New stage adaptation of popular children’s book Tabby McCat is heading to the Churchill Theatre, Bromley

Tabby McTat A new stage adaptation of a popular children’s book is heading to the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on July 21-23.

Tabby McTat is the tale of a busker’s cat with the loudest of meows. He sings all day long with his best friend Fred, until one day they get separated.

Tabby finds shelter and a new life with all the home comforts a cat could dream of, but he soon misses his old friend.

Brought to life on stage with original songs and Freckle’s distinctive style, Tabby McTat is a heart-warming story of friendship and loyalty.

The play is based on the book by Julia Donaldson with illustrations by Axel Scheffler, who are best known for their popular rhyming stories for children, most notably the modern classic The Gruffalo.

Speaking about the book, Julia said: “I’ve always been a cat lover, and I remember sitting on a train and thinking of cat ideas.

“I started with the fact that cats have owners, and who might that be?

“Could it be a burglar or a policeman? And as I’ve been a busker myself, I thought Tabby could be a busker’s cat, and that the two of them could be separated in some way.

“So that part of the story came to me during that train journey.”

Julia has had many of her books adapted for the stage and says she always enjoys seeing them.

Julia said: “For me, it’s like an extension of working with an illustrator. Handing it over to a theatre company or film company you know it’s going to change, but you have to let it go.

“I’m invariably impressed by the energy and talent of the cast.

The stage productions always include songs and although I’m occasionally a bit critical being a songwriter myself, I especially enjoyed the catchy numbers in Tabby McTat.”