TWO special treats are in store for young children with visits to Worcestershire in the next few weeks of a mischievous cat and a group of characters who spend most of their time under the sea.

First up at Malvern’s Forum Theatre is a brand new children’s stage show featuring the Octonauts.

A full-length stage adventure for children, The Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano Adventure will be appearing at Malvern on Saturday and Sunday, March 21 and 22.

The show, from the producers of Peppa Pig, is based on the popular CBeebies’ TV show, Octonauts, and this exciting new production should be perfect for children aged three years and above. In the adventure the entire crew of the Octonauts, led by intrepid explorer Captain Barnacles, Lieutenant Kwazii and Medic Peso, embark on an exciting new underwater quest and visit amazing underwater worlds full of adventure, with surprises around every corner.

This action-packed inter-active show features new music (from BAFTA-award winning composer Mani Svavarsson) and all the Octonauts live on stage for the very first time.

Richard Lewis adapts and directs this new production for the stage. He also adapted and directed the hugely popular three Peppa Pig stage shows and last year’s Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom tour.

He says: “Octonauts is all about adventure and exploration which offers up a whole host of possibilities in a live environment. From the colourful characters and fantastic underwater setting to the amazing octopod where the Octonauts live, there’s great scope for a really unique, interactive theatre experience. We can’t wait to take fans on an adventure like never before.”

Following in the Octonauts wake will be Katie Mitchell’s acclaimed stage adaptation of Dr Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat.

Currently on its first UK tour it will be at the Forum on Monday, March 30 and Wednesday, April 1. From the moment his tall, red-and-white-striped hat appears around the door, Sally and her brother know that the cat in the hat is the funniest, most mischievous cat they have ever met.

With the trickiest of tricks and craziest of ideas, he turns a rainy afternoon into an amazing adventure. But what will mum find when she gets home?

Based on the much-loved book by Dr Seuss, The Cat in the Hat is a lively and engaging first theatre experience for young children. It was first published in 1957 as Dr Seuss's second book for children. It marked the transition of Theodor Seuss Geisel from successful advertising executive and political cartoonist, to world-famous illustrator and children's author.

The curious and intricate rhyming found in The Cat in the Hat is still adored decades later with over 250 million copies sold worldwide in more than 20 different languages.

Katie Mitchell’s stage adaptation of The Cat in the Hat first played in the National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in December 2009, before transferring to the Young Vic in 2010.

This new production was first presented in a sold out run at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, before transferring to the Pleasance Theatre in London for a Christmas season. The 2015 tour is visiting 30 venues across the UK, and has also played a short run in Bahrain in January.