The Dog / The Cat is a double bill about love. And pets.
Two one-acts, written by Brendan Cowell and Lally Katz, show the various lengths we go for love – for our pets and each other – and how animals may be in our lives for company, yet ultimately bring us closer together.
Cowell tells a late-Gen-Y Sydney tale, with down-and-out writer Ben (Xavier Samuel) meeting academic Miracle (Andrea Demetriades) on their regular dog walks. Ben co-parents dog Jerry with Marcus (Benedict Hardie), whose douchey hipster start-up ambitions hide a raft of insecurities.
Katz’ The Cat is a hilarious story of a separated couple now forced to share their cat. Demetriades and Hardie are newly divorced and coming to terms with their new lives, while trying to placate their cat, played by Samuel. When the cat begins telling them where they both went wrong, the couple needs to choose whether to save the marriage for the pet.
The two short plays are a refreshing take on modern love and the current trends of urban pet ownership, with each play both neatly packaged while also cleverly referencing the other. Stellar performances play across the board, with the cast of three leaving an infectious spell on the audience in the perfect show for Belvoir’s Downstairs space. This performance had seniors laughing at Nicki Minaj jokes along with students, and is definitely a show to catch.
4.5/5 stars
The Dog / The Cat is playing at Belvoir St Theatre until Sunday July 26.
