Review: Sorry I Can’t Come Into Work, My Cat Died, Canal Cafe Theatre

Admit it, that title alone has grabbed your attention hasn’t it? It certainly did mine, more than enough to convince me I needed to check this production out. It helps that Sorry I Can’t Come Into Work, My Cat Died is at Canal Cafe, without doubt one of the quaintest of fringe venues, in the most charming of ways.

That title is actually how the show starts, as Ivy (KC Thomas) calls into work to give her apologies, because yes, her cat, Vesper, has unexpectedly passed away. Except it turns out he isn’t actually dead, which is confusing for Ivy as she has his ashes in her hands. It sets in motion a chain of events that threaten to derail her clearly fragile mental health, putting both her job and accommodation at risk; two facets that give life some solid grounding.

This is very much a work in progress, as is made clear in the wonderfully produced programme, so there’s no getting away from the fact it still has some way to go if Thomas wants to turn it into a fuller production. Right now the pacing is off, everything feels as if it’s happening at half speed, and there’s a need for an injection of energy and urgency. We seem to spend a bit too much of the one hour runtime watching her sift through discarded clothes and whatever else is in her messy flat, and whilst this portrays a good depiction of a person suffering from depression, unable to pull themselves out of a spiralling rut, it doesn’t always make for engaging viewing.

There are also issues of continuity within the story. For example, it feels as if Ivy is fired a handful of times, and so each time it comes up again it just feels like we’ve travelled in a strange circle. Likewise, the whole timeframe needs better clarity. Is this all happening over one day as some plot seems to indicate, or over a number of days, even weeks, as it feels at other times?

But deal with those issues – and there’s nothing to suggest that Thomas can’t – then there’s plenty that suggests this work could develop into a fun little fringe show. There are multiple moments when the writing comes alive and you can glimpse what it could become. Writing Vesper’s eulogy is absolutely one of those moments and much more could be made of that, using it to create a solid core to build around. It feels as if Thomas is already trying this in places as she records snippets of voice notes, but there’s space to go further.

There’s also mileage to be had around humour and pathos in her interactions with the suddenly alive Vesper, a cat who acts as her sounding board, confidant and even moral compass. The times when Ivy is talking to her cat are more pleasing than those with voiceovers, even if all the cat says is “Meow”! Equally as enjoyable is the absurdity of Vesper being moved about the stage on a skateboard. It’s one of those silly decisions no doubt made for simplicity but which ends up adding some of the funniest moments.

For a work in progress, Sorry I Can’t Come Into Work. My Cat Died offers a lovely suggestion of what it could become with further development. It’s a charming show about grief and loneliness, told with kindness and humour. And any show that contains the sage advice to “never send a selfie with a dead cat” really can’t be wrong.

Written by KC Thomas

Sorry I Can’t Come Into Work, My Cat Died has completed its current run at Canal Cafe Theatre