P.S. Your Cat is Dead!
by James Kirkwood
17th-19th October 2024
London Performance Studios
“No, I don’t believe it. What is it with me? I finally catch the punk that’s robbed me twice before and it turns out to be Tinkerbell!”
Jimmy Zoole is having a bad New Year's Eve. If losing the only manuscript of his first novel wasn’t bad enough, he’s also been fired from his job, dumped by his girlfriend, and his beloved cat is dead. And now he has returned home to find a man has broken into his apartment and is trying to make off with his TV.
Vito Antonucci, his would-be thief, is a charismatic bisexual with bad-boy charm. In a fit of rage, Jimmy captures him and chains him to the kitchen sink. But as fireworks light up the sky over New York, Jimmy discovers an unexpected attraction to his prisoner.
‘PS Your Cat is Dead!’ was blasted as ‘distasteful’ and ‘homosexual wish fulfilment’ when it premiered on Broadway in 1975. Directed by Alastair Curtis, this performance was its first UK revival in nearly 40 years.
James Kirkwood was the son of two Hollywood screen stars. Best known for co-writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical ‘A Chorus Line’, he was also an actor, comedian, playwright and prolific novelist whose works won praise for their ironic humour and frank depictions of queer desire. Like many of his works, they have fallen out of print since his AIDS-related death.
James Kirkwood (1924-1989)
To learn more about James Kirkwood and his playwriting, visit his author page.
Behind the Scenes
A glimpse into the 1970s kitchen sink unit created by designers Max Allen and Elliott Adcock, including chintz, handcuffs, and an abundance of Kontented Kitty cat food.
Cast
Ben Allen
Lewis Brown
Florence Keith-Roach
Director
Alastair Curtis
Costume & Set
Max Allen and Elliott Adcock
Sound
Helen Noir
Lighting
Sorcha Stott-Strzala
Intimacy
Stella Moss
Producers
Izzy Parriss and Alastair Curtis
Production Assistant
Cara Dromgoole
Photography
Henry Mills
Commissioned by
London Performance Studios
Thanks to Arthur Beckenstein, Dickie Beau and Sean Egan