Whether you’re a cat lover or hater, there’s plenty to like about Hell’s Kitty, a new musical playing during the Hollywood Fringe Festival from director Denis McCourt about a man and his beloved (and possibly possessed) cat. This is but the latest in a line of adaptations of the story originally created by Nicholas Tana about his experiences with his cat which began as a comic book and web series before being adapted into a film starring Tana alongside Michael Berryman and Doug Jones.
Nick (Joey Hunt) has two big problems: he’s has writer’s block and his cat, Angel (Isabel Symington Caxide), keeps pushing away all the people in his life. Things are looking up for him as his date, Lisa (Maeve Thompson Osgood), shows up at his apartment and it seems like it’s going well until she gets too close to Angel, leading to her getting a nasty swipe. Now he’s got one more problem with Lisa not wanting to have anything to do with him and threatening to sue for her pain and suffering. Enter Adam (Patrick Steward), Nick’s best friend with plenty of grand plans for solving Nick’s feline woes.
This cavalcade of bizarre characters that Nick employs to rein in his little demon make up the majority of the show’s running time and make for a fun and often pretty hilarious ride as you never know what sort of wacky angle they’re going to take or how Angel is going to inevitably send them running with their tails between their legs. It’s a pretty lowbrow affair that’s a bit oversaturated with pussy puns for my liking but the slapstick comedy fits the absurd narrative.
Hell’s Kitty features a large cast and they seemed quite at ease in their roles, especially given that this was opening night. Nick is the classic hapless every man, a sympathetic optimist with a bright, confident voice to match. Adam is the perfect sidekick and comic foil with a tall, lanky silhouette that makes each of his movements punchy as he throws his limbs across the stage with manic abandon. Isabel Symington Caxide plays Angel the cat and she’s a good cat, as cat’s go. When she’s alone and at ease with Nick, she’s friendly and loving and she’s got a great absent-minded stare when pawing around a toy but when an intruder enters into her space, she’s quick to go on the offensive with a ferocious prowl. I just wish that she had a bit more to do given how integral she is to the plot. She takes the lead in one song and she’s got some serious powerhouse vocals, so it would have been nice to get more of her perspective.
But what is a musical without the music? And Hell’s Kitty shines here, featuring an upbeat and eclectic score that jumps from genre to genre to capture the essence of the scene. There’s a familiar and nostalgic swing sound that they keep coming back to but this is contrasted with blustering horns during moments of conflict and some 90’s smooth R&B when it wants to explore some of the more curious aspects of the relationship between Nick and Angel. These are some of the weirdest but also some of the most hilarious moments as the relationship goes in a not entirely platonic direction. This is actually less off-putting then you might think because Angel looks to us like a human woman, until you remember that she’s supposed to be a cat and you get very uncomfortable. Helping to fill out these musical moments is the Evil Kitty Ensemble, comprised of characters not needed in the scene at that time as well as a handful that are there just for that purpose. They serve as both a backing chorus and as a way to represent certain ideas like Angel’s evil cat demons that make her such a menace and their presence makes the production seem more grandiose in scale.
The set design and prop work pull us into the world as well as any musical could without a Broadway budget. The main set is a typical living room with a rug, some tables, a couch, and a scratching post for Angel, but nothing goes to waste as they make use of every corner of the room to represent different rooms or exterior shots. At one point they even sit by the edge of the stage with a member of the Evil Kitty ensemble holding up a Lyft sign to indicate that the events are supposed to be taking place inside of a car. It’s so self-aware of how ridiculous it is that it works inside of this surreal world they’ve established.
As the show nears its climax it starts to deviate into increasingly unexplained tangents, including a storyline featuring a jilted former lover played by drag performer MJ Brown who makes for a memorable presence in the few scenes where they are allowed to shine. It loses some of its focus at this point but it’s forgivable given the constant influx of weird personalities to keep you on your toes.
Hell’s Kitty is a wonderfully entertaining show that blazes past its 90 minutes and leaves you wanting more. I’m not sure I’ll be rushing out to buy the soundtrack because there aren’t any songs in particular that really stand out but there also aren’t any points where I was waiting for a song to end. McCourt and the various composers and music arrangers that worked on this clearly have a skill for pacing and know just how much to give you of one character or motif before moving to the next. This is Fringe must-see for musical fans and cat lovers (and haters) alike.
Tickets are available at hollywoodfringe.org
