Somewhere between Pinocchio, Oliver and Cinderella, Philip Pullman's I Was A Rat mixes traditional fairytale with contemporary ideas.
With Princesses, cobblers, newspaper hacks and appropriately evil villains, this show has all the ingredients to enthral both adults and children alike.
Thew Jones gives a delightfully charming performance as Roger - the boy who has trouble convincing people he was once a rat, and then can't make people believe he's a boy.
Director Holly Race collaborated with Philip Pullman himself to devise the stage version of the book, and has managed to retain Pullman's mix of poignancy and satire in this production. The team of eight actors jump quickly between over 40 roles, including a very funny caricature of Tony Blair by Tom Latchford.
Even if you can't hijack a kid to take along with you, I'd recommend adding this to your must see list.
