Crossroads Live Australia as officially confirmed that rehearsals are now underway for the 40th anniversary Australian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical CATS. The tour will commence at the Theatre Royal Sydney from 17 June, returning to the venue where it first opened in Australia. The production will then head to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide from September, Crown Theatre in Perth from November, and Hamer Hall at Arts Centre Melbourne from December. Time will tell whether further legs of the tour will be made available.
Leading the cast as Grizabella, the outcast glamour cat known for the iconic ballad Memory, is Gabriyel Thomas. Todd McKenney will take on the dual roles of Bustopher Jones and Asparagus, while classical crossover singer Mark Vincent returns to the musical theatre stage as Old Deuteronomy, the wise leader of the Jellicle cats. Lucy Maunder, recently seen in the national tour of Chicago, will play Jellylorum, with Des Flanagan as Rum Tum Tugger. Jarrod Draper has been cast as Munkustrap, and Leigh Archer will return to CATS in the role of Jennyanydots, also known as the “Gumbie Cat”.
The ensemble includes 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, Aimee Jones, Joe Miller, Thalia Smith and Tod Strike (swings), Claudia Hastings (Victoria/White Cat), Savannah Lind (Rumpleteazer), Jake O’Brien (Mungojerrie), Xavier Pellin (swing), Guy Pik (Carbuckety), Rania Potaka-Osborne (Alonzo), and Edward Smith (Admetus/Macavity).
Reflecting on his return to the musical nearly four decades after appearing in the original Melbourne cast, Todd McKenney shared his enthusiasm:
Through these rehearsals I’m remembering what a spectacular show this is. It’s a dancer’s dream. Watching all these young performers brings back so many memories.
Gabriyel Thomas also spoke about the personal significance of joining the production:
This is a dream come true. I don’t think I would have been a performer if not for watching the movie of CATS constantly as a child. Rehearsals are an intense but magical time, watching how everyone is working together to tell the story.
