Cheshire Cats

Cheshire Cats follows Hilary, Siobhan, Yvonne, Vicky and Maggie as they attempt to speedwalk their way to fundraising success walking the 13 miles of the Moonwalk across London in record time, wearing their decorated bras (along with other clothing too!). Cheshire Cats is a cross between a girls’ night out and a real mission to support a cause close to many hearts, with plenty of laughs and a few tears along the way. 

The main cast consisted of strong female actors. Heather Bambridge as Vicky brought a loved-up teenager essence to the character, head over heels for Andrew. Maggie, the caring, plaster wielding, aspiring artist was played sensitively by Clare Patrick. Her final monologue was emotionally felt by the audience. Amy Ford was comical in the role of Hilary. She’s a bossy character, in control but with good intentions. Abbie Hales and Charlene Clarke played Siobhan and Yvonne, Abbie brough a calmness to the group whilst Charlene’s character was constantly complaining! Jack Ebsworth as Andrew, the 6th member of “Cheshire Cats”, brought fun to the role, constantly teasing Yvonne.  

The second half picked up the pace with the supporting cast. Alison Thomas gave a cracking performance as the eccentric aerobics instructor in her bright pink 80s leotard! She even managed to get some of the audience doing the warm-up. As part of the supporting cast, Michael Graves and Jean Thomas provided comical moments as Ron and Madge the Moonwalk marshals. Josh Bambridge as the drunk person was relatable, I’m sure everyone has come across a happy drunk person who has no idea as to what is going on at some point in their life. 

The direction was provided by Peter Darnell. He kept the set simple which worked with the location. I really liked how each character stood in the same spot on the stage when delivering their monologues, commanding the attention of the audience. It was encouraging that all of the Cheshire Cats tried with an accent, although, it seemed more of a challenge for some to maintain an accent throughout. 

There were fitting sound effects throughout, setting the scene, creating a natural sound of being outside walking, hearing birdsong and traffic to the incoherent train announcements emanating the frustrations of real life, creating chuckling from the audience. It was a shame there had been technical difficulties, resulting in a late start and also the stage being plunged into darkness at times. However, this didn’t distract the actors on stage, they carried on without missing a beat. 

With regard to the costumes, I really like the interpretation of the Cheshire Cats Moonwalk outfit. The girls, and Andrew looked like a united front in matching outfits bras, tutus and light up cat ears which added character. It was well thought out for the cast to turn them on and off to fit in with the blackouts. 

Overall, the play was well rehearsed and performed with ease despite the technical difficulties. Well done to all the cast, crew and production team. 

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