When he’s scratched by a lion cub as a child, Charlie Ashanti develops the ability to speak cat. It turns out to be very useful when Charlie’s scientist parents, who are working on a cure for asthma, are kidnapped by an evil multinational pharmaceutical company, the Corporacy, who know that such a cure would put a big dent in their profits. With the help of some feline friends – including an engaging alley cat and some caged big cats from a travelling circus – Charlie sets out to find and rescue his parents and stop the Corporacy’s world domination.
Mother and daughter double act Louisa Young and Isabel Adomakoh Young wrote the bestselling Lionboy trilogy of books under the pen name Zizou Corder. It’s full of thrills and spills, and has a light touch as it considers issues of democracy and getting your voice heard. But the story is not as well served as you’d expect by Complicite’s staging. Set in a world where oil is in short supply and pollution widespread, the show is often short on the fantastical and a real sense of adventure, heavy on environmental earnestness.
As you’d expect from this company, the production is always intelligent and frequently thoughtful, but it lacks a thrill factor. Even Complicite’s famed physical prowess is often muted here, particularly in the rather humdrum circus sequences, although the cast are rather fabulous as the proud felines who Charlie sets out to return to Africa.
Martin Hiscock’s score and percussive sound effects are terrific, the shadow play is fun and there is a clever moment with a hot air balloon. But the storytelling feels rushed and episodic particularly in the second half, and the overreliance on narration and a lack of dialogue robs the story of human interaction and emotional resonance. It’s just one set piece after another as the show careers towards its climax.
Martins Imhangbe is strong and appealing as Charlie, and Angel Lopez-Silva seizes his chances as the corrupted Rafi, but you long to see more of the intricacies of the boys’ relationship and not just a simplified good versus bad dynamic. Always more of a theatrical tabby than an elegant big cat, this adaptation isn’t sleek enough to deliver purr-fection.
• Until 10 January. Box office: 020-7328 1000. Venue: Tricycle theatre, London. Then touring UK to 21 February, Hong Kong and South Korea.
