It’s a spectacle, for sure, with 23 oversized cats prowling the stage, singing and dancing on a junk-strewn alleyway set. But spare a thought for the performers themselves.
“It’s tough,” says Berrisford. “There’s a lot of crawling on the knees, especially for the kittens – they’re always on the floor. We’ve really got to make the audience believe we’re cats.”
To that end, the watching of cat videos on YouTube is encouraged. “Everyone [in the cast] has their own moment, and they get to develop their own cat, and do a lot of research themselves.”
Naturally, there is much herding of Cats, too. Everyone gets put through the rigours of cat school during the rehearsal period, and occasionally during the run, too, if someone is straying too far from the metaphorical stoop.
“At the beginning of the day, we’d do about half an hour of cats crawling, prowling, sniffing – all the senses, eyesight, sounds, how we react as cats, how we would smell and how we would touch and work our paws, getting used to having a tail,” Berrisford says. “And we’d sit and discuss what we would feel.”
As for what it’s about? Well, the jury is still out.
Des Flanagan as Rum Tum Tugger.Credit: Penny Stephens
“I’ve been doing it for 38 years and I still haven’t got a clue,” McKenney says. “Plot-schmot.”
But there is a narrative, insists Berrisford, who played Demeter in the last local production in 2016. Just not that much of one.
“There is an underlying story of forgiveness and redemption and, in human terms, people going through hard times. It’s about coming together, and what is happiness.
“So yes, there’s lots of dancing and lots of fun and lots of cats and a good night out, but there’s also a strong story underneath all that.”
Cats is showing at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne, until January 31. Details: catsthemusical.com.au
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