one4review | On 13, Aug 2015

Welcome all to the Pleasance Green and to Mrs McMoon’s tea party. In this one woman show, Katie Cooper delivers an amazing performance as Mrs McMoon and her three relatives. The story is simple – Mrs McMoon bakes biscuits for her tea party and asks the audience to inform her should any of her guests attempt to steal them.

The four characters Cooper plays are fantastic. There’s Mrs McMoon herself, an elderly and at times confused elderly lady. The next guest we meet is her farmer cousin and his pet squirrel, followed by her more middle class twin sister, and lastly her jelly (and rave) loving granddaughter.

Right from the off, Cooper is in amongst the audience, striking up an instant rapport with both the kids and adults. By the end of the show the children were standing up screaming “Mrs McMoon!”, stamping their feet and dancing in front of the stage. The humour is spot on, with many a raised eyebrow or one-liner aimed at the patents, which brings welcome humour to the sometimes saccharine world of children’s shows.

The show is aimed at children aged three and over but the relaxed setting in the Pleasance Green and the show itself means that younger children would fine.

Highly recommended.

Pleasance Courtyard, The Green. August 11th – August 23rd.

Reviewed by Claire.