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One of the most beloved Broadway musicals of all time is scheduled for two nights next week at the McAllen Civic Center. The national tour of Cats celebrated its 27th anniversary this year and is known as one of the longest-running productions in history.

Andrew Lloyd Webber based Cats on a book of poetry by T.S. Eliot titled Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The musical won seven Tony awards in 1983, and it continues to be a family favorite.

The story centers on a cat dance, and the ascension of one cat soul into heaven, chosen by an old, wise cat. Throughout the musical, the audience is introduced to each cat, their idiosyncracies and stories.

Cats produced one hit song, “Memory,” sung by the character Grizabella as she reflects on her glamourous past. The song has been covered by many pop artists, notably Barbra Streisand, whose version reached the top 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1982.

The mysterious and magical musical spectacular may be “Now and Forever,” but it will only be in McAllen for two days.

CATS
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 22, Wednesday, Dec. 23
WHERE: McAllen Civic Center Auditorium, Exp. 83 and S. 10th St.
COST: $45-$50
BUY TICKETS McAllen Civic Center box office, www.ez-tixx.com

CATS' ROCK STAR

Portraying the cat Rum Tum Tugger is a big responsibility – he’s the rock star of the show. Adam Steiner, who joined the tour in February, has received praise from many reviewers for his performance as the “Elvis” of Cats. Getting into character and learning the steps aren’t the only challenges that he had to face.

When Steiner joined the Cats cast, the tour had already begun, so he didn’t have the advantage of working with a make-up artist to learn the brushstrokes.He studied the former actor who played Tugger and learned how to apply the make-up on his own. Since then, the final look has evolved a bit and tends to reflect the kind of day he’s having, he said.

It takes him 15 to 20 minutes to apply the face make-up.

A wardrobe department helps with pinning the wigs onto the actors, and setting up the costumes for each cat.

“It is tons of hairspray, and they also glue all sorts of things. We have pins and glue. And I change my wigs five times throughout the show,” Steiner said.

Festiva talked to the performer about his starring role, how glam-rock fits in and how Cats, after 27 years, has kept its magic.

You’re the rock star of Cats. Did you study any rock stars for inspiration?

“When I first started, there was a lot of Elvis and a lot of Mick Jagger influences, and it kind of just changed as my process has grown. I like to say there’s a little Gene Simmons now, and even some newer artists.”

Is there a little bit of you in it as well?

“Of course. I wish I was as cool as he is, but maybe someday.”

Did you also study the movement of cats?

“Absolutely. It’s funny because I’m actually allergic to cats. So, I really didn’t have much of a liking for cats before. But I joined the show, and it’s bizarre because you start to practice ‘felinity,’ which is kind of a made-up word of what we do – actually roaming around a room like a cat. Since then it’s so bizarre, because I see cats and I’m immediately drawn to them, and I really pay attention to what they’re doing. You want to take all of that and try to put it into yourself so that you can find your own mannerisms that really create your own cat in yourself that makes that cat-like movement just come naturally to you.”

We’ve seen glam-rock become popular again, like with Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert. Do you think stage theater has had an impact on the latest generation in regards to music?

“I think the whole theatrical experience has evolved. It’s actually amazing for us who are in the theater industry to see artists like Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga. And it’s funny you use them as examples, because you know Adam Lambert comes from a musical theater background. Lady Gaga went to NYU’s Tisch School, which is a musical theater school. And now for them to be breaking into this industry of pop music … you know, I think it’s awesome. It makes the whole theatrical experience bigger. And it makes this whole idea of the mega-musical, which, ironically Cats was kind of the first mega-musical that brought so much more than just pretty costumes and a love story. There was so much more, and it was so much bigger, and that kind of opened the door for shows like Wicked, The Lion King, Mary Poppins – these big, $15, $20 million-dollar mega-musicals now. And I think now those mega-musicals have worked their way into pop culture because seeing Wicked now is just as cool as seeing Britney Spears. So now Britney Spears or Lady Gaga, they have to make their shows that much bigger because they’re trying to sell out these 30,000 seats auditorium and they still need to make their show bigger so it’s a complete theatrical experience. And I think it’s great because it broadens the horizon of the endless opportunity that we all have in this industry and across the board.”

Cats is 27 years old. Do you think the musical has the same impact on audiences today as it did decades ago?

“I think in part, yeah. We always say: Cats is really its own beast. There are elements of it that, you know, legwarmers – yeah, they kind of came back, but they aren’t what they were in 1982. I think what holds true to Cats is that it goes along with a lot of things. You know, they recreated Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. But it’s never going to be the original with Gene Wilder. You’re never going to have that magical element of that first time we all saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Regardless of whoever’s doing it. There’s been a lot since Cats – a lot of good and a lot of bad. But I think that Cats is Cats, and you know they say it’s “Now and Forever,” and I think that the elements of humans acting like cats, and the make-up and the costumes and the music and the dance … it was so influential to people when they saw it the first time, or they’ve been meaning to see it forever, but they just never had the opportunity. And now they have kids and they want their kids to see it because of that element that Cats has that most musicals don’t have, and they want their kids to be introduced to it. And it’s a great way to introduce a whole family to theater because its Cats.”

A FEW GOOD FELINES There are several cats in the Jellicle tribe. Here are some profiles on most of the key characters:

• Munkustrap – A silver Tabby, Munkustrap serves as narrator of Cats, and he is the protector of his fellow Jellicle cats.
• Old Deuteronomy – As the leader of the Jellicle tribe, Old Deuteronomy is the wise cat who chooses the next cat to ascend to heaven, or the Heaviside Layer.
• Grizabella – Once a great beauty, Grizabella grew old and fell into a depression. She is shunned by the tribe because she left them long ago to explore the outside world. The Jellicle cats feel she abandoned them, and now she’s back seeking their acceptance.
• Rum Tum Tugger – The rock star of the Jellicle cats, Tugger is an insatiably curious cat. He always wants the opposite of what he gets.
• Bustopher Jones – The “cat about town,” Bustopher Jones, is a bit of a celebrity among the cats. He is known for frequenting clubs for lunch fairly often and has become quite fat.
• Demeter – Demeter is one of the more sensitive and elegant queens of the tribe.
• Asparagus (Gus)/Growltiger – Gus was once an acclaimed actor.
• Jellylorum/Griddlebone – Jellylorum is a mature feline who watches over the kittens and has a close relationship with Gus.
• Jennyanydots – At first glance some may think Jennyanydots is a lazy cat because “she sits, and sits, and sits, and sits,” but when everyone else is asleep, her job begins. She is the keeper of the mice and cockroaches, and she also very protective over the kittens.
• Mr. Mistoffelees – A magical cat, or as T.S. Eliot described, “the original conjuring cat.” He’s still young and doesn’t know how to use all of his powers yet.
• Macavity – The most mysterious of them all, Macavity is the caper cat. He’s the master criminal who is guilty of many crimes, but is too clever to be caught. He is the only villain in the musical.

Amy Nichol Smith covers local entertainment for Festiva. You can reach her at (956) 683-4420 or at asmith@themonitor.com.