The cat is back, and you won't believe where she's been. Melbourne's favourite cabaret mistress, Meow Meow, returns to Malthouse Theatre with a story to defrost even the coldest of hearts.

In the paws of this untamable weaver of worlds, Hans Christian Andersen's bittersweet fable is just the springboard for a leap into the wild realms of theatrical possibility. As the match girl staves off the cruel cold of winter with her dwindling supply of flames, she turns to dreams and the light of the stars to find a way home. With claws of humour and heartache, pathos and irreverence, Meow carves a tuneful trail through the icy sheets of the modern soul.