Set Your mind Free with Enright’s Kitties in Space
Belle Decker and Mar Warner in Otherworld Theatre’s Kitties in Space: The Saga. Photo credit: Tiffany Keane Schaefer
Almost a decade since its premiere in 2013 at Otherworld Theatre’s annual Paragon Theatre Festival, Kitties in Space: The Saga is still going strong. Until Sept. 11, you can see playwright John Enright’s two stoner cat buds, Socks and Mittens, continue their space adventure at Otherworld Theatre (3914 N. Clark St.). Before you go, find out why Enright thinks these cats have become such a cult classic, how sci-fi sets our imaginations free, and if the kitties will be back for more.
Q. Kitties in Space: The Saga seemed like it instantly became a cult classic. What makes this concept so very intriguing and lovable?
A. People love cats and cats love catnip, so that's a lot of love right there. Cats are so much like us, and yet so alien, that I think people really do wonder what intelligent, speaking cats would be like. Also, I think humans are intrigued by the fact that our enjoyment of intoxication is something we actually share with animals, and intrigued by the fact that cats have their own intoxicant that is peculiar to them.
Q. In Kitties in Space: The Saga, humans have perished and cats have taken over, birds are villains, and adventure ensues. What is it about sci-fi and fantasy that allows audiences to very willingly suspend all belief and dig in?
A. With sci-fi and fantasy, the audience fully expects that some of the normal rules of real life will be suspended. No one figures "Kitties in Space" is going to be much like "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." A lot of people enjoy the experience of setting their imaginations free of everyday concerns. But we expect that once we are introduced to "how this universe works," it will behave with a certain amount of consistency.
Q. There is a lot of silliness in Kitties in Space: The Saga, but with all things absurd, there is always a depth. What is that for Kitties in Space?
A. At the core, perhaps, is friendship in the face of hardship, danger, and even death. Also, Socks and Mittens always resist being bossed around, and we humans tend to sympathize with that. In some ways their universe is dystopic, with animals fighting over ancient conflicts, and sometimes our world can look that way too.
Q. Can audiences expect more kitties in the future?
A. Yes! I have started planning a sequel, which hopefully will include the full story of the Kobayashi Meow incident.
Q. And now the important question: for these two stoner cats, is catnip at least legal?
A. Yes! Catnip is legal for adult cats. But it is banned for underage cats, kind of like alcohol or cannabis in Illinois. And it is banned at the Space Cat Academy, where the administration wants its cadets to maintain a sharp mental focus. There is also a War on Catnip in the colonies, so it's a sad story for the colonial cats!
