
• 9 August 2014

This article is from 2014.

Photo: Matthew Andrews

One-woman adaptation of Hans Fischer's classic for small children at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Based on the Swiss children’s story by Hans Fischer, this new solo production from the Brighton-based Komedia offers a simple and gently-realised experience for younger children in the mainly pre-school age group.

It tells of Pitschi, the smallest of a litter of cats, who decides one day that he doesn’t want to be a feline. So he goes out and finds new animals to try to be, including a rooster, a goat and a duck.

Although not well-known on these shores, the original is a lovely, traditional story, and performer Natasha Granger captures something of its homespun warmth here. She tells the tale slowly and clearly, illustrating it with a basket of small soft toy cats, and invites the children up to stroke Pitschi for reassurance.

Her tone is well-pitched, subdued but with a certain wonder, and when the children in the audience are invited to call out answers or join in with animal impersonations, she retains enough control that the spell the show has built isn’t broken.

Quaker Meeting House, 220 6109, until 23 Aug (not 17), 9.45am, £7.50 (£5).