Last Three Weeks of CATS 40th Anniversary Production in Sydney

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 four 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.

The iconic production has been showered with praise by critics:

🟊🟊🟊🟊 “Australia’s new 40^th anniversary production well and truly delivers” – Time Out

🟊🟊🟊🟊 “This fresh production is a great way to celebrate 40 years” – AU Review

🟊🟊🟊🟊🟊 “Inexplicably magical” – First Class Magazine

🟊🟊🟊🟊 “Spectacular” – Stage Noise

“An immersive spectacle” – Sydney Morning Herald

“‘Run, leap or prowlingly sneak, just don’t miss it!’” – Theatre Thoughts

“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 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”.

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).

“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 40^th Anniversary Australian tour, with a talented mix of seasoned artists and new performers to the industry. Don’t miss it!”

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.

SYDNEY SEASON

Venue Theatre Royal Sydney

Season To 6 September

Bookings: catsthemusical.com.au or 1300 163 808

ADELAIDE SEASON

Venue Her Majesty’s Theatre

Season 20 September – 12 October

Bookings: catsthemusical.com.au

PERTH SEASON

Venue Crown Theatre

Season From 8 November