Revu Mouse
“Mouse” Poster
MOUSE is a wickedly funny, absurdist comedy that successfully interrogates love and relationships through magical realism. Written by Alice Sparrow, the play centres the unravelling romance of Cam (the author) and Gemma (Aimee Townend). The couple’s break up is complicated when a “bastard” wizard (Harry Singh) curses Gemma to live as a mouse for all but one day a year, until she has sex with someone who has truly loved her. The pair are drawn back together again and again, with increasing hilarity, until they can finally accept themselves, and let each other go. Performed as part of the Hope Theatre’s North-Saph fest 2026, this folkloric feast celebrates queer women through a unique and intimate lens.
The performers make great use of the space, with a thrust stage and naturalistic set that welcomes the audience into Cam’s flat. Cam’s opening costume (a dressing grown and under-eye patches) adds to the sense of normalcy that is utterly destroyed when Gemma bangs on the door, claiming she has been a mouse for the past year. The play's comic atmosphere is built from the start through the deadpan exchange "I need you to shag me"/ "you need therapy". One particular commendation of the script is that Gemma’s yearly visits are never repetitive - the scenes range across decades and moods, adding depth and character development to each interaction.
Another endearing element of Sparrow’s writing is that she centres the comedy on the silliness of the couple’s situation, rather than the relationship itself. There are plenty of honest moments between Gemma and Cam that explore the challenges of growing apart from a person you once loved. Sandwiched between stories like Cam chasing down the Wizard at big Tesco’s, the tonal whiplash between tender and “WTF” makes the piece feel grounded as well as ridiculous.
“Mouse”
Friends from Leeds now based in London, Sparrow and Townend worked closely in developing the piece, and their partnership is a real strength of the performance. Both are convincing, and they engage with each other in an energising way. The surprise appearance of a few other characters helps add to the hysterics and flesh out their strange world. In particular, the Wizard’s physicality is excellent - wobbling and twisting around the space. This contrasts nicely with Cam’s tendency to sit and wait, building a nice tension between sanity and blame: to what extent were Cam and Gemma’s problems outside of their control? Whose fault is it that they didn’t work out? Why on earth is Gemma a mouse?!
“Mouse”
Overall, MOUSE is an ambitious concept with a curated and successful execution. Given this, there appears limited scope to develop it further. One small critique is that the closing scenes slightly lose sight of Cam’s motivations, in lieu of tying up the plot. As the years swing by, we would benefit from hearing a little more of her thoughts as she responds to the latest crisis. This may give some more weight to the final scene, when the couple’s journey is complete. Nonetheless, the audience is left with a plausible and satisfying ending (with one final surprise), in which actions squeak louder than words.
The link to Little Rodents Productions Instagram page can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/littlerodentprods/
4.5/5 Stars
“Mouse”
By Ella Kennedy
