The Mousehole Cat

The Mousehole Cat

A puppet show for any age from 4 to very grown-up

by PuppetCraft

Mousehole Cat Drawing

Based on the award winning book.

Text ©1990 Antonia Barber. Illustrations ©1990 Nicola Bayley.  Published by Walker Books Ltd.

Inspired by an old folk legend the story tells of the Cornish village of Mousehole where a storm has been raging for weeks…

Everyone is hungry as the boats cannot leave the harbour to fish…
so old Tom the fisherman and his cat Mowzer set out to sea in their tiny boat, braving the fury of the Great Storm-Cat…
to try and save the village.

This charming tale, which is still celebrated each year in the village of Mousehole,
is brought to life by carved wooden puppets,
coloured shadows, live music, song and a beautiful set.

Tom and Cat

Review
Puppeteers bring Mousehole Cat alive.

‘There is only one way to see a puppet show, and that’s to see it surrounded by children. It was good to see the theatre packed to the gunnels for PuppetCraft’s production of “The Mousehole Cat”.  Based on the award winning  children’s book by Antonia Barber, set against a backdrop of  the village of Mousehole which for visual appeal came close to matching Nicola Bayley’s original illustrations and told through the miaowing and purring of Mowzer the Cat, from start to finish it grabbed everyone – of whatever age, from four years old upward – in a paw-like grip, matched only by that of the Great Storm Cat’s. Using a mix of carved wooden puppets, coloured shadows, live music, song and sound effects the puppeteers brought to life the legendary Tom Bawcock, who saved the villagers of Mousehole from starvation by putting to sea in a fearsome gale on the day before Christmas Eve and catching seven sorts of fish, enough for everyone to make and enjoy a life-saving, local delicacy – starry gazey pie.  Laced with good humour, from orchestrated audience participation…. the chorus of “starry gazey pie”, the singing and the dancing, to the unrehearsed, spontaneous cries of pleasure, the Devon-based company PuppetCraft, which has been performing nationally and internationally for the past decade, did more than enough to convince all concerned that as the song says, Mousehole is, indeed a merry place to be on Tom Bawcock’s Eve.’  The Cornishman Newspaper.

Catpub

Click here for bookings
Click here for the Star Gazy Pie Recipe
Click here for technical details and credits

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