Toto Kerblammo! review – Tim Crouch offers up doggy delight and human heartache

Unicorn theatre, London
A pet marooned with his owner in a ‘place between worlds’ whispers to the audience through headphones in this skilful play for over-nines

‘We’re not in Kansas any more,” Dorothy tells Toto when they arrive in Oz. But what if you find yourself in neither a Technicolor fantasy nor sepia-tinted homely surroundings? This limbo state is where young Effy and her own trusty Toto land after a stormy night in writer-director Tim Crouch’s carefully constructed play for over-nines. On a great white rug evoking both shaggy fur and fluffy clouds, Effy considers how she got here – wherever “here” may be.

Crouch’s story comes in jigsaw pieces to assemble: a fire, a rainy road at night, a separation, a new start. Her mum is unwell so Effy must stay temporarily with her aunt and uncle, but four-legged friends are banned at their block of flats. Toto, her beloved rescue, is quietly sneaked into her bedroom in a box – but we know from the start that he can only play dead and go undetected for so long. Wearing headphones throughout, the audience navigate the voices of Effy’s relatives in between scenes performed by Peyvand Sadeghian as Effy and Felipe Pacheco as Toto, who also whispers in our ears.