The purr-fect cast for the 40th Anniversary Australian tour of CATS is ready to hit the stage! Final Sydney seats are now on sale, with performances beginning next week at Theatre Royal Sydney. Don't miss out!
Final seats for the highly anticipated Sydney season of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical CATS have just been released. The iconic production is set to open next week at its original Australian home, Theatre Royal Sydney, playing from 17 June to 6 September. Following its Sydney run, CATS will tour to Adelaide at Her Majesty’s Theatre from 20 September, Crown Theatre Perth from 8 November, and Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne from 21 December.
The coveted role of Grizabella, the former “glamour cat” ostracised by the Jellicles, will be brought to life by Gabriyel Thomas. Audience favourite Todd McKenney takes on the dual roles of Bustopher Jones and Asparagus the Theatre Cat, while classical performer Mark Vincent returns to the musical theatre stage as Old Deuteronomy, the patriarch of the Jellicle tribe.
Lucy Maunder, recently seen as Roxie Hart in the sold-out national tour of Chicago, will portray Jellylorum. The rebellious cat Rum Tum Tugger is played by Des Flanagan, and WAPPA graduate Jarrod Draper has been cast as Munkustrap. 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 talented 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).
John Frost expressed his excitement, stating, “We have assembled a purr-fect cast for this 40th Anniversary Australian tour of CATS, and rehearsals have been fantastic. It’s wonderful to see this talented mix of seasoned artists and new performers to the industry creating their feline characters, and to partner with the vital charity the Australian Children’s Music Foundation.” He added, “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 an enduring love for CATS and it’s time to let the memory live again. Get 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 worldwide since its opening at the New London Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne) in 1981. It played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances, earning 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 seen by over 81 million people globally. On Broadway, CATS ran for 18 years and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The musical tells the enchanting story of the Jellicle cat tribe. On one special night each year, all Jellicle cats gather at the Jellicle Ball where Old Deuteronomy, their wise leader, makes the Jellicle choice and announces which of them will ascend 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 the unforgettable Memory, CATS promises a magical musical experience like no other.