Full Cast Announced for Blackpool Season of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats

The full cast has been announced for Blackpool’s eight week run of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record breaking musical Cats.

As previously announced, Jane McDonald will play Grizabella at the Blackpool Opera House from Thursday 9 July until Saturday 5 September.

Jane will be joined by Adam Linstead (Old Deuteronomy), Matt Krzan (Munkustrap), Antoine Murray-Straughan (Rum Tum Tugger), Mark Richardson (Quaxo/ Mistoffelees), Paul Monaghan (Gus/Growltiger/Bustopher Jones), Evan James (Skimbleshanks), Georgie Leatherland (Rumpleteazer), Harry Francis (Mungojerrie), Clare Rickard (Jellylorum), Emma Lee Clark (Bombalurina), Anna Woodside (Demeter), Jane Quinn (Jennyanydots), Hannah Kenna Thomas (Victoria/ White Cat), Tarryn Gee (Jemima), Danielle Cato (Cassandra), Gabrielle Cocca (Tantomile), Luke Cinque-White (Carbucketty), James Titchener (Coricopat), Javier Cid (Macavity/Admetus), Jon-Scott Clark (Bill Bailey), Jack Butterworth (Rumpus/Alonzo) and Jordan Shaw (Pouncival). They are joined by Megan Armstrong, Lindsay Atherton, Lucy Brushett, Oliver Ramsdale, Alex Pindar and Barry Haywood as swings.

Based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the original creative team – Director Trevor Nunn, Choreographer and Associate Director Gillian Lynne, Designer John Napier and Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber – have been reunited for the production.

On just one special night of the year, all Jellicle cats meet at the Jellicle Ball where Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, makes the Jellicle choice and announces which of them will go up to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

Rehearsals are now underway ahead of the show coming to Blackpool in a little more than four weeks.

Michael Williams, Managing Director of the Blackpool Winter Gardens, said: “Excitement is really starting to build ahead of the show now so it’s great people are able to see who exactly is in the full cast.

“Cats has such a successful history in Blackpool and has always proved to be an incredibly popular show here and I think people are really looking forward to seeing just how much the staging has changed for this new production.”

Cats first came to the Blackpool Opera House in 1989 for an unprecedented six-month run. It then returned to wow audiences in 2003 as part of a national tour. This 2015 Blackpool season of the Cameron Mackintosh and Really Useful Theatre production of Cats is presented by David Ian Productions.

Cats, one of the longest-running shows in West End and on Broadway, 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 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 ran for eighteen years.  Since its world premiere, Cats has been presented in more than 30 countries, has been translated into 10 languages and has been seen by more than 50 million people world-wide.  Both the original London and Broadway cast recordings won Grammy Awards for Best Cast Album.  The classic Lloyd Webber score includes Memory which has been recorded by more than 150 artists from Barbra Streisand and Johnny Mathis to Liberace and Barry Manilow.

CATS is directed by Trevor Nunn, with Gillian Lynne as Associate Director and Choreographer and designs by John Napier.  Book is by T. S. Eliot with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

CATS was originally produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Group Limited.

CATS will be at Blackpool Opera House from Thursday 9 July to Saturday 5 September.
Tickets priced form £20 are available now from www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk
Showtimes

Thursday 9 July (preview night), Opening Night Friday 10 July to Saturday 5 September 2015
(Tuesday – Sunday evenings at 7.30pm, Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm)
There will be NO performances 4 – 9 August.
 
ENDS

Notes to editors: Pic attached of Producer David Ian chatting to the cast in rehearsals

For further information, please contact: Sarah Rhodes, Rhodes Media
T: 01253 477480