If cats could speak, what would they say? I read somewhere they only meow at humans, not with other cats. And unless there’s no cat door to let them in and out of the house, we invariably interpret their meows as requests for food. While some (mostly females) are grazers and reasonably active, others (mostly males) are lazy and insatiable – such as the one Joy Cowley has immortalised in her Greedy Cat series of early reader books, illustrated by Robyn Belton.

Schools, and families with young children, can now access online Tim Bray’s adaptation of nine of the Greedy Cat stories: Greedy Cat Is Hungry, What Does Greedy Cat Like, Along Came Greedy Cat, Greedy Cat and the Sneeze, Greedy Cat’s Door, Greedy Cat and the Goldfish, Lunch for Greedy Cat, Greedy Cat and the Birthday Cake, Greedy Cat and the School Pet Show.

First staged in 2010, it was revived in 2015 then 2020, and it’s that most recent production – which won the Arts Access Creative New Zealand Access Art for All Award 2020 – that has been digitally recorded at a high level of excellence for online viewing nationwide, indeed globally.

The plaintive meow that starts the show is beautifully rendered by Max Easey whose prowls, yowls and pursuit of bowls – or anything edible anywhere – will become the unifying element in the series of deftly crafted scenes to come. But first we are treated to a prologue in song, sung by live musician Thomas Botting (in a squeezed American accent unfortunately – why?) as Greedy Cat hunts out his passive prey and the remaining cast dance around him creatively utilising cat bowls.

Kat Glass’s Mum is brisk about putting out breakfast cereal and brusque at Greedy Cat’s apparent demands for anything other than dried cat food – only to be undermined by Calum Hughes’ Dad, who is happy enough to swap bowls (who knows which is the more nutritious?). But it’s Emma Jenkins-Purrio’s cat-loving Katie, the daughter, who unwittingly allows Greedy Cat to grab sausages from the fridge’s bottom shelf as she rummages for something up top.

Playing about with screwed up paper leads to a paper bag gag and thence to a series of bad Dad gags, including the Baghdad one. Kids may wonder at what sort of mum would give a child such a massive slice of chocolate cake for morning tea – and anyone with a cat will wonder at one that would eat such fare. But nothing’s off limits for this one.

When Mum goes shopping, Calum Hughes gets to play Mario the Italian sausage maker, Pierre the French cake and pastry chef, Andy the Cockney grocer, Uncle Ephon the camp American fruiterer, and Sebastian the chocaholic chocolatier. But everything Mum pops into her basket is purloined by guess who – which leads to the pepper pot gag.

The trouble is no matter what and how much food Greedy Cat gets, he always seems to want more. Max Easey, whose cat physicality and behaviour is meticulously observed – excels at evoking the retching of a cat bringing up a fur ball.

Of course Christmas is a time when everyone over-eats – especially when the traditional dishes of a European winter Christmas are served up. This is where the cat door gag plays out – as groan-worthy Christmas cracker jokes are exchanged.

When the family goes off on holiday with unseen Nanna, Aunt Ann (Kat Glass) is tasked with feeding Greedy Cat and keeping Nanna’s goldfish safe. But the weight-loss diet Aunt Ann prescribes is not to Greedy Cat’s taste – and this is where Tim Bray makes an excellent choice to deviate from the original story. Instead of Greedy Cat frequenting the school playground to wheedle lunch treats, he revisits the food vendors we’ve seen before, thus improving the dramatic structure of the collected stories.

The deep affection Katie has for her cat is sorely tested when the huge birthday cake she has made for her Mum becomes the next victim of rampant greed. But the tables are turned when Katie grooms the long-suffering cat for the School Pet Show. Here Calum Hughes becomes the Pet Show Judge whose sneezes suggest he is, ironically, allergic to cats. Nevertheless the delinquent Greedy Cat scores an award that leaves Katie with mixed feelings.

Thomas Botting’s music adds mood, energy and atmosphere to the scenes which play out seamlessly on Rachael Walker’s deceptively simple set and bold props with judicious lighting by Steve Marshall. Vicki Slow’s costume designs and Natasya Yusoff’s Greedy Cat makeup design complete director Tim Bray’s vision.

GREEDY CAT Online is a lively hour’s entertainment for young children, amusing for adults too, and an excellent example of how well-loved Kiwi stories can gain an extra lease of life on stage. My guess is investing in this hour will lead to many more spent in creative play.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer