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Cats (musical)

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Cats
MusicAndrew Lloyd Webber
LyricsT. S. Eliot
Trevor Nunn
BookAndrew Lloyd Webber
Trevor Nunn
Gillian Lynne
BasisOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot
Productions1980 Concert
1981 West End
1982 Broadway
International productions
1998 video version
2003 US tour
2008 US tour
AwardsLaurence Olivier Award for Best Musical
Olivier Award for Choreography
Tony Award for Best Musical
Tony Award for Best Book
Tony Award for Best Original Score

Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. It introduced the song standard, 'Memory'.

The musical first opened in the West End in 1981 and then on Broadway in 1982, in each case directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne. It won numerous awards, including both the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical. The London production ran for 21 years and the Broadway production for eighteen years, in both cases setting historical long-run records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical.

Cats has been performed around the world in numerous productions and has been translated into more than 20 languages. It was also made into a 1998 video that has been broadcast on television.

Production history

Cats was first shown in London's West End, at the New London Theatre, on May 11, 1981. It had a troubled beginning as Judi Dench, cast in the role of Grizabella, snapped a tendon during rehearsals prior to the London opening. The role of Grizabella was subsequently taken over by Elaine Paige; the role was beefed up for Paige and the song 'Memory' (originally to be sung by Geraldine Gardner in the role of the red cat Bombalurina) was given to Paige. It was originally produced onstage by Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group. It was directed by Trevor Nunn, associate director and choreographer Gillian Lynne, designed by John Napier with lighting by David Hersey. It played a total of 8,949 performances in London. Its final performance in London's West End was on its 21st birthday, May 11, 2002, and broadcast on a large screen in Covent Garden to the delight of fans who could not acquire a ticket for the final performance. It held the record as London's longest running musical until October 8, 2006, when it was surpassed by Les Misérables.

The original 1981 London cast of Cats.

The show made its debut on Broadway on October 7, 1982, at the Winter Garden Theatre with the same production team. On June 19, 1997, Cats became the longest-running musical in Broadway history with 6,138 performances. It played a total of 7,485 performances in New York. Its New York record was surpassed on January 9, 2006, by The Phantom of the Opera, which was also composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cats' final performance on Broadway was on September 10, 2000. It remains Broadway's second longest-running show in history.

In 1998, Andrew Lloyd Webber produced a video version of Cats, based upon the stage version, starring Elaine Paige, who originated the role of Grizabella in London; Ken Page, who originated Old Deuteronomy on Broadway; Sir John Mills as Gus; Michael Gruber as Munkustrap; John Partridge as The Rum Tum Tugger; and many other dancers and singers drawn largely from stage productions of the show.[1] It was directed by David Mallet, with choreography and musical staging by the show's respected original creator Gillian Lynne in London's Adelphi Theatre, and was released on VHS and DVD, as well as broadcast on television worldwide.

Cats has been translated into over 20 languages.[2]

Detailed synopsis

Act I — When Cats are Maddened by the Midnight Dance

Cast of the video version of Cats.

After the overture, the cats gather on stage and explain the Jellicle tribe and their purpose ('Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats'). The cats spot the human audience and explain how the different cats of the tribe are named ('The Naming of Cats'). This is followed by a dance from Victoria the White Cat that signals the beginning of the Jellicle Ball and Munkustrap tells us that tonight is the night when Old Deuteronomy will choose a cat to be reborn into a new life on the Heaviside Layer.

Munkustrap appears and introduces Jennyanydots ('The Old Gumbie Cat'), a large tabby cat. She "sits and sits and sits" all day, while at night she rules over the mice and cockroaches, teaching various activities to them. Jennyanydots finishes, greets the other cats, but is interrupted. The music instantly changes, and The Rum Tum Tugger makes an extravagant entrance ('The Rum Tum Tugger'). The Rum Tum Tugger is a tom with a wild mane and leopard spots on his chest. He is very fickle and unappeasable, "for he will do as he do do and there's no doing anything about it".

A shabby old grey cat stumbles out and looks around. It is Grizabella. All the cats back away. The cats sing of her saddened, unfortunate state ('Grizabella: The Glamour Cat'). Grizabella leaves and the music changes to a cheerful upbeat. Bustopher Jones, a fat cat in "a coat of fastidious black", appears ('Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town'). Bustopher Jones is among the elite of the cats, and visits prestigious gentleman's clubs. A loud crash startles the tribe. Could this be Macavity? The cats run off the stage in fright. Hushed giggling signals the entrance of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, a pair of near-identical cats. They are petty burglars, very mischievous, and enjoy causing trouble for human families ('Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer').

Finally, the Jellicle patriarch, Old Deuteronomy, shows up ('Old Deuteronomy'). He is a large old cat that “has lived many lives” and “buried nine wives (And more, I am tempted to say – ninety-nine)”. He is the one who will choose which Jellicle cat will go to the Heaviside Layer. In most productions, at this point, the cats perform a song ('The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles') for Old Deuteronomy. It is a story about two dog tribes clashing in the street and subsequently being scared away by the Great Rumpus Cat The Great Rumpus Cat is a cat with flashing red eyes. After a few words from Old Deuteronomy on the destiny of Jellicle Cats and Pollicle Dogs, a second loud crash, presumably from Macavity, sends the alarmed cats scurrying. But Old Deuteronomy calls them back and the main celebration begins ('The Jellicle Ball'), in which the cats sing, dance and display their "terpsichorean powers".

After the Ball, Grizabella reappears, refusing to be left out of the festivities. Once again, she is shunned by the other cats, but that does not stop her from singing a short version of 'Memory'.

Act II — Why Will the Summer Day Delay — When Will Time Flow Away?

After the Jellicle Ball, Old Deuteronomy sings of “what happiness is” ('The Moments of Happiness'). Gus — short for Asparagus — shuffles forward ('Gus: The Theatre Cat'). He is the cat that once was a famous actor but now he is old and “suffers from palsy which makes his paws shake”. He is accompanied by Jellylorum, who tells of his exploits. Gus then remembers how he once played the infamous Growltiger, Terror of the Thames ('Growltiger's Last Stand'). He tells the story about the pirate's romance with Griddlebone and how he was overtaken by the Siamese and forced to walk the plank. Skimbleshanks is sleeping in the corner ('Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat'), a cat who is unofficially in charge of the night train to Glasgow. He is very clever and very important because if he is gone “the train can’t start”.

With a third crash and an evil laugh, the "most wanted" cat, Macavity appears. He is a “master criminal” and never is found at the scene of the crime. He is a horrifying looking cat and a “villain” of the Jellicle Tribe. Macavity shows up and captures Old Deuteronomy. As the other cats try to follow him, Demeter and Bombalurina sing what they know about Macavity, as they have had some sort of past with him ('Macavity: The Mystery Cat'). When they are finished, Macavity returns disguised as Old Deuteronomy. When revealed by Demeter, he fights with Munkustrap.

The Rum Tum Tugger suggests that the cats find Mr. Mistoffelees ('Magical Mr. Mistoffelees'). Mr. Mistoffelees is black and small and can perform many feats of magic that no other cat can do. The magical cat succeeds in bringing back Old Deuteronomy. He is praised by all the cats. The Jellicle choice can now be made.

Old Deuteronomy sits down and Grizabella appears for the final time. Old Deuteronomy allows her to have a chance to address the cats. Her faded appearance and lonely disposition have little effect on her song ('Memory'). The appeal succeeds and she is chosen to be the one ('Journey to the Heaviside Layer'). A large tyre rises up with Old Deuteronomy and Grizabella. Once at the top Grizabella finishes the journey herself. Old Deuteronomy gives his closing speech to the human audience ('The Ad-dressing of Cats') and the show comes to a close.

Musical numbers

Characters

Principal characters

These descriptions, in alphabetical order, are based on more recent versions of the show, although there are minor variations from production to production.

  • Asparagus / Gus - The theatre cat. The same actor usually plays Asparagus as a general chorus cat, and a younger version of Gus, up to the song "Gus the Theatre Cat", in which he portrays an older Gus, and Growltiger, then afterwards continues to play younger Gus, "Asparagus."
  • Bombalurina - A saucy red female. She sings a duet with Demeter.
  • Bustopher Jones - A fat cat, a "twenty-five pounder." Dresses in a snappy tuxedo and spats. Respected by all, as the upper class "St James' Street Cat." In most productions, the actor playing Gus also plays Bustopher, though in early productions the part was handled by the actor playing Old Deuteronomy.[3]
  • Demeter - A very skittish female cat. While the other cats are jubilant with Old Deuteronomy's return, Demeter realizes something is wrong and unmasks Macavity in disguise.
  • Grizabella - The former Glamour Cat who has lost her sparkle and now only wants to be accepted. Grizabella left the tribe when she was younger to see the world for herself. In doing so she faced the harshness of the outside world, as well as the equally harsh status of pariah in the cats' society.
  • Griddlebone - A fluffy white Persian cat, and Growltiger's lover in "Growltiger's Last Stand," where she sings "The Ballad of Billy M'caw" or the mock Italian aria "In Una Tepida Notte" (depending on production) with Growltiger. Almost always played by the actress playing Jellylorum. Does not appear in productions which omit "Growltiger's Last Stand".
  • Growltiger - A theatrical character Gus recalls playing in his youth, and who appears in Gus' memory of the production of "Growltiger's Last Stand." In some productions he is portrayed as a vicious pirate; in others he's more of a parody of a pirate. Does not appear in productions which omit "Growltiger's Last Stand."
  • Jellylorum - A female who watches out for the kittens, along with Jennyanydots. She has a close relationship with Gus. Named after T. S. Eliot's own cat. The actress who plays Jellylorum usually also plays Griddlebone in "Growltiger's Last Stand."
  • Jemima - A kitten who is also a Rum Tum Tugger fan and friends with Electra, Etcetera, and Victoria. Can be sometimes used interchangeably with Sillabub, though Jemima is used in most international productions  — Sillabub was a name created for the American productions. However, the Japanese and Swedish casts include both Sillabub and Jemima as different characters.
  • Jennyanydots - The old Gumbie cat. She sits all day and rules the mice and cockroaches at night, forcing them to undertake helpful or useful functions, or creative projects, to curb their naturally destructive habits.
  • Macavity - He is the show's only real villain. The character is a literary allusion to the Sherlock Holmes character Professor Moriarty. Usually played by the same actor as Plato or Admetus.
  • Mr. Mistoffelees - A young tom with magical powers. His signature dance move is "The Conjuring Turn," twenty-four fouettés en tournant. In UK and US productions, Mistoffelees has an alter-ego named Quaxo, who appears as a general chorus cat throughout the show, and is dressed slightly differently. In other productions Quaxo is a separate character. He is also capable of creating seven kittens right out of a hat, and magically switching any two cat's places. A most useful spell when Old Deuteronomy is captured by Macavity.
  • Mungojerrie - Half of a pair of notorious cat-burglars, with Rumpleteazer. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are most commonly remembered for their unique dance number where at the end, they both latch onto each other and do a "double windmill" across the stage.
  • Munkustrap - The show's de facto narrator. A black and silver tom who is storyteller and protector of the Jellicle tribe. He is thought to be second in command after Old Deuteronomy.
  • Old Deuteronomy - The lovable patriarch of the Jellicle Tribe. He is very old and dignified. The leader of the Jellicle Tribe.
  • Rumpleteazer - Female half of a pair of notorious cat-burglars, with Mungojerrie.
  • The Rum Tum Tugger - The ladies' tom. His temperament ranges from clownish to serious, and often sexual depending on the production; however, he is always flirtatious, and usually portrayed as a feline equivalent of Mick Jagger or Elvis Presley, and recognisable by his wild mane.
  • Skimbleshanks - The railway cat. An active orange tabby cat, who lives on the trains and acts as an unofficial chaperone to such an extent he is considered rather indispensible to the train and station employees.
  • Victoria - A pure white kitten gifted in dancing. The "official" Jellicle Ball begins with her solo dance.

Other characters

Chorus and dance roles. Many characters are production-specific versions of the same role. Often non-principal characters are omitted from smaller productions.

  • Admetus - A young cat, who in many productions, also doubles as Macavity. Generally productions have either Admetus or Plato filling the same function.
  • Alonzo - A black and white tom in most productions; in the US and the early European productions, he is depicted as being a black and gold tabby. Sometimes considered the third in command after Munkustrap as he also fights Macavity.
  • Bill Bailey - Primarily from the London production, a young white and brown male. Sometimes interchangeable with the character of Tumblebrutus.
  • Carbucketty - The name was one of T. S. Eliot's ideas for cat names for a "knockabout cat." Sometimes interchangeable with the character of Pouncival.
  • Cassandra - A brown and cream Abyssinian queen, with a braided tail. Unique and somewhat mysterious.
  • Coricopat - Male twin to Tantomile. The conventional stage action suggests that Coricopat and Tantomile are psychic cats, they sense the presence of danger before it becomes apparent to the other characters.
  • Electra - A tabby kitten who seems to be friends with Etcetera as well as a fan of Rum Tum Tugger.
  • Etcetera - A happy, energetic kitten who is a big Rum Tum Tugger fan. She is generally a pale tabby pattern.
  • Exotica - A female character who first appeared in the video version, and was a role initially created specially for Femi Taylor. The character also appears in the South African and World Tour.
  • George - A young patchy male kitten that only appeared in the London production.
  • Ghengis or Gilbert - The leader of the crew of Siamese cats who lead to Growltiger's demise. Usually played by the actor who portrays Mungojerrie, Tumblebrutus, or Coricopat. In Japan Gilbert is a separate character.
  • Plato - Teenage male cat; the actor usually doubles as Macavity. He does a pas de deux with Victoria during the Jellicle Ball.
  • Pouncival - A playful tom kitten, generally interchangeable with Carbucketty.
  • Rumpus Cat - A spiky-haired cat with glowing red eyes, as mentioned in "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles," seen as a sort of superhero figure among the Jellicles. Does not appear in productions which omit the song "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles." Usually played by Alonzo or Admetus. In some productions the actor is launched through the floor stage via a "star trap".
  • Sillabub, the Broadway version of Jemima, although the Japanese and Swedish productions include both.
  • Tumblebrutus - A playful young adult cat in his prime. Tumblebrutus is a brown and white tabby, characterized by a large, flame-like brown patch over his left eye. Very energetic, this young tom is featured in many dance numbers and has many featured soloes throughout the show. He is the Broadway version of Bill Bailey.
  • Tantomile - Female twin of Coricopat. The name was created by T.S. Eliot for a "Witch's Cat".[4]
  • Victor - Primarily a character from the London production, a young grey male.

Notable casts

International productions

City Theatre Premiere Grizabella Old Deuteronomy Munkustrap Others
United Kingdom West End New London Theatre May 11, 1981 Elaine Paige Brian Blessed Jeff Shankley (see full cast above)
United States Broadway The Winter Garden Theatre October 7, 1982 Betty Buckley Ken Page Harry Groener (full cast above)
Hungary Budapest Madách Theatre March 25, 1983 Ilona Bencze, Viktória Bajza Balázs Póka
Austria Vienna Theater an der Wien September 24, 1983 Angelika Milster Gordon Bovinet Steve Barton Pia Douwes, Ute Lemper
Japan Tokyo CATS Theater November 11, 1983 Akiko Kuno Takanori Yamamoto
France Paris Théâtre de Paris February 23, 1989 Gay Marshall Gilles Ramade Matthew Jessner
Australia Sydney Theatre Royale 1985 Debra Byrne John Woods
Canada Toronto Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres March 14, 1985 Kathy Michael McGlynn David Walden
Germany Hamburg Operettenhaus April 18, 1986 Andrea Bögel Walter Reynolds
Mexico Mexico City Teatro Silvia Pinal April 19, 1991 María del Sol Enrique del Olmo Manuel Landeta
Netherlands Amsterdam Koninklijk Theater Carré November 27, 1992 Ellen Evers Brian Galliford
Argentina Buenos Aires Teatro Lola Membrives June 1, 1993 Olivia Bucio Alfredo Alessandro
Hong Kong Hong Kong Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts 1994 ? ?
Spain Madrid Teatro Coliseum December 17, 2003 Helen de Quiroga Pedro Ruy Blas Jack Rebaldi Víctor Ullate
Poland Warsaw
Teatr Muzyczny ROMA
 January 10, 2004 Izabela Zając, Daria Druzgała, Joanna Węgrzynowska Zbigniew Macias, Robert Dymowski, Andrzej Kostrzewski
Czech Republic Prague Divadlo Milenium November 5, 2004 Yvetta Blanarovičová, Dita Hořínková, ZUZA Zdeněk Plech, Dalibor Tolaš, Pavel Vančura Laco Hudec
Russia Moscow MDM (Moskovsky Dvorets Molodezhy) March 18, 2005 Elena Charkviani[1], Nadezhda Solovyova Oleg Fed'kushov Ivan Ozhogin
Netherlands Dutch national tour Various theatres October 8, 2006 Anita Meijer, Pia Douwes, Vera Mann, Antje Monteiro, Lone van Roosendaal Marco Bakker, Jan Polak
Australia Sydney Sydney Street Theatre August 17, 2007 Angel Dormer Justin Geange David Knijnenburg, Justin Truloff
Israel
2007-2008 Israel 		Beit Zvi School of Performing Arts and the Library TheatreRamat Gan September 1, 2007 Hila Zittoun Noam Talmon Shahar Yishai\Amir Hilel
Australia Hobart Derwent Entertainment Centre October 17, 2007 Debra Byrne Alan Bacon Michael Lampard
2007 Asia Tour Various Theatres Taiwan, Thailand January, 2007 Francesca Arena Martin Croft
South Korea
2007 S. Korea Tour 		Daegu Opera House and others

National Theater of Korea

May 31, 2007 Francesca Arena Han Lim Shaun Rennie, Ranjeet Starr Daniel Scott
2007 China Tour Various Theatres Macau, Guangzhou, Beijing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Dongguan, Shenzhen December 24, 2007 Francesca Arena Han Lim
Finland Lahti Lahden Kaupunginteatteri October 17, 2007 Sinikka Sokka Matti Siitonen Tuukka Leppänen
Canada Quebec City Salle Albert-Rousseau April 23, 2008 Marilou Ferland Daigle Louis-David Faucher Yannick Vezina
Australia Launceston Princess Theatre 15 August, 2008 Ebony Best Angus Gibb Bart Welch Allison Snare
Bulgaria Sofia National Musical Theatre 31 January, 2009
Singapore Singapore Esplande Theatre 10 April, 2009 Delia Hannah Michael-John Hurney (Gus)
Hong Kong Hong Kong Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts 15 May, 2009 Delia Hannah ? ? Michael-John Hurney (Gus)

Awards

Olivier Awards

1981 Award wins

Tony Awards

Revisions to the show

Andrew Lloyd Webber revised the Growltiger's Last Stand sequence for the Broadway production of Cats. In the original London show, the duet for Growltiger and Griddlebone was a setting of an unpublished T.S. Eliot poem, "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw". For Broadway, he replaced the Ballad with a pastiche of Italian aria (reminiscent of Puccini's Madama Butterfly). This new version was subsequently incorporated into most productions of Cats worldwide (A notable exception was the Hungarian production at the Madách Színház in Budapest which opened in 1983 and is still running in repertory as of early 2008 celebrating its 25th anniversary on March 25, 2008, as the longest running musical in Hungarian theatre history. Production in Helsinki and Prague also used the original version.) The Ballad remained in the London production until some time in the early 1990s when it was replaced with the Italian aria pastiche. It was re-instated for the UK Tours, following the show's closure in London. Lloyd Webber has said that he is pleased with the reinstatement of The Ballad of Billy McCaw as he didn't care for the "Italian aria" version[5].

The song "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" has had three different versions in the past. In the original London production, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer sang their song in 12/8 time to a jazzy accompaniment. Andrew Lloyd Webber later re-wrote the melody for the Broadway production, in which the character, Mr. Mistoffelees, (also called Quaxo), would sing about Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer in the third person. The tempo remained upbeat (now in 2/4 time) and the mood of the song was similar to the original version. Lloyd Webber's new melody was used for all subsequent productions of Cats, although the song was eventually returned to its protagonists to sing (making the Broadway and London productions identical).

In recent productions, a lyric in 'Growltiger's Last Stand' was changed in order to remove any racially insensitive language. "With a frightful burst of fireworks the Chinks they swarmed aboard!" became "with a frightful burst of fireworks, the Siamese swarmed aboard!", although the lyric "Heathen Chinese" remains in the tale of the Pekes and the Pollicles.

References

  1. ^ "Cats (video version) at Internet Movie Database". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  2. ^ "Cats homepage". Really Useful Website. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
  3. ^ a b "Original London Cast List". Really Useful Group site. Retrieved 2008-08-23. Cite error: The named reference "olc" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  4. ^ "A Brief History of the Poems". source: Cats playbill. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
  5. ^ "Cats UK Tour". Cats UK Tour. Retrieved 2008-04-23.
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