Tickets for the Perth season of the 40th Anniversary production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical Cats will be on sale from Friday 13 June.
The much-loved iconic musical will play at Crown Theatre from 8th November following seasons in Sydney and Adelaide.
Details of the performers taking to the stage for the latest production have also been shared.
Grizabella, the former ‘glamour cat’ ostracised by the Jellicles, will be played by Gabriyel Thomas, who recently starred as Michelle and sometimes in the lead role of Deloris Van Cartier in the Australian tour of Sister Act. Gabriyel’s other credits include The Sound of Music, Ragtime and the Australian and US tours of Hairspray.
Audience favourite Todd McKenney will play the dual roles of Bustopher Jones and Asparagus, the Theatre Cat. Most recently seen as The Wizard in Wicked and as Felix Unger opposite Shane Jacobson in The Odd Couple, Todd played Tumblebrutus in the original Melbourne season of CATS from 1987 to 1988, very early in his stage career, and is thrilled to revisit the show nearly four decades later.
Classical performer Mark Vincent returns to the musical theatre world as Old Deuteronomy, the wise and beloved patriarch of the Jellicle tribe. One of Australia’s most celebrated classical crossover artists, Mark’s career spans ten albums, multiple international tours and performances at some of the world’s most prestigious venues. This will be Mark’s third musical following his roles as Billy Kostecki in the Australian tour of Dirty Dancing and Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the Dame Julie Andrews-directed production of My Fair Lady.
Most recently seen as Roxie Hart in the sold-out national tour of Chicago and the boutique musical No Love Songs, Lucy Maunder is taking on the role of Jellylorum, who watches out for the kittens and takes care of Asparagus. Since graduating from WAPPA in 2006, Lucy has performed lead roles in Mary Poppins, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pippin, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Matilda the Musical and Doctor Zhivago amongst others.
The rebellious cat Rum Tum Tugger who likes to cause mischief amongst the Jellicle tribe, will be played by Des Flanagan. Best known for playing Christian in the Australian tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Des has recently starred as Leo Bloom in Mel Brooks’ The Producers at Sydney’s Hayes Theatre Co and Riverside Theatres Parramatta.
WAPPA graduate Jarrod Draper has been cast as Munkustrap, the tabby tomcat who is the storyteller and protector of the Jellicle tribe. Most recently playing Artie Green in Sunset Boulevard in China after performing the role in Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore, Jarrod has also starred in Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Promises, Promises.
Returning to Cats after many years will be Leigh Archer, as the kind, motherly character Jennyanydots, also known among the tribe as the “Gumbie Cat”. Leigh played Demeter in the 1992/93 Australian and Asian tour of Cats, and has since performed in Strictly Ballroom, West Side Story and Moonshadow.
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).
“We have assembled a purr-fect cast for this 40th Anniversary Australian tour of Cats, a wonderful clowder of seasoned artists and new performers to the industry,” said producer John Frost for Crossroads Live.
“Cats was revolutionary when it first opened and to celebrate the production in the theatre where it first played is a real thrill. Australia has an enduring love for CATS and it’s time to let the memory live again. Perth, queue up to buy your tickets 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.
