Heather Biddle, the theater director at JJ Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas, had wanted to make a production of “Cats” for so long that it became a bit of a comedy.
In August 2020, after months of lockdown and facing a year of distance learning, her students made commemorative T-shirts that read, “At least we didn’t do ‘Cats’.”
That all changed this month, when Biddle finally got her wish.
She hosted one of the first productions of ‘Cats: Young Actors Edition’ in the country. a one-hour version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical from 1981, adapted by iTheatrics for Concord Theatricals, and released to schools in North America last fall. And as Biddle expected, her students — many of whom were mostly familiar with the show in the context of the ill-fated 2019 film adaptation — joined in.
“I text Biddle all the time, ‘I’m no longer a ‘Cats’ hater!'” said Ainsley Ross, the production’s senior and musical director, during a break from rehearsals on May 10. “Now that I’m working on it, I love it so much.”
During a dress rehearsal in the school auditorium three days before the show started, the nervous energy was palpable. Dozens of teenagers ran around in shabby bodysuits hand-painted by fellow students and Biddle.
Spencer Van Goor, a sophomore who played Rum Tum Tugger, spun “Hello, gorgeous” to a teased wig as he grabbed it off the stage and put it on his head. “I’ve wanted to do this show for nine years,” said the 15-year-old. “I really like the dance and the music; it’s exotic and weird.”
Amelia Pinney, a junior who not only took on the dance-heavy role of Bombalurina, but also choreographed the entire show, moved in with Isabella Denissen, a junior who played Demeter. They were just as attached to the hip as their two characters would be during the show.
“It’s fascinating. It’s so unlike any other show that’s been done,” Pinney said wistfully.
In the conservatory, the students paced back and forth excitedly as they waited to be made up like cats. “You look like a sleep paralysis demon,” said one actor to another, laughing from the larger group. The students practiced their dance moves, twirling their hands, twisting their bodies, and kicking pointed toes. They manically discussed their other favorite musicals. They all agreed that Hailey Gibson, a sophomore cast as Grizabella, would blow everyone away with her rendition of “Memory.”
Concord Theatricals, the Licensing Company Representing the Stage Licensing Rights for the Andrew Lloyd Webber Catalog in North America, has long been making kid-friendly 60-minute versions of other stage works in his collection, such as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” and Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,” which JJ Pearce students performed last fall.
“These editions do hundreds of performances a year; they are a gateway to theater,” said Imogen Lloyd Webber, a daughter of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and senior vice president of communications at Concord.
When the company decided to adapt Lloyd Webber’s work for younger performers and audiences, “Cats” was an obvious first choice. “It’s an ensemble show,” said Imogen Lloyd Webber. ‘Everyone has a role. Anyone can make a song. You can go crazy with the costumes and the sets and the choreography.”
“And if you think about it, TS Eliot’s ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’ was originally a children’s poem,” she said, referring to the playful collection of poetry that makes up the bulk of the musical book. “It made sense. Internally, of course, we call it ‘Kittens’.”
Van Goor, one of the 32 students who took part in the production (five others contributed technical support), also appreciated that “Cats” is a real ensemble. “Technically, everyone gets their own little feature,” he said. Though largely a plotless extravaganza, the musical is set in a junkyard where a group of so-called Jellicle cats have gathered for an annual celebration.
Transposed into higher keys better suited to younger voices, Cats: Young Actors Edition was created with high school performers in mind. But Biddle really wanted it for her high school students. Most of them have been working with Biddle since they were 12 or 13 and participated in its popular summer program for all ages.
The show was JJ Pearce’s first production without any pandemic precautions, such as limited seating, masked performers, or masked audiences. Three days after the rehearsal, there was still a vibrant energy among the students during their 2 p.m. show on Friday, which was staged not only for the performers’ classmates in the high school, but also for local high school students being busted. run over after passing their annual standardized tests. Young teens and teens may have a reputation for not paying close attention at school-sponsored events, but the hall was silent as the descending riff of the musical’s opening track, “Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats,” kicked in.
As the show progressed, Biddle’s performers weren’t the only ones who came up with the idea of ”Cats.” The audience seemed equally captivated by the musical, which is at once haunted, silly and sentimental. Though there was an equally loud shuffle as the period bell rang, dozens of students remained ecstatic in their seats, cheering at Van Goor’s provocative performance of “The Rum Tum Tugger” and as Pinney and others did somersaults and handsprings onstage.
When the lights went on in the house after the performance, the high school students who had been in the audience ran backstage to congratulate their friends.
And the artists? They basked in the moment, excited that they’d made it to the show. They had done “Cats”! And they would do it again that night and the next day.
When asked if this production was what she hoped it would be, Biddle replied without hesitation: “I think people were shocked at how much they loved the show. It was worth the wait and I love that we converted a whole new group of ‘Cats’ enthusiasts. ‘Cats’ now and forever!”
