Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and T.S Eliot (lyrics)
Theatre Royal Sydney
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats was the first musical I ever saw. It was a Wednesday matinee and a school bus trip down to Sydney from Newcastle. I remember sitting in the stalls at the Theatre Royal, staring in wonder at the junkyard on stage as the overture started. Cast members dressed in lycra bodysuits began crawling through (and over) the audience. More and more appeared all over the stage. Are you blind when you’re born? Can you see in the dark? ….. Jellicle Cats…. I was hooked, and thus began my lifelong obsession with musical theatre.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 40 years since “Cats” first premiered in Australia at Sydney’s Theatre Royal, ushering in the age of the mega musical. Lloyd Webber followed it up with “Phantom of the Opera” and then “Sunset Boulevard,” dominating both Broadway and the West End for decades. It was innovative, original, and dazzling then, and I am very pleased to say it still pops in 2025. This is the original 1985 production (rescored in parts with several problematic sequences cut) featuring John Napier’s original direction and Gillian Lynne’s groundbreaking choreography that changed the face of musical theatre forever.
This production is as fresh as it is nostalgic, with an energetic cast that nails the vocals and choreography. The trick to getting Cats right is understanding that it is, at its core, an ensemble piece, and while there are featured roles throughout, its strength and heart lie in the cohesiveness of the ensemble as a whole.
That being said, all of the featured performers are top-notch. Todd McKenny’s Bustopher Jones is blustery and campy while he brings a lovely sentimental pathos to his Gus the Theatre Cat. Mark Vincent’s operatic tenor lends gravitas to Old Deuteronomy, and Leigh Archer is delightful as Jennyanydots, marshalling a chorus line of mice and cockroaches. Gabriyel Thomas is Grizabella, the Glamour Cat – a role played by some of musical theatre’s greatest divas – Elaine Paige, Betty Buckley, Nicole Scherzinger, and the sensational Debra Byrne (in the 1985 Australian production). Thomas has big shoes to fill – a feat made more difficult by the fact that Memory is one of the most over-performed songs in the musical theatre canon. Thomas understands the material and avoids the urge to over-perform it, despite, in my opinion, being a little too young for the role – a casting trend seen in this role in multiple productions over the last decade. However, the result is a beautifully delivered, lyrical interpretation of both the character and the song, which had Friday’s opening night audience cheering wildly.
Des Flanagan’s Rum Tum Tugger is suitably cheeky, while Jake O’Brien and Savannah Lind make a fabulous double act as the mischievous Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Axel Alvarez’s Mr Mistoffelees is agile and full of surprises, while Tom Davis’ Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat (my favourite song in the show) is delightfully playful, giving Act 2 an energetic lift.
The narrative of Cats (TS Eliot’s poems) has always been disjointed. In an effort to provide the show with a creative through line, Lloyd Webber created two characters who essentially hold the show together and give it cohesion. These roles traditionally do not receive the credit they deserve, and in this production, Munkustrap (played by Jarrod Draper, fresh from a starring role in Opera Australia’s Sunset Boulevard) and Jellylorum (played by Lucy Maunder, recently seen as Roxie Hart in the 2024 production of Chicago) are absolutely outstanding. Draper and Maunder are both bona fide triple threats and shine in this production as two of the most accomplished performers you will find on an Australian stage.
Cats is a slick and thoroughly entertaining night at the theatre that oozes charm and, for those who have been around long enough, a healthy dose of nostalgia.
Cats is produced by John Frost for Crossroads Live and is playing at Sydney’s Theatre Royal through 6 September 2025, after which it will tour Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.
In his past lives, Damien was a drag queen and musical theatre actor. He made his stage debut as a fat cow in a school production of Joseph in 1984. He holds a BA with a major in drama from the University of Newcastle. He is completely obsessed with musical theatre – especially Broadway divas.
Since relocating to Sydney at the beginning of 2024, he attends every musical he can get to and lives with his partner and grumpy 12-year-old poodle.
His claim to fame is that he once met Patti Lupone in New York and she was nice to him.