Catch the 40th Anniversary Tour of ‘Cats’ in Sydney Before it Departs 6 September
Following rapturous praise from critics and audiences alike, the “magical” (First Class Magazine) production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical Cats will close in just over three weeks’ time at the Theatre Royal Sydney, where Australia’s love affair with the show began. It closes in Sydney on 6 September, after which Cats transfers to Her Majesty’s Theatre Adelaide, then on to Crown Theatre Perth, Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne, then to the Lyric Theatre in Brisbane.
“It’s time to let the memory live again, so buy your tickets today in Sydney before we leave after 6 September! Australia has an enduring love for Cats – it was revolutionary when it first opened, and still thrills audiences after 40 years,”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. Don’t miss it!”
The coveted role of Grizabella, the former “glamour cat” ostracised by the Jellicles, is played by Gabriyel Thomas, while audience favourite Todd McKenney plays the dual roles of Bustopher Jones and Asparagus the Theatre Cat, and classical performer Mark Vincent returns to the musical theatre stage as Old Deuteronomy, the patriarch of the Jellicle tribe. Recently seen as Roxie Hart in the sold-out national tour of Chicago, Lucy Maunder plays 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”.
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 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 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.
Jarrod Draper, Leigh Archer in ‘Cats‘, photo credit Daniel Boud