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Cats
Music	Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics	T. S. Eliot Trevor Nunn
Book	Andrew Lloyd Webber Trevor Nunn Gillian Lynne
Basis	Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot
Productions	1980 Concert 1981 West End 1982 Broadway International productions 1998 video version 2003-Present US tour (Non-Equity)
Awards	Laurence 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. Each time 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 twenty one years and the Broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting long-run records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000).

Cats has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages. In 1998 it was also made into a television video.

Production history

Cats is based on Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (1939), which the composer recalled as having been a childhood favourite. The songs of the musical comprise Eliot's verse set to music by the composer, the principal exception being the most famous song from the musical, "Memory", for which the lyrics were written by Trevor Nunn after an Eliot poem entitled "Rhapsody on a Windy Night". Also, a brief song entitled "The Moments of Happiness" was taken from a passage in Eliot's Four Quartets. An unusual musical in terms of its construction, the overture incorporates a fugue and there are occasions when the music accompanies spoken verse. The set, consisting of an oversized junk yard, remains the same throughout the show without any scene changes. Lloyd Webber's eclecticism is very strong here; musical genres range from classical to pop, music hall, jazz, rock and electro-acoustic music as well as hymnal songs such as "The Addressing of Cats".

Cats was first shown in London's West End Theatre West End, at the New London Theatre. 11 May 1981. There was trouble during the 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, 11 May 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 8 October 2006, when it was surpassed by Les Misérables.

The original 1981 London cast of Cats.

The show made its debut on Broadway on 7 October 1982, at the Winter Garden Theatre with the same production team. On 19 June 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 9 January 2006 by The Phantom of the Opera, which was also composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cats' final performance on Broadway was on 10 September 2000. It remains Broadway's second longest-running show in history. Interestingly, Andrew Lloyd Webber pointed out that when the original show was put on, it cost £900,000, but on Broadway, it cost $5,000,000, highlighting how expensive it is to put a show on in New York.^[1]

In 1998, 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; Jo Gibb as Rumpelteazer and many other dancers and singers drawn largely from various stage productions of the show.^[2] 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.^[3]

Detailed synopsis

Act I — When Cats are Maddened by the Midnight Dance

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 Heavyside 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 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 Rumpelteazer, a pair of near-identical cats. They are petty burglars, very mischievous, and they enjoy causing trouble for human families ('Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer').

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 Heavyside 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, 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”.Referring to Grizabella. ('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.

Back in the present, after Gus exits, 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 and Alonzo.

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

* Not featured on 1998 video

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. cats

• 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.
• Demeter - A very skittish female cat.
• 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 McCaw" 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, Australian (in particular the Brisbane cast, who have Jemima as just a dancer) 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 the UK production, 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.
• Mungojerrie - Half of a pair of notorious cat-burglars, with Rumplteazer. 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.
• 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 indispensable to the train and station employees.He appears as a swing in Act 1.
• 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. Often able to do acrobatics, 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

1998 Film cast

Worldwide Tour

Trenard L Mobley=Alonzo

Ryan William Bailey=Bustopher Jones/Gus the Theatre Cat/Growltiger

Cara Cooley=Bombalurina

Stephanie L. Campbell=Cassandra

Lisa Kuhnen=Demeter

Anastasia Lange=Grizabella

Lindsay O'Neil=Jellylorum/Griddlebone (Understudy: Lucy Horton)

Jennifer Cohen=Jennyanydots

Drew Roelofs=Macavity/Plato

Chris Mackenthun=Quaxo/Mr. Mistoffelees

Brian Bailey=Mungojerrie/Ghengis

Tug Watson=Munkustrap

Philip Peterson=Old Deuteronomy

Michael J. Rios=Pouncival

Kristen Quartarone=Rumpleteazer

Adam Steiner=Rum Tum Tugger

Aubrey Elson=Sillabub

John Jacob Lee=Skimbleshanks

Jason Wise=Tumblebrutus

Sarah Bumgarner=Victoria

International productions

City/Country	Theatre	Premiere	Munkustrap	Grizabella	Old Deuteronomy	Others
West End	New London Theatre	11 May 1981	Jeff Shankley	Elaine Paige	Brian Blessed	(see full cast above)
Broadway	The Winter Garden Theatre	7 October 1982	Harry Groener	Betty Buckley	Ken Page	(full cast above)
Budapest	Madách Theatre	25 March 1983		Ilona Bencze, Viktória Bajza	Balázs Póka	Haumann Péter
Vienna	Theater an der Wien	24 September 1983	Steve Barton	Angelika Milster	Gordon Bovinet	Pia Douwes, Ute Lemper
Tokyo	CATS Theater	11 November 1983	Sintaro Sonooka	Akiko Kuno	Takanori Yamamoto
Los Angeles	Shubert Theatre	7 January 1985	Mark Morales	Kim Criswell	George Anthony Bell	Adrea Gibbs, J Kathleen Lamb, George De La Pena, Linden Waddell, Sally Spencer
Sydney	Theatre Royal	1985	Debra Byrne	John Woods
Toronto	Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres	14 March 1985		Kathy Michael McGlynn	David Walden
Hamburg	Operettenhaus	18 April 1986		Andrea Bögel	Walter Reynolds
Paris	Théâtre de Paris	23 February 1989	Matthew Jessner	Gay Marshall	Gilles Ramade
Mexico City	Teatro Silvia Pinal	19 April 1991	Manuel Landeta	María del Sol	Enrique del Olmo	Susana Zabaleta
Amsterdam	Koninklijk Theater Carré	27 November 1992		Ellen Evers	Brian Galliford
Buenos Aires	Teatro Lola Membrives	1 June 1993		Olivia Bucio	Alfredo Alessandro
Hong Kong	Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts	1994
Madrid	Teatro Coliseum	17 December 2003	Jack Rebaldi	Helen de Quiroga	Pedro Ruy Blas	Víctor Ullate Roche
Warsaw	Teatr Muzyczny ROMA	10 January 2004		Izabela Zając, Daria Druzgała, Joanna Węgrzynowska	Zbigniew Macias, Robert Dymowski, Andrzej Kostrzewski
2004-2005 National Tour	Various theatres in North America	2004-2005	Ben Becton	Natalie Attino	Jason Simon	John Boy (Tugger), Adam Tackett (Skimbleshanks), Adam Perry (Alonzo), Anat Pelleg, Christine LaDuca, Amy Phillips, Kym Chambers, Steven Rich, Charles Redding, Gregory Haney, Lisa Schale, Amy Desiato
Prague	Divadlo Milenium	5 November 2004	Laco Hudec	Yvetta Blanarovičová, Dita Hořínková, ZUZA	Zdeněk Plech, Dalibor Tolaš, Pavel Vančura
Moscow	MDM (Moskovsky Dvorets Molodezhy)	18 March 2005	Ivan Ozhogin	Elena Charkviani ru:Чарквиани, Елена Викторовна, Nadezhda Solovyova	Oleg Fed'kushov
Tartu	Theatre Vanemuine	May 2005	Anita Meijer, Pia Douwes, Vera Mann, Antje Monteiro, Lone van Roosendaal	Marco Bakker, Jan Polak
Brisbane	Sydney Street Theatre	17 August 2007	Justin Truloff	David Knijnenburg	Angel Dormer	Justin Geange
Ramat Gan	Beit Zvi School of Performing Arts	1 September 2007	Shahar Yishai/Amir Hilel	Hila Zittoun	Noam Talmon
Hobart	Derwent Entertainment Centre	17 October 2007	Michael Lampard	Debra Byrne	Alan Bacon
2007 Asia Tour	Various Theatres Taiwan, Thailand	January, 2007	Shaun Rennie	Francesca Arena	Martin Croft
2007 South Korea Tour	Daegu Opera House and others National Theater of Korea	31 May 2007	Shaun Rennie, Ranjeet Starr	Francesca Arena	Han Lim	Rohan Browne(Tugger)
2007 China Tour	Various Theatres Macau, Guangzhou, Beijing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Dongguan, Shenzhen	24 December 2007		Francesca Arena	Han Lim
2007-2008 North American Tour	Various theaters around the US and Canada	October 2007	Justin Huebener	Patricia Tanguy	Seth Lerner	Felix Hess, Sari Feldman, Kristy Cavanaugh, Cara Noel, Cara Fish
Lahti	Lahden Kaupunginteatteri	17 October 2007	Tuukka Leppänen	Sinikka Sokka	Matti Siitonen
Quebec City	Salle Albert-Rousseau	23 April 2008	Yannick Vezina	Marilou Ferland Daigle	Louis-David Faucher
Launceston	Princess Theatre	15 August, 2008	Bart Welch	Ebony Best	Angus Gibb	Allison Snare
Sofia	National Musical Theatre	31 January, 2009		Olga Dinova	Nickolay Petrov
Singapore	Esplanade Theatre [1]	10 April, 2009	Shaun Rennie	Delia Hannah	John Ellis	Michael-John Hurney (Gus)
Hong Kong	Lyric Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts	15 May, 2009	Shaun Rennie	Delia Hannah	John Ellis	Michael-John Hurney (Gus)
Dominican Republic	Teatro Nacional Eduardo Brito, Teatro Nacional (Santo Domingo)	8 May, 2009		Ana Rivas	Antonio Melenciano
Stirling	Stirling Theatre	4 August, 2009		Allison SomerVille	Craig MaGuire	Armando Lozano (Macavity)
Auckland	The Civic	6 June, 2009	Cameron Clayton	Tina Cross	Ian Campbell	Shane Cortese (Rum Tum Tugger)
Brisbane, Queensland	QPAC theatre	17 July, 2009	Shaun Rennie	Delia Hannah	John Ellis	Michael-John Hurney (Gus)
Stockholm	Cirkus	3 September 2009	Niklas Andersson	Malena Tuvung	Fred Johanson	Per Myrberg (Gus/Growltiger), Peter Harryson (Bustopher Jones), Ann-Louise Hanson (Jennyanydots), Rennie Mirro (Rum Tum Tugger)
Oslo	Chat Noir	September 2009	Lars Jacob Holm	Liv Eirin Francis	Per Vollestad	Toralv Maurstad (Gus), Charlotte Våset, Håkon Sigernes, Kristin Berg, Solveig Andsnes, Geir Gundersen, Petter Aagaard, Reidun Sæther, Øyunn Bjørge, Bjørn Wettre Holthe, Atle Karsten Solberg, Fransiska Sveinall, Sivert Hauge, Thea Bay, Michelle Purvis, Anett Amundsen, Selma Winje, Sara Foss Aaserud, Signe Marie Øen Carlsen, Casandra Strand Simon, Rebecca Weng, Gulla Nordmoen
Johannesburg	Teatro Montecasino (Artscape Cape Town)	26 September 2009	Jonathan Roxmouth	Angela Killian	Marcus Desando	Robert Finlayson (Gus)
2009 China Tour	Various Theatres Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Dongguan, Shenzhen	5 September 2009	Shaun Rennie	Delia Hannah	John Ellis
2009 Italia Tour	Various Theatres Roma, Napoli, Bari, Torino, Firenze, Prato, Milano, Bologna, Trento, Pordenone, Assisi, Genova, Rimini, Reggio Emilia	28 Ottobre 2009	Andrea Verzicco	Giulia Ottonello	Alessandro Neri	Azzurra Adinolfi, Federica Baldi, Gianluca Ciatti, Roberto Colombo, Simone De Rose, Tiziano Edini, Stefania Fratepietro, Silvana Isolani, Alessandro Lanzillotti, Roberta Miolla, Fabio Monti, Massimiliano Pironti, Maria Silvia Roli, Andrea Rossi, Laura Safina, Loredana Sartori, Chiara Vecchi, Giuseppe Verzicco, Chiara Vinci
Yokohama	Canon CATS Theater	11 November 2009	Kiyomiti Siba	Sayoko Hayami	Sizuo Tanei
Adelaide, South Australia	Adelaide Festival Centre	31 December 2009	Shaun Rennie	Delia Hannah	John Ellis	Michael-John Hurney (Gus)
São Paulo, Brazil	Teatro Abril	4 March 2010	Júlio Mancini	Paula Lima	Saulo Vasconcelos
Philippines	Cultural Center of the Philippines	July 2010		Lea Salonga

Awards

Olivier Awards

1981 Award wins

• Best New Musical - Andrew Lloyd Webber and T. S. Eliot
• Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Musicals - Gillian Lynne

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 25 March 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 M'Caw as he didn't care for the "Italian aria" version^[6]. In the video version, the entire scene featuring Growltiger was cut out, due to John Mills' (Gus) old age.

The song "Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer" 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 wrote a new melody for the Broadway production, for Mr. Mistoffelees (also called Quaxo) to sing about Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer in the third person. The point of the scene on Broadway was to entertain Bustopher Jones. Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer were puppets being magically controlled by Mr. Mistoffelees/Quaxo. The tempo remained upbeat (now in 4/4 time, switching to 7/8 in the middle section) and the mood of the song was similar to the original version. Lloyd Webber's new version was used for all subsequent productions of Cats, although Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer now sing their number themselves (making the Broadway and London productions identical). In the 1998 film, one stanza was cut out.

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.

T.S. Eliot's poem "Cat Morgan Introduces Himself" was never actually made into a song.

In the original London production Munkustrap and the Tugger sing an extra verse in Old Deuteronomy's song. This second verse was later cut in subsequent productions.

References

External links

• The Official Site for the Cats UK Tour
• The Really Useful Group
• The Official Andrew Lloyd Webber site
• Cats at the Internet Broadway Database
• Gillian Lynne and Dance video
• "Rhapsody on a Windy Night" (text and notes)
• "Preludes" (text and notes)
• "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"
• Italy - Compagnia della Rancia production
• Pieter Toerien's 2009 South African production

From Wikiquote

Jellicle Cats come out tonight,
Jellicle Cats come one come all...

Cats is an award-winning musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. Most of the lyrics are taken with little or no change from Eliot. First performed in 1981, the show has since been performed around the world in numerous productions and has been translated into more than 20 languages

Yes the Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat —
And there isn't any call for me to shout it...

I remember the time I knew what happiness was
Let the memory live again.

• The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
  It isn't just one of your holiday games;
  You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
  When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
  • "The Naming of Cats"

• When the day's hustle and bustle is done,
  Then the Gumbie Cat's work is but hardly begun.
  • "The Old Gumbie Cat"

• Yes the Rum Tum Tugger is a Curious Cat —
  And there isn't any call for me to shout it:
  For he will do
  As he do do
  And there's no doing anything about it!
  • "The Rum Tum Tugger"

• Jellicle Cats come out tonight,
  Jellicle Cats come one come all:
  The Jellicle Moon is shining bright —
  Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.
  • "The Song of the Jellicles"

• Old Deuteronomy's lived a long time;
  He's a Cat who has lived many lives in succession.
  He was famous in proverb and famous in rhyme
  A long while before Queen Victoria's accession.
  • "Old Deuteronomy"

• And we all say: OH!
  Well I never!
  Was there ever
  A Cat so clever
  As Magical Mr. Mistoffelees!
  • "Mr. Mistoffelees"

• He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
  For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity's not there!
  • "Macavity: The Mystery Cat"

• Macavity, Macavity, there's no on like Macavity,
  He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
  • "Macavity: The Mystery Cat"

• Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
  For he's a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
  You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square —
  But when a crime's discovered, then Macavity's not there!
  • "Macavity: The Mystery Cat"

• They say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
  (I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
  Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
  Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!
  • "Macavity: The Mystery Cat"

• These modern productions are all very well,
  But there's nothing to equal, from what I hear tell,
  That moment of mystery
  When I made history
  As Firefrorefiddle, the Fiend of the Fell.
  • "Gus: The Theatre Cat"

• Memory
  All alone in the moonlight
  I can smile at the old days
  I was beautiful then.
  I remember the time I knew what happiness was
  Let the memory live again.
  • "Memory" sung by "Grizabella", Act iii.

• When the dawn comes tonight will be a memory too
  And the new day will begin.
  • "Memory" sung by "Grizabella", Act iii.

• Touch me
  It's so easy to leave me
  All alone with the memory
  Of my day in the sun.
  If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is
  Look a new day has begun.
  • "Memory" sung by "Grizabella", Act iii.

External links

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Cats (musical)

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