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GREENSBORO - Lil' Mo didn't aim for star status. Or maybe he did. He won't say.

Four months ago, Lil' Mo was an abandoned kitten perhaps five weeks old, wanting little more than a good home.

Now, he's a scene-stealing actor in Triad Stage's production of the bewitching romantic comedy "Bell, Book and Candle."

The tabby plays Pyewacket, appearing three times in the arms of lead character Gillian Holroyd (Anne Bowles). He's the witch's "familiar," a spirit who does her bidding.

The first live animal in a Triad Stage show, Lil' Mo has performed six days a week -- and twice on Sunday -- since the play opened Oct. 19 for a three-week run.

He has bewitched theater-goers who know that their cats would never remain as calm on stage as he does for about seven minutes -- at least without drugs.

"He is the most well-adjusted, peaceful cat I have ever met," Triad Stage artistic director Preston Lane says.

Lil' Mo wasn't the first choice for the part. Lane and director John Feltch wanted a black cat, not a tabby.

They found one named, appropriately enough, Salem through a local pet adoption program. But once freed from his cage, Salem preferred running and chasing toys.

Lane doesn't like to give up on actors. But during rehearsals, he had to give up on Salem, now living the good life with an actress.

"At this point, we decided we needed a cat who behaves, and we don't care what color he is," Lane says.

Production manager Christy Wright had the purrfect replacement: Lil' Mo, whom she adopted in July.

He performed well during rehearsals. But how would he handle an audience?

Just like a pro, it turned out.

Wright and other staffers drive Lil' Mo to the theater for each show. He has the run of a rehearsal room, where he's known to groom himself before showtime.

Assistant stage manager Catherine Jefferis acts as cat wrangler, delivering him to Bowles offstage for the opening scene.

His costume is a gold glittered collar. He wears Soft Paws, vinyl caps on his claws to prevent scratches if he bats Bowles' earrings.

Lil' Mo has no lines and little to do but cooperate. But he learned to bat the hand of actor Glenn Kalison before his character, Gillian's boyfriend, yelps, "Ouch."

Of course, Lil' Mo doesn't get paid. He's not even listed as part of the cast, although he's mentioned among those getting "special thanks" in the program.

But there are perks: lots of attention, an occasional treat, the thrill of watching the office fish tank and one other motivating factor.

"He's in it for the art," Wright says.

Contact Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane at 373-5204 or dawn.kane@news-record.com