It’s All That Cat’s Fault

Three brothers, dirt poor, are in front of the bedside of their father who has just died…

Their inheritance is made up of little: the eldest inherits the shop, the second a cart of hay, and the youngest, the cat. But not just any cat. A talking cat that enters into a pact with its new owner: a pair of boots and a hat, in exchange for riches and, in addition, a nice pea soup to fill the hunger of years. The scam is soon organised, as the king’s servants pass by, the cat will ask for help for its master, the Marquis of Carabas, who is drowning, in his underwear, in the waters of the lake. A little cunning, a few innocent lies and the penniless young man finds himself at court in front of a sumptuous banquet. The ending of the fairy tale, however, turns in an unusual direction: an insipid princess, a hasty marriage, an idiosyncrasy for the excessive softness of palace life and too many indigestible lobsters on the table. My kingdom for a bowl of soup!

• A sparkling modern version of one of the most beloved fairy tales that Perrault wrote for the ladies at the French court.