Did you know, there are six million cat owners in the UK? This will be just one of the facts I take away from Frankie Thompson’s miraculous debut show Catts, another one being that Andrew Lloyd Webber smells of cat wee (it’s not slander if it’s in a comedy show).
But the main takeaway should be that Catts is without a doubt one of the most exciting, funny, and genuinely out-there debuts to grace this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Frankie is a born comedic talent, with the facial fluidity to match, and so much to say – despite the fact that most of the hour is lipsynched – she uses every part of her body to communicate, something that clowns have the ability to do just as well as the best stand-ups can turn a phrase.
Dressed in Puma (first subtle cat reference) workout gear and surrounded by aerobic equipment, Frankie darts around the stage, frenetic and breathless, chasing a spotlight and cosying up to the front row. “I’m trying to work out how to cope,” she says as she attempts to follow along with Jane Fonda’s 80s exercise tape.
Frankie’s physicality is unmatched, from something reminiscent of Bagpuss being exorcised to heaving out hairballs, to her increasingly manic use of the treadmill. Highlights come in her hilarious lip-sync performances of an Apprentice contestant desperately trying to sell kitten calendars to the audience, Elaine Paige reminiscing about Memory from Cats, and a truly haunting family of stuffed white cats up for grabs on Antiques Roadshow ($900-1,200 if you’re interested).
At many points she hits a nerve. A recurring clip of a cat on a giant hamster wheel, stuck repeating the same few steps over and over again until she bashes her hand on the VCR, is a painfully familiar image for someone who knows what it’s like to be stuck on a loop inside your own head; Meow takes on new meaning to show her pain (‘me, ow’); crazy cat ladies are maybe just…ladies with cats?
Directed by Liv Ello, themself a performer with a show, Swarm, at the Fringe, Catts is a faithfully and resolutely queer production. Though not explicitly stated, to be honest, very little is, anyone who has spent any time at the best queer nights or cabaret variety shows will feel very much at home.
Catts is an epically strange clown show, and that is the highest compliment I can give.
★★★★★
Frankie Thompson: Catts is at the Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker Two at 21:25 until 28th August (not 16th). For tickets and more information click here!
