Above: Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape. Photo: Ellie Kurttz
The world premiere stage adaptation of Dermot O’Leary’s bestselling children’s book Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape will visit Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre from 20 to 23 August following a successful run at London’s Little Angel Theatre.
Based on the first book in O’Leary’s popular Toto the Ninja Cat series, the family production combines puppetry, original music and live performance to bring the adventures of the courageous feline to the stage. The series, illustrated by Nick East, is inspired by O’Leary’s real-life pets and has sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. It has also been translated into 17 languages.
The story follows Toto, an almost completely blind cat with extraordinary ninja skills, who embarks on a mission alongside her brother, Silver, after a deadly King Cobra escapes onto the streets of London. The production promises imaginative puppetry, comedy and music for family audiences.
The adaptation has been created by Little Angel Theatre Artistic Director Samantha Lane and musician Barb Jungr, whose previous collaboration, The Smartest Giant in Town, received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Family Show in 2023. Puppets, sets and costumes are designed by Oliver Hyman, while lighting is by Sherry Coenen. The cast features Charlotte Bloomsbury, Richard Lounds and Vinnie Monachello.
Speaking about the production, Dermot O’Leary said he was “over the moon” to see the story brought to life through puppetry, adding that the theatrical adaptation would introduce Toto’s adventures to audiences around the country.
Illustrator Nick East said he was delighted to see the character transformed into a puppet production, describing the collaboration with Little Angel Theatre as an exciting new chapter for the series.
The stage adaptation is presented through a partnership between Little Angel Theatre, Mercury Theatre and Mayflower Studios, with stage rights acquired from Hachette Children’s Group. Sarah Lennon Galavan, Head of Licensing at Hachette Children’s Group, said the books’ humour and heart had made them favourites with young readers and described the production team as the ideal partners to bring Toto’s adventures from page to stage.
Besides the multi-page theatre and culture preview in every quarterly edition of the magazine, Premier Magazine’s additional monthly ‘what’s-on’ roundup e-newsletter lands into in-boxes at the beginning of each month. Browse the latest one HERE
