Usually heavy make-up and highly detailed costumes are a sign of Halloween in Athens. But tonight, 20 cast members will sport elaborately painted faces and intricate furry costumes to perform in the 25th anniversary tour of the musical Cats.
The longest continually running touring show in the history of the U.S. and London, Cats follows the tribe of the Jellicle Cats during their yearly celebration. The musical begins with each cat introducing him or herself to the audience while they wait for the arrival of their leader, Old Deuteronomy, to choose which of the Jellicle Cats will be reborn into a new life.
Throughout the production, other cats appear for the celebration, including Grizabella, a cat that left the tribe many years ago, who tries to make the other cats accept her back into the clan. Unable to convince the cats to accept her, Grizabella sings one of the more popular songs from the musical, Memory
reflecting on when she was a member of the tribe.
Cats began as a novel, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, published in 1939. It was adapted for the stage and premiered in New York City's West End in May 1981 and debuted on Broadway in February 1982. The musical consists of 20 songs composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
The Cats production has been touring for four years, said Ruth Parcover, associate director of marketing for Troika Entertainment LLC, the group promoting the tour. The current cast has been together since June. Actors decide how long they want to stay with the tour, and this cast is almost completely new, Parcover said.
The troupe performed a five-week stint in Mexico, and Ohio University will be the second university on the list of the tour's stops.
The musical has toured in more than 26 countries and has been translated into 10 languages, according to a press release from Troika Entertainment.
Company Manager Arthur Callahan still remembers when Cats first premiered on stage.
It's a story about community forgiveness and people - well actually cats - being changed
Callahan said. It has a great message still alive and necessary today.
The production will be almost the same as the original production from the 1980s, Callahan said.
Cats is known for its decorative costumes and dramatic make-up. It takes each actor approximately two hours to get into full costume and make-up. The costume for the Gumbie Cat, a very lazy character, weighs almost 40 pounds. The most expensive costume in the show is that of Mr. Mistoffelees. His jacket illuminates and is covered in expensive Swarovski crystals.
Cats can be seen at 7:30 tonight at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium. Tickets will be on sale at the door. Prices are $15 for students, $22 for seniors and $25 for general admission.
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Caitlin Price
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