Kitty Kat’s Revenge is an all-action superhero, comic-strip caper which involves the theft of the Lottery jackpot and a plot to blow up the World! Be prepared for juggling, stilt walking, unicycling, tightrope walking and acrobatics before the two super heroes thwart the Kitty Kat villain in a slow-motion fight to the finish.
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Some background info on Kitty Kat’s Revenge
In 1997 we were still very much a circus-theatre troupe, giving two performances daily throughout the summer months in our Circus Tent at Land’s End, but still touring in the UK and France at every opportunity. We did not perform on Fridays and Saturdays at Land’s End (these were travel days for the holidaymakers) so we would often pack up the show on a Thursday evening, drive ‘up country’ to perform at a UK festival and arrive back at Land’s End in time for the Sunday show in the tent!
The show included juggling, stilt walking, unicycling, tightrope walking and acrobatics at every opportunity.
The rough storyline for the Kitty Kat show dated back to 1995 when we first involved a member of the audience winning the Lottery jackpot.
This idea was developed the following year with a storyline involving a comic-strip villain called Sharkman and a plot to blow up the World!
In 1997, JoJo took over from Sharkman and became Kitty Kat – a Catwoman-inspired character from the Batman comics. This was to be our last year performing at Land’s End.
The show featured Russell Hurd as Captain Fantastic and Mike Rolling, a multi-talented musician, who does all the talking in the show as well as simultaneously playing guitar, keyboards, drums and kazoo. Mike performed with us from 1993 until 1999. He and Russell contributed enormously to our formative years and comic-book style, and we owe them both so much.
During the winter of 1997-98 we embarked on an ambitious indoor production – The Hunchback of Notre Dame, an ill-fated project which we will document elsewhere. But in short, Russell suffered a broken leg and Mike was also hospitalised at short notice – thanks to both for coming back and making the 1998 summer tour a great success.
JoJo took a break from performing halfway through the summer of 1998, because she was pregnant, and so her role was taken over by our good friend Julia Twomlow, and also, Simon’s sister, Miranda Parry who is featured in the Kitty Kat archive video.
Helen Tiley (Russell’s wife) a great friend and talented artist, designed and painted a distinctive New York skyline which was revealed behind the backcloth. It made a great image over which to tightrope walk and also for a King Kong moment complete with Fay Wray doll!
Production Information
Year of creation 1997
Toured 1997-1998
Produced by Artistic Directors Simon Pullum and JoJo Pickering
Designer of skyscape Helen Tiley
Performers
Simon Pullum
JoJo Pickering
Miranda Parry / Julia Twomlow – taking over JoJo’s part
Russell Hurd
Vocals and live music by
Mike Rolling
1997 Tour
Oxford Fun Day
Trengwainton Day, Cornwall
Reading Festival
Pontypridd Festival
Coventry Festival
Glamorgan Festival
Golowan Festival, Cornwall
Glastonbury Festival
Exeter Festival
Bodmin Festival, Cornwall
Stafford Festival
Hebden Bridge Festival
Kidlington Festival
Paignton Children’s Festival
Bicester Festival
Cardiff Children’s Festival
Gosport Festival
Rushden Festival
Portsmouth Summer Festival
10 week summer season of work at Land’s End, Cornwall with our Circus tent
1998 Tour
Du Maurier Festival, Cornwall
Manchester Festival
Bedford Festival in No Fit State Festival
Shropshire Live
Jersey Festival
St Jean de la Ruelle, France
Stafford Festival
Golowan Festival, Cornwall
Exeter Festival
Bodmin Festival, Cornwall
Newark Festival
Glamorgan Festival
Falmouth Tall Ships, Cornwall
Les Arts dans la Rue, Morlaix, France
Les Jeudis du Port, Brest, France
St Brieuc, France
Dawlish Festival
Gosport Festival
Aylesbury Festival
Glamorgan Festival
Heligan Gardens, Cornwall
Aberdeen Festival
Stroud Festival with our Circus tent