CATS. Associate Director and Choreographer: Chrissie Cartwright. Assistant Director and Choreographer: Matt Krzan. Resident Director: Duane Alexander. Musical Director: Louis Zurnamer. Cast: Large ensemble led by Cindy Ann Abrahams, King B, Jordan Roelfze and Cassiel Eatock-Winnik. Accompaniment: Octet led by Kurt Haupt. Artscape Opera House.
BEVERLEY BROMMERT reviews
One look at the richly evocative set on an uncurtained stage – even before there’s any feline activity – suffices to give an idea of this production’s quality. In a word, superlative.
Adapting an anthology of poems about cats (Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot) for a large-scale musical production does not immediately come to mind as a promising exercise, but like some untoward alliances, it can result in something memorable, which is what Andrew Lloyd Webber famously achieved with Cats.
This show offers a synthesis of noteworthy music, lyrics, dancing, vocal performance and acting, with more than a dash of emotional warmth and some mental fodder for those who appreciate content along with spectacle: here is a community of cats which becomes a metaphor for human society (not for nothing are we reminded than “a cat is not a toy”), with the story of Grizabella adding a cautionary reminder of the need for compassion in life.
Tackling such a multiplicity of challenges, the team of Chrissie Cartwright, Matt Krzan, Duane Alexander (whose impressive career as both performer and creative director of musicals speaks for itself) and Louis Zurnamer (award-winning musical director of considerable experience) join forces to bring this latest staging of Cats to life.
Collective dance at its sexiest
Under their joint direction, members of the sizeable cast respond energetically; both ensemble and solo execution shimmer with blithe confidence in carrying out the triple threat. Most impressive of all is the rigorous synchronisation of collective dance at its sexiest.
Howard Eaton’s lighting and imaginative use of technology complement the calibre of performance: for instance, in the initial penumbra of the stage, cats’ serial arrivals are heralded by the twin gleam of green eyes, while in the finale, Grizabella’s vertiginous ascent to eternity has the audience breathless. Not to mention the pyrotechnics accompanying those surreal creatures, Macavity and Mr Mistofolees …
A portrait gallery of feral cats is presented, more than a few of them suggesting recognisable types in human society, and each neatly differentiated to make them individually interesting, whether tabby or tortoiseshell, snow white or pitch black, sleek or shaggy.
Sterling collaboration
Several stand out as much for their character as for their role in the show’s narrative: the patriarchal Old Deuteronomy, with his full-voiced, articulate delivery (impersonated by King B); the dazzling Mr Mistofolees, all balletic proficiency (Jordan Roelfze); the ultra-feminine, dainty white Victoria (Cassiel Eatock-Winnik), and central to the action, the sweetly vulnerable senior cat Grizabella, a lonely pariah whose chief solace lies in recalling long-gone happiness. Cindy-Ann Abrahams milks this role for all it’s worth, her best moments coming in pianissimo delivery of “Memory”. Despite an unattractive costume, her winsome portrayal is enough to soften the sternest critic.
From the thunderous percussion of music accompanying the Jellicle Songs and the Jellicle Ball, to the near-silence in which dramatic highlights occur, the variety of mood is deftly captured throughout.
Cats has evolved from the eccentric groundbreaker of 40 years ago into a present-day classic of musical theatre repertoire, and this latest production, in serving it well, showcases the qualities which have made it what it is. A sterling collaboration between Pieter Toerien, GWB Entertainment and Cape Town Opera, in association with LW Entertainment.
What: Cats
Where and when: Artscape in Cape Town from 10 December 2025 | Johannesburg’s Teatro at Montecasino from 17 January 2026
Tickets: Webtickets
WS
