Venue: Theatre Royal (Sydney NSW), Jun 17 – Sep 6, 2025
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe
Director: Trevor Nunn
Cast: Leigh Archer, Jarrod Draper, Des Flanagan, Lucy Maunder, Todd McKenney, Gabriyel Thomas, Mark Vincent
Images by Daniel Boud
Theatre review
It’s time again for a Jellicle Ball, but no prizes for guessing who gets chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is now into its 45th year, and it may seem that what was for a long time passé and even embarrassing, is now once again au courant. Early synth music arrangements, and lyrical jazz choreography had become indicators of bad taste for perhaps more than two decades, but trends have evolved to a state where Cats seems to have firmly established itself today, as a true classic of the genre.
Dancers in the current Sydney production give the work an amazing sense of elevation; their agility and athletic capacities take our collective breath away. Axel Alvarez as Mr Mistoffelees, Chaska Halliday as Cassandra, and Claudia Hastings as Victoria, impress with incredible physical discipline, along with the fascinating characterisations they bring to their various feline manifestations.
The truly iconic Grizabella is played by a mesmerising Gabriyel Thomas, who brings much-needed gravity to her rendition of “Memory”. Jarrod Draper’s regal handsomeness as Munkustrap has us charmed and captivated, while effortlessly conveying authority as de facto leader of the pack. Mark Vincent’s commanding voice makes Old Deuteronomy a persuasive patriarch, and Todd McKenney’s whimsical turn as Asparagus proves a delight.
A work like Cats can easily feel a relic, but on this occasion there is more than nostalgia that it delivers. Performers are often charged with the responsibility of breathing life into something old, and when they succeed, the wonder inspired can be even greater than ever before.
Suzy Goes See 