World Premiere: Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape
Co-producers Little Angel Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester and Mayflower Southampton are delighted to announce the world premiere stage adaptation of Dermot O’Leary’s much loved children’s book illustrated by Nick East, Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape, published by Hachette Children’s Group. The new production will open at Mercury Theatre Colchester (2 to 18 April), Little Angel Theatre London (16 May to 19 July) and Mayflower Studios (23 – 25 July) before heading out on tour. Tickets are on-sale today at: www.mercurytheatre.co.uk and www.littleangeltheatre.com.
Author Dermot O’Leary says “I’m over the moon to see my book brought to life through puppetry. Toto is currently fast asleep, blissfully unaware of all the attention, but speaking on her behalf, she’ll be thrilled to bits that her adventures are about to come to life, in theatres to audiences all around the country.”
Illustrator Nick East says: ”Working with Dermot on the Toto the Ninja Cat series has been an utter delight, and I’m thrilled that the amazing Little Angel team are now giving our fearless feline a whole new adventure in puppet form – it’s sure to be the cat’s whiskers!”
Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape will also tour to Bristol Redgrave (28 – 30 July), Birmingham Town Hall (15 -16 August), Weymouth Pavilion (18 -19 August), Guildford Yvonne Arnaud 20 – 23 August and Capital Theatres (23 – 25 Oct) with further dates to be announced.
The bestselling Toto the Ninja Cat series is based on Dermot’s real-life pets and has sold more than half a million copies globally and has been translated into 17 languages to date.
The world of Toto and her friends will be lovingly adapted from page to stage by award-winning duo, Little Angel Artistic Director Samantha Lane and acclaimed musician Barb Jungr (Olivier nominated for Best Family Show in 2023 for their previous collaboration on The Smartest Giant in Town). Set, costume and puppets will be created by celebrated puppetry designer and Little Angel Associate Director Oliver Hyman (whose work has also been presented at Tate Modern, Royal Albert Hall and the National Gallery and who recently won a special Fringe Theatre Award for exceptional services to puppetry) and lighting will be by award-winning designer Sherry Coenen whose credits for Little Angel include A Squash and A Squeeze, The Smartest Giant in Town, Wow Said The Owl and The Singing Mermaid. Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape will be a highlight of Little Angel’s 65th anniversary season next year.
Meet Toto. She might look like an ordinary cat, but she’s no ordinary feline. Almost completely blind, Toto has incredible ninja skills, a big heart, and a nose for adventure. By day, she naps like any other pet… but by night, she’s out on daring missions with her cheeky brother, Silver.
In their very first adventure, a deadly King Cobra has escaped onto the streets of London, and it’s up to Toto to use every ounce of her courage and cunning to save the day.
This purr-fectly thrilling tale will be filled with original music, laugh-out-loud fun, and extraordinary puppetry, promising fun for the whole family.
Co-adaptors Samantha Lane and Barb Jungr said: ‘We are absolutely thrilled to be co-adapting ‘Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape’. It’s such a joyful, funny, and heartwarming story, and we can’t wait to bring Toto’s world, full of courage, friendship, and adventure, to life on stage. Led by a stellar creative team, the production promises brilliant songs, imaginative puppetry, and an abundance of surprises for audiences of all ages.’
Natasha Rickman, Artistic Director of Mercury Theatre said ‘We are so thrilled to be bringing Toto the Ninja Cat and The Great Snake Escape to the stage in this world premiere – especially with Dermot O’Leary’s connection to Colchester, having grown up here. It promises joy, music and adventure, and we can’t wait to share the magic with audiences this Spring.”
The stage rights were acquired from Hachette Children’s Group in a deal made between Sarah Lennon Galavan, Head of Licensing for Hachette Children’s Group and Samantha Lane, Artistic Director of Little Angel Theatre and Natasha Rickman, Artistic Director of the Mercury Theatre.
Sarah Lennon Galavan, Head of Licensing for Hachette Children’s Group said ‘Full of humour and heart, Dermot and Nick’s bestselling books are loved by so many young readers and their families. We are thrilled to have found the perfect stage partners in Little Angel, Mercury and Mayflower Studios, and we can’t wait to see Toto make the leap from page to stage in this wonderful new adaptation.’
Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape is a co-production between Little Angel Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester and Mayflower Southampton.
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