After a recent film adaptation brought it back to the headlines, a touring production of the stage show CATS will be debuting in Ottawa this month.
This production draws on the original score and book by Andrew Lloyd Webber as well as the classic costume design by John Napier, and adds all-new lighting design, sound design and choreography, under the direction of Trevor Nunn.
The goal is to present a new version of CATS for a modern audience. The cast includes Donna Vivino as Grizabella, Timothy Gulan as Bustopher Jones, and McGee Maddox as Rum Tum Tugger. Touring shows like this bring Broadway hits to smaller cities across North America, and are often advertised through poster printing campaigns.
Based on a collection of poems by T. S. Eliot, CATS was first staged in London in 1981 and ran for 21 years and 18 years in New York, setting records in both cities. The musical’s loose plot sees a number of human-sized cats performing for the honour of winning the Jellicle Ball. A 2019 film adaptation was more divisive, but has already started gathering a cult following.
The Ottawa stop on the CATS tour will run at the National Arts Centre from March 10 to March 15, with the weekend dates seeing both evening and matinee shows. It is one of only two scheduled Canadian stops on the tour, along with an engagement in Montreal the following week.
