If you can believe it, CATS is now over 40 years old. One of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s signature stage musicals (on this rare occasion, without artistic teammate, Tim Rice), CATS has been around the world touring every city imaginable including Paris, London, New York, Athens, Bangkok, Tokyo, Amsterdam, and back now to Australia after tours in Sydney in 1985 and 2016. It’s hard to believe when the original production opened in the New London, it was a complete flop. The idea of people dressed up as cats? Ridiculous.
Based on the TS Eliot book of poetry, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939), this musical really started to gain momentum as the popular song, “Memory” started to climb the music charts in the early 1980s. And the rest, as they call it, is history. Now CATS returns for its 40th anniversary tour in Australia, starting in Sydney with fresh faces, rejuvenating the musical for some old and new audiences.
CATS centres on the story of the Jellicle Cats, a tribe of cats who come together for a special night each year celebrating their unique characteristics. The performances are strong, including the young white cat Victoria (Claudia Hastings), who has incredible classical ballet skill. She is powerful and well balanced, yet soft and graceful. Jennyanydots (an old Gumbie cat, played by Leigh Archer) beams on stage, even though she just sleeps and lounges around all day. Then enters the Rum Tum Tugger (Des Flanagan) who gives off some serious Elvis Presley vibes, who has the female felines swooning. Flanagan has packs of charisma and provides an epic performance.
Todd McKenney is absolutely unrecognisable as both Bustopher Jones in Act I and Asparagus in Act II. Both parts are played so well. Especially Asparagus, who got a lot of laughs (and McKenney hammed it up for the audience on the night). Gabriyel Thomas, who plays the ageing Grizabella stole the show with her performance of ‘Memory’, belting out a beautiful melodic rendition of the popular song with emotion and poise. And lastly, another memorable voice is Mark Vincent who plays Old Deuteronomy, with a wise and booming operatic sound, he embodied the wise old cat truthfully.
All in all, the staging and lighting were outstanding, and the choreography perfectly attuned to the movement of a cat with credit to the icon (choreographer and assistant director), Gillian Lynne who passed in 2018 and Associate Director and Choreographer for Australia, Chrissie Cartwright. There is a whole tribe of incredibly talented dancers on this stage, with the added element of looking and feeling like a cat both on stage and when roaming around the audience. There is also even a moment to celebrate tap dancing cockroaches.
CATS is a strange yet hypnotising musical that reflects the oddities of the furry animals a lot of us share our communities with. This fresh production is a great way to celebrate 40 years of the iconic musical with talent searing both on and off the stage.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Reviewer attended opening night on 20 June 2025.
CATS is playing at the Theatre Royal Sydney from June 2025, then touring Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane.
Tickets available here: CATS the Musical | Australia | 2025
All photos credit Daniel Boud
