Very smartly written and cleverly performed, Kitty Litter concerns friends who used to be more than that who fall out over a black cat. Robin (Sian Crowe), 27, surprises Dan (Hamish Johnston) when she turns up at his apartment unannounced. He has literally just returned from a six-month trip to Europe and South America.
After interrogating each other about whether they hooked up with anyone during their time apart, Dan prizes a shocking story out of Robin. It involves an older man, Brian (Stuart Daulman), her lecturer at university, for whom she developed real feelings, and the ultimate betrayal.
Blindsided, Robin obviously wasn’t thinking clearly when she stole his black cat, named Atticus. But it is what happened next that has her in a real spin … and Dan is hardly an innocent party either. Things move from bad to worse when Brian confronts the pair and gets far more than he bargained on. Now it is a question of how any of them can get past the tangled web they have woven.
With a surfeit of acerbic one liners that continue to land and sight gags that tickle the funny bone, Kitty Litter is the brainchild of writer and performer Hamish Johnston. There is plenty of hilarious stuff in here, in what becomes a comedy of errors of a grievous kind. One bad decision compounds another and yet another.
The interplay between the three performers (not to overlook the occasional appearance of a frightening large black cat with yellow eyes) is priceless. Crowe and Johnston bounce off each other beautifully, as the stakes continue to be ratcheted up.
It is not just about what they say to one another, but how they say it, with their animated facial expressions the scrumptious icing on the cake. I loved their sense of comic timing, which is masterful. And when Brian enters the fray, the play moves up another gear, as Daulman too has moments of side-splitting levity. Such is the case when Brian is all tied up and drinking through a straw.
The set, being a cluttered, fully functional small flat with running water is another triumph, in this case for set designer Alice Vance. Being up close and personal, which is the nature of the venue, I felt I was in the room with the combatants throughout … and what a bonus that is.
The absurd meets the ridiculous, as Kitty Litter is a delightfully human story involving betrayal, revenge and regret. If you thought life was messy, just wait until it careers out of control in this infectious farce, skilfully directed by Cameron Taylor. You just have to see it!
Two extra shows have just been added. Sixty-five minutes in length, it is now playing at The MC Showroom until 14th February, 2026.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Untitled Three-Hander (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
- Happy End (Arts Centre Melbourne) – theatre review
- The Charade (The MC Showroom) – theatre review
Alex First is the editor of The Blurb. Alex is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He also contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.