Actorsingers CATS

Paul Metzger (Director) tackles another Andrew Lloyd Webber premiere with Actorsingers, having directed last season's award-winning production of Jesus Christ Superstar (New Hampshire Theatre Awards finalist for Best Director, Best Musical, Best Choreographer, Best Music Director, Best Set Design, and awards for Best Lighting - Dennis Schneider, Best Actor - Brian Waldron, Jesus). No stranger to performing on stage as well as behind the scenes, Paul has appeared in 20 productions, musical and non-musical alike, and has been Fight Director (stage combat) for several of them. Most recently, Paul appeared as one of the muleteers in Actorsingers' Man of LaMancha, and prior to that, reprised the role of Ernst Ludwig ("the bad guy") in MADCo's 2004 award-winning production of Cabaret (Best Musical). Favorite roles over the years include Will Parker in Oklahoma!, Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, and Sky Masterson in Guys & Dolls. Paul thanks everyone associated with this production of CATS for their willingness to set the bar high and dream big.

Judy Hayward (Music Director) is happy to be back with Actorsingers for their production of CATS. She was music director for Actorsingers' production of Fiddler On the Roof in 2000, and was music director for the Teen Actorsingers' production of Narnia. In addition, Judy has worked with Peacock Players for the past six years, musically directing such shows as Les Misérables (Student Edition), Secret Garden, Children of Eden, Into the Woods, Just So Stories, Narnia, and Godspell, to name a few. Judy received the New Hampshire Theatre Award for Best Music Director last year for her work with MADCo's production of Cabaret, a finalist in the same year for Peacock Players' Just So Stories, and a finalist this year for Children of Eden. She is also a finalist for the IRNE (Independent Reviewers of New England) in Massachusetts for her work with Thrill Me, which was performed at Stoneham last year. Judy holds a BFA in Piano Performance and an MA in Arts Administration.

Donna O'Bryant (Choreographer) is very excited to have the opportunity to create the choreography for the New England Community Theater premiere of CATS. She wants to thank the cast for all of their hard work and countless hours of dance rehearsal, learning the unique, fresh, brand-spankin' new choreography which Donna specifically created for this production. Donna has performed in and choreographed numerous community theater productions in both NH and MA, and was a NH Theatre Awards finalist for Best Choreographer for MADCo's Cabaret. Most recently Donna appeared onstage in Actorsingers' production of 42nd Street, winner of the 2006 NHTA Best Musical award. She is an Actorsingers Life Member and currently on the Board of Directors. Contrary to popular belief, although Donna agreed to choreograph CATS, one of the most dance-intensive shows in musical theater history, no... she is not crazy.

A true musical phenomenon based on the universally popular poetry of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, CATS tells the story, in song and dance, of the annual gathering of a particular, magical tribe of cats (the Jellicle cats), at which time one special cat is selected to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back—reborn—as a new Jellicle cat. The plot revolves around several of the cats being introduced and "auditioning" to be the one that gets chosen. The leader of the tribe is a wise old cat (Old Deuteronomy) who is the one that ultimately gets to choose which cat will ascend. A villain cat (Macavity) causes mischief throughout the gathering, during which time we're introduced to acrobatic cats, magical cats, theatrical cats (part of which is a flashback to when Gus, the Theatre Cat, played the role of Growltiger, a Pirate King), and more! The most famous song from this musical, oddly enough, is not from Eliot's Practical Cats but is based on his poems Rhapsody on a Windy Night and Preludes. This song ("Memory"), sung by the Grizabella character, has become one of Broadway's most notable pieces, and has been recorded by over 150 artists.

CATS opened at London's New London Theatre on May 11, 1981, and ran for a record-setting 21 years (8,949 performances). CATS' London success was nearly matched on Broadway where it opened on October 7, 1982, at the Winter Garden Theatre and ran for just over 18 years, closing on September 10, 2000. In 1997 CATS surpassed A Chorus Line and became the longest running show in Broadway history, a title it held for eight years, closing with a total of 7,485 performances (on January 9, 2006, Phantom of the Opera edged past CATS as the longest running Broadway musical). But who says cats only have 9 lives? In October of 1991 CATS became the longest continuously touring show in American theatrical history! CATS has played on five continents, in 26 countries and to more than 8.5 million audience members, winning seven Tony Awards. CATS has also received Laurence Olivier Awards, Drama Desk Awards, the New York Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, an Evening Standard Award, a Grammy Award, and more. Performance rights for community theater were only recently made available (beginning Spring 2006) and Actorsingers is honored to present the New England Community Theater premiere of this legendary show!

Please note that our production of CATS is very family friendly, but for the benefit of your fellow audience members as well as the cast and crew, use your judgment as to whether your very young children can sit quietly through a live theatrical performance. Running time of the show is approximately two hours, with one fifteen minute intermission, and no food or drink is allowed in the theater.