Rabbinens katt

Rabbinens katt is a puppetry – music theatre adaptation of Joann Sfar’s serie album The Rabbi’s Cat (Le Chat du Rabbin). One day, the cat eats the house parrot, and inherits its ability to speak. When that happens the Rabbi finds out that his cat is very smart, but alas – also a big liar. From here starts a musical, visual and stage-animated intellectual hand wrestling between religion and atheism, tradition and moderne, master and a student, freedom and responsibility.

Reflecting the original story’s settings in Algier of the 30’s, where cultures, religions and values were sharing common grounds, this show was also created in the crossing junction of different art disciplines, nationalities as well as points of views on God and cats. Rabbinens katt premiered on the 12th of April 2019 in Åbo Svenska Teater and is touring Sweden and Finland during 2019-2020.

From the reviews: “Rabbinens katt has playfulness and humor that points at something unique and is at the same time open and inclusive (…) Ishmael Falke skillfully plays a double role of the cat, he gets the audience to completely focus on the cat-puppet, while in an astonishing blink of an eye he stands himself in front as if to reveal the theatrical machinery, how does the puppetry illusion work. As an art form it requires special talent, magic and presence (…) Rabbinens katt is an example for an irresistable creation, a performance that leaves you with smile on your lips.” – Ann-Christine Snickars / Åbo Underrättelser

Original story: Joann Sfar

Adaptation: Mikaela Hasan, Ishmael Falke and Sofia Berg-Böhm

Director: Mikaela Hasan

On stage: Sofia Berg-Böhm, Abboud Koujer-Brezin and Ishmael Falke

Stage design: Johanna Latvala

Puppet contruction: Elina Saarno

Light design: Irene Lehtonen

Production: Grus Grus Teatteri (Finland) and Re:Orient (Sweden)