40TH ANNIVERSARY AUSTRALIAN TOUR OF CATS SHOWING TO GREAT ACCLAIM
The 40th Anniversary Australian tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical CATS has opened to rapturous audience response and rave reviews, at the theatre where it first began in Australia, Theatre Royal Sydney, ahead of its tour to Adelaide, Perth,Melbourne and Brisbane.
The iconic production has been showered with praise by critics:
**** “This fresh production is a great way to celebrate 40 years” – AU Review
**** “Australia’s new 40th anniversary production well and truly delivers” – Time Out
**** “Spectacular” – Stage Noise
“An immersive spectacle” – Sydney Morning Herald
“A must-see again and again … A theatrical triumph” – DanceLife
The coveted role of Grizabella, the former “glamour cat” ostracised by the Jellicles, is played by Gabriyel Thomas (“Gabriyel Thomas’s rendition of Memory is so hauntingly beautiful it sends shivers down the spine” – Theatre Thoughts), while audience favourite Todd McKenney plays the dual roles of Bustopher Jones and Asparagus the Theatre Cat (Todd McKenney is infectiously glorious on stage” – The Scoop), and classical performer Mark Vincent returns to the musical theatre stage as Old Deuteronomy, the patriarch of the Jellicle tribe (“Mark Vincent brought sonorous gravitas” – Sydney Morning Herald).
Recently seen as Roxie Hart in the sold-out national tour of Chicago, Lucy Maunder has taken on the role of Jellylorum, while the rebellious cat Rum Tum Tugger is Des Flanagan. WAPPA graduate Jarrod Draper has been cast as Munkustrap, and returning to CATS after many years is Leigh Archer as the motherly character Jennyanydots, also known among the tribe as the “Gumbie Cat”.
The remainder of the company includes Axel Alvarez (playing Mr Mistoffelees), Sarah Bourke (Tantomile), Olivia Carniato (Demeter), Mia Dabkowski-Chandler (Bombalurina), Tom Davis (Skimbleshanks), Ella Fitzpatrick (Jemima), Charlie Follows (Bill Bailey), Joshua Gordon (Coricopat), Chaska Halliday (Cassandra), Dominique Hamilton (swing), Claudia Hastings (Victoria/ White Cat), Aimee Jones (swing), Savannah Lind (Rumpleteazer), Joe Miller (swing), Jake O’Brien (Mungojerrie), Xavier Pellin (swing), Guy Pik (Carbuckety),Rania Potaka-Osborne (Alonzo), Edward Smith (Admetus/ Macavity), Thalia Smith (swing) and Tod Strike (swing).
“Australia has an enduring love for CATS – it was revolutionary when it first opened. The reaction to the show at last week’s opening night at the original Australian home of CATS, Theatre Royal Sydney, was amazing,” said producer John Frost for Crossroads Live. “We have assembled a purr-fect cast for this 40th Anniversary Australian tour, with a talented mix of seasoned artists and new performers to the industry. It’s time to let the memory live again, so buy your tickets today before they sell out!”
Based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, CATS has been captivating audiences around the globe since it opened at the New London Theatre (now known as the Gillian Lynne) in 1981, where it played for 21 record- breaking years and almost 9,000 performances, winning both the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. Since then, CATS has been presented in over 50 countries, translated into 23 languages and has been seen by over 81 million people world-wide. On Broadway, CATS played for 18 years and won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.
The musical tells the story of the Jellicle cat tribe. On just one special night of the year, all Jellicle cats meet at the Jellicle Ball where Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, makes the Jellicle choice and announces which of them will go up to “The Heaviside Layer” and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.
The timeless musical score includes the hit song Memory, which has been recorded by more than 150 artists including Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Nicole Scherzinger, Johnny Mathis, Liberace and Barry Manilow. With “timeless music, spectacular sets and a superb cast” (Daily Mirror), breathtaking choreography and of course the unforgettable Memory, CATS is a magical musical like no other.
Get your tickets now at catsthemusical.com.au and let the memory live again.
See and download Australia’s new Grizabella, Gabriyel Thomas, singing Memory here and production photos here
catsthemusical.com.au
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SYDNEY SEASON
Venue: Theatre Royal Sydney
Season: To 6 September
Performance Times: Tues-Thurs 7pm, Fri-Sat 7.30pm, Wed 1pm, Sat 2pm, Sun 1pm & 6pm(schedule varies weekly)
Prices: From $69.90 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings: catsthemusical.com.au or 1300 163 808
Groups 8+ contact theatreroyalsydney.com/contact-us or 1300 163808
