Review - Cheshire Cats - Little Theatre

Cheshire Cats  

Little Theatre 

3rd June, 2024

Written by Gail Young

Presented by the Progressive Players

Directed by Sarah Balkwill

Cheshire Cats is the story of a group of friends who enter the London Moonwalk to raise money for a Breast Cancer Charity. They each have their reasons for entering the walk, whether it's in memory of a loved one, to support their friends, or to feel supported themselves...their reasons are their own and personal, but they bring together these six very different characters. 

Some of the women are already firm friends, while others are new to the group, and one in particular doesn't quite fit, and is a bit of a surprise - Andrew is "a bloody man" on an all girls outing. 

The women joke with and about each other, they complain and cajole each other into training for, and eventually completing, the moonwalk. Despite their "training" they are not fit, and not fully prepared for a 13 mile power walk,. There are blisters, panic attacks, bladder issues, but there is also encouragement, support and friendship....and blister plasters!  

Sarah Balkwill's staging creates a sense of the occasion, with the London skyline and the background sounds of the crowds and traffic. At times the action spills out into the auditorium, with characters entering from the back and interacting with the audience, which all adds to the atmosphere and keeps the momentum of the play going.

This is a clever and warm treatment of a serious issue. The many characters in the play, from the six friends, to the marshals and the policemen all evoke the sense of fun and camaraderie experienced on the walk. You will laugh along with them but you will also feel their emotion and the pain behind their reason for taking part in the walk. 

The Moonwalk is an actual event which takes place every year in London to raise money for cancer charities. Gail Young wrote the play after walking the walk herself with a group of friends, and encourages productions to help raise money for the Walk the Walk charity - in keeping with this there is a collection at the end of the performance. The cast and crew here deserve to make bucketfuls!

Cheshire cats will be walking the walk at the Little Theatre until June 8th. Please come along and support not just local theatre, but a deserving charity. 

Denise Sparrowhawk