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By HOPE ULLMAN : The Herald-Sun RALEIGH -- Midnight in a moonlit junkyard, one by one the cats emerge. Tonight’s the night when tribe members reunite to celebrate at their annual Jellicle cat ball. It is also the night when their wise leader, Deuteronomy, picks one cat to travel to the "Heaviside Layer" to be reborn. Awaiting Deuteronomy’s arrival, the cats greet their human visitors in the audience. Singing and dancing, they display their unique feline traits, giving the humans a rare glimpse into their secret world. The longest running musical on Broadway, "Cats" is back, on a nationwide tour. It’s coming to Raleigh’s BTI Center for the Performing Arts, Tuesday through Dec. 8, for eight performances. The show has universal and timeless appeal with its themes of acceptance and joy. Based on T.S. Eliot’s "Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats," with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, "Cats" is a high-energy, visual extravaganza, packed with dazzling dance numbers and acrobatics. Elaborate makeup and costumes complete the actors’ catlike transformation. "The wigs are made out of yak hair because it’s the most durable and can withstand perspiration and be washed," said assistant company and stage manager Don Adkins, who also covers two roles as an understudy, or swing performer. Clad in full feline regalia, each actor travels with three identical costumes, since the furry coats and tails sometimes need repair. "Through all the dancing, moving and rolling around, the tails will sometimes come off," Adkins said. "Sometimes the actors have to slip off stage, retie their tail and come back on." The show is physically demanding, requiring cast members to be in top-notch health. Swing performers, like Adkins, must be ready to suit up in record time and discretely slip onstage, in case a cast member is injured during the show. While "Cats" is an ambitious feat under any circumstances, touring brings its own special challenges, such as managing a new crop of stagehands and assembling the set at every stop. "It’s like a jigsaw puzzle," Adkins said, with sections that fit to a steel framework. The result is a mind-blowing spectacle, complete with musical hits, such as "Memory" and "Magical Mr. Mistoffelees." To prepare for their roles, the actors observed real cats at pet stores and zoos to get a feel for how the animals move and react. "We engaged in cat improvisation, where we would try to imitate catlike movement," Adkins said. For example, "they would have an alarm clock go off and see how we’d react." "It helped us to feel what they might feel," added cast member Martin C. Hurt, a Fayetteville native, who plays Deuteronomy. Much like humans, each cat has its own distinct personality and style. There is Rum Tug Tugger, a hip-swiveling Elvis type, who thrives on female attention. Jennyanydots sleeps and lounges all day long, while Bustopher Jones "the 25-pounder," struts around in fine duds and eats at pubs. Grizabella the glamour cat sadly slinks about. Her worn, tattered coat covers black sequined attire from days past, and both reflect her experiences and travels. She is seeking to rejoin the tribe she left long ago. "It really is a family show," Adkins said. "A child will come to see the show and be totally able to suspend disbelief. They’ll really and truly believe they’re seeing cats singing and dancing up on stage." For adults, it’s almost like being transported to a secret world, Hurt said. "For a lot of pet owners -- it’s a fantasy for them to imagine that their pet could sing and dance. People love to come see the show and figure out which cat is their cat." Cats What: The musical, "Cats" Where: Memorial Auditorium, BTI Center for Performing Arts, Raleigh When: Dec. 3-8; times vary Tickets: On sale now at the BTI Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster, or by calling 834-4000. Cost: Ticket prices range from $20 to $60 © 2002 The Durham Herald Company |
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