Ampil & Savile in Cats, 2 April

The hit musical Cats makes a return visit to the Opera House Manchester this April and the cast features former Miss Saigon star Joanna Ampil.

Based on T.S Eliot’s  ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s surprise hit is directed by Trevor Nunn, with choreography by Gillian Lynne and set and costume design by ohn Napier. Re-creating the direction and choreography for the tour is Chrissie Cartwright.

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. Music, dance and verse fuse together in an enchanting blend of fantasy, drama and romance.

The cast features Joanna Ampil as Grizabella, Oliver Savile as Rum Tum Tugger, Nicholas Pound as Old Deuteronomy, Ben Palmer as Munkustrap, Melissa James as Bombalurina and Joseph Poulton as Mistoffelees.

Cats opened at the New London Theatre on 11 May 1981 and played almost 9,000 performances. It closed on 11 May 2002 having celebrated 21 record-breaking years and winning an Olivier Award for Best Musical (1981).

On Broadway it was the winner of seven Tony Awards (including Best Musical and Best Director) and ran for an amazing 18 years making it second only to The Phantom of the Opera as Broadway’s longest running musical.

It has also enchanted audiences in over 300 cities in 26 countries around the world and has been performed in at least 10 different languages. The show was last seen in the UK  in 2008 on tour.

The 2013 tour of the Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre production of CATS is again presented by David Ian.

Cats arrives in Manchester from 2 – 13 April, 2013.