Duane Alexander (right), resident director & choreographer on Cats, the musical, chats to cast member Jordan Roelfze (Mr Mistoffelees) in the rehearsal studio (picture: provided).
Duane Alexander, resident director and choreographer of Cats, soon to be on stage at the Artscape, tells Naomi Meyer why South African audiences should buy tickets to see the show.
Duane, I understand you were in the very first Cats production in South Africa in 2001. Then, you were the dance captain. Now, you are the resident director and the choreographer. Let’s take a quick look at Cats itself. The show is based on poems by TS Eliot – Old Possum’s book of practical cats. How on earth does one turn poems about cats into a musical theatre production? Please explain this production to any of our readers who have never seen the show. What is it about?
I’ve been privileged enough to do this show three times in my career. The first was the original South African production in 2001. I had just graduated; this was my first big musical. And to top it all off, what started out as a contract to do the show for a few months in South Africa ended up being a four-year international tour to some of the most incredible places in the world. I was a swing, so I played multiple roles, and I was also the dance captain, a role which positioned me to do the show again in 2009 – this time as resident director-choreographer. Now, 16 years later, I get to revisit this amazing production, again as the show’s resident director-choreographer. Cats is the most incredible success story of a production that was initially surrounded by so much scepticism, but defeated all odds to become one of the most iconic, recognisable and popular musicals of all time. With characters from TS Eliot’s anthology of poems, Cats tells the story of a tribe of cats who meet once a year at the “Jellicle Ball”, where after an evening of “nominations”, one cat will be selected to ascend to the Heaviside Layer to be reborn. Remember, cats are believed to have nine lives. The story is told through songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber, using TS Eliot’s poems as the lyrics, and a spectacle of dance choreographed by the late Dame Gillian Lynne.
Let’s go back to the beginning: what do you remember from the first Cats production, almost 25 years ago?
I quite honestly remember everything. I recall the excitement and expectation of being the first South African cast to do this landmark production on home soil. I remember “Cats School”, where we spent hours learning choreography and discovering what it takes to make a human body move and respond in a “feline” way. I remember the company feeling a wonderful sense of pride and achievement on opening night (and I remember the festive and decadent opening night party!). I remember the incredible response from South African audiences, and feeling very privileged to be part of this successful show. Furthermore, this show bonds people in a very special way, and I still hold this original cast very near and dear to my heart.
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I remember the company feeling a wonderful sense of pride and achievement on opening night (and I remember the festive and decadent opening night party!). I remember the incredible response from South African audiences, and feeling very privileged to be part of this successful show. Furthermore, this show bonds people in a very special way, and I still hold this original cast very near and dear to my heart.
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And now, you are in a different position from when you took part in the original production years ago. What did you want to do with the show – anything in particular that you wanted to highlight or wanted to emphasise: the music, the dance, the magic of the collaboration of the characters?
Cats has evolved over the last 16 years since I last did the show, and before she passed away, Dame Gillian Lynne and director Trevor Nunn spent a few weeks with a London cast making some changes. It is this latest version of the show that will be on South African stages in a few weeks, and all of the changes are geared to putting the storytelling front and centre. With it comes some new costume designs, more spectacular lighting, slight changes in some of the music, and an overall feast for the eyes. Associate director-choreographer Chrissy Cartwright worked with the original creative team for many decades, and her assistants Matt Krzan and Thalia Burt are passing on all the information and insight to me, as the resident director, while teaching the latest iteration of the show to the cast.
The audience is different to the audience from 25 years ago, as well – their attention span, their exposure to technology, to mention just two aspects! Does this matter to you when you put a production like this one on stage? Or is the story and what happens on stage more important – the audience will respond to the hard work and joy you and the cast bring to the stage?
Exactly. I’ve not yet come across an established production that has been “watered down” or shortened to accommodate a new generation of screen junkies. The world of Cats is truly immersive, and the illusion of talented humans portraying these delightful feline characters will hopefully be more than enough to hold the audiences’ attention for a few hours of theatrical magic.
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The world of Cats is truly immersive, and the illusion of talented humans portraying these delightful feline characters will hopefully be more than enough to hold the audiences’ attention for a few hours of theatrical magic.
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Why should people absolutely buy tickets to see this show?
There is a reason the Cats slogan is “Now and forever”; this show is timeless and has been performed in over 50 countries to more than 77 million people in 23 languages. It is one of the longest-running, highest-grossing musicals of all time and shows no signs of slowing down. In short, Cats is iconic, magical and a feast for the senses. There is a whole generation (possibly two) that has never seen this production before, and it may also be that particular theatre outing that remains with one forever.
Book tickets for Cats.
Also read:
Why My fair lady matters to LAMTA: an interview with Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander