Actor’s Charitable opens season with CATS

The Actor’s Charitable Theatre (ACT) is kicking off its 10th season with CATS, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world-famous musical classic, at the historic Bama Theatre, September 6-9.

Based on T.S. Eliot’s collection of poems, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the show is set in a larger-than-life junkyard playground that comes alive with purr-fect felines who come out to play on one special night of the year – the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one the cats of all types, shapes and sizes tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

CATS is a non-stop thrill ride of fast and fun dance numbers with a ton of variety, from a cheerful tap-dance revue to jazz, acrobatics and modern ballet. In particular, audiences will be amazed by “The Jellicle Ball” scene in the first act, which demands the highest caliber of dancing from the entire 34-member cast.

“The Jellicle Ball sequence is ten minutes of all-out dancing,” said Melissa Verzino, CATS choreographer and owner of the Tuscaloosa Dance Centre. “It’s known as one of – if not THE most – physically demanding dance sequences in musical theatre, requiring incredible strength, skill and endurance.”

Joey Lay, who has worked on more than 100 theatre productions both on and off stage for more than 20 years, is the director and costumer of CATS and also plays Old Deuteronomy.

“I have dreamed of doing this show for decades,” said Lay, who is no stranger to Demopolis, having helped in numerous shows with the Tiger Arts Guild at Demopolis High School. “This is my third time working on a CATS production, and I’m so thrilled to finally get to actually be IN the performance – even if it means I have to wear a unitard!” he joked.

Jokes aside, Lay said he is proud to be part of this cast of incredibly talented dancers and singers and can’t wait for audiences to be a part of this magical event.

And what an event it will be.

CATS, one of the longest-running shows in London’s West End and Broadway history, received its world premiere at the New London Theatre in 1981 where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances. The ground-breaking production was the winner of the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical. In 1983, the Broadway production became the recipient of seven Tony awards, including Best Musical, and went on to run for 18 years.

Since its world premiere, CATS has been presented in over 30 countries, has been translated into 15 languages and has been seen by more than 73 million people worldwide. Both the original London and Broadway cast recordings won Grammy Awards for Best Cast Album.

Bethany Knight plays Demeter, one of the principal characters in CATS. Knight, a sophomore vocal performance major at the University of Alabama who has had a love of performing on stage since she was three years old, has starred in numerous stage productions in her hometown of Hamilton, and appeared in several UA Opera Theatre shows last year. “I have never been so in love with a rehearsal process in all my years of theatre,” Knight said of her experience working on CATS.

“The best thing has been watching myself and the rest of the cast slowly learn to move their bodies like cats, and then as their specific character on top of that” Knight added. “The unscripted moments in this show are everywhere and many of them are simply each actor losing themselves in their character and creating art with their bodies. Of course, I have been thrilled to do this show from the start, but it wasn’t until recently when I started helping make costumes and saw the touring production of CATS in Atlanta in early August, that I realized: I am in CATS The Musical! I’ve never worked so hard for a show and I know this will be one of the most rewarding performance experiences I have ever had. I just hope what I bring to the stage does justice to the legacy this show holds.”

The magnificent musical score of CATS is composed by the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber and includes the poignant hit song “Memory,” which has been recorded by more than 150 artists from Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis to Liberace and Barry Manilow. Singing “Memory” on the Bama stage will be Beth Stomps Feller, who plays Grizabella, the former Glamour Cat who has lost her sparkle and now only wants to be accepted. Feller, a former Miss Alabama, earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre with a minor in vocal performance from the University of Alabama in 2000 and is a professional voice-over artist for radio and industrial commercials for the pharmaceutical industry. She has performed with numerous theatre organizations in the Southeast, including Theatre Tuscaloosa, where she played Eliza in My Fair Lady, the group’s first production 24 years ago, as well as more recent roles in Company, Regrets Only and Nuncrackers.

“My favorite part of rehearsing for CATS is watching a cast with diverse backgrounds come together as artists and performers,” Feller said. “Many of the dancers have never been in a full theatrical production with a live orchestra, and many of the actors/singers have never had to dance with the kind of intensity and skill this show requires. These young performers are growing as artists themselves while teaching and inspiring each other. I am particularly proud of The ACT partnering with Melissa Verzino to give these young performers additional opportunities that challenge them to grow.”

“I am also especially grateful to share this experience with my daughter, Kate, who plays one of the kittens,” Feller continued. “Often misunderstood and disliked by the other cats, Grizabella usually turns to the five kittens to seek acceptance. Kate and I share a beautiful moment just before I sing ‘Memory,’ where I reach for the kitten who happens to be my daughter in real life.”

Five performances of CATS will run September 6-9 at the historic Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa: Friday through Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m., and a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m.

Reserved seat tickets are $22 for adults and $20 for seniors and students. Tickets and information are available at www.TheACTonline.com or (205) 462-7947. The Box Office will be open one hour prior to each show time as well.