‘Purr-fect' fit
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By Katie Vaughn | Saturday, December 23, 2006 |
When Christopher Sidoli auditioned for the traveling production of “Cats” — one of the longest-running musicals in the world and the longest continuously running touring show in U.S. history — he was skeptical about getting the role.
The New Yorker wasn’t intimately familiar with the blockbuster musical, and he thought it wasn’t geared toward his artistic strength of singing.
“I always perceived it to be a dancer’s show,” he said.
But Sidoli auditioned and got a job playing three roles. He jumped at the chance to travel the country performing and hasn’t looked back in the year-and-a-half since he began.
One of the best parts of working on “Cats” is learning from many of the forces behind the Broadway show who work on the traveling production, he said.
“From day one when I started on ‘Cats,’ I got a sense of pride and nostalgia,” he said. “They passed on to us all this history and ‘Cats’ folklore.”
Based on poems by T.S. Eliot and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, “Cats” opened in London’s West End in 1981 and on Broadway a year later. It has since been seen in 26 countries and became in 1991 the longest continuously touring show in American theater history, according to Webber’s Really Useful Group, the official Web site dedicated to his musicals.
The show’s loose plot centers on the Jellicle Cats tribe, which reunites one night each year. Among the large group of characters is Grizabella, a cat who was shunned when she left the tribe years ago to explore the outside world. She continuously tries to rejoin her family, even though she is always rejected.
Adding tension to the cats’ party is the villainous Macavity and his henchmen, who kidnap Jellicle leader Old Deuteronomy.
Sidoli plays the roles of “cat about town” Bustopher Jones and theater cat Gus, he said. Within the latter role, he also takes on Growltiger, a feline opera singer.
His is one of the voices highlighted in the musical. However, Sidoli said “Memory,” sung twice by Grizabella, is the musical component most often associated with “Cats.”
“I’ve done almost 500 shows and I’m still not sick of the song,” he said.
Nonetheless, Sidoli admitted he has faced a few challenges. He wasn’t scared of taking on roles in such a well-known production, but he was intimidated about dancing alongside performers who have been dancing since before they began grade school.
Furthermore, he and the other cast members had to learn how to move like a cat. Their director made the dancers practice “felinity” movements each morning, walking on all fours and moving as a tribe, he said.
“We learned to look at things how a cat would look at things,” he added.
Sidoli said audiences typically are enthusiastic about the show, which is produced by Jam Theatricals. However, the one difficulty some onlookers have is understanding the storyline, he said. He encourages them to simply enjoy the performance and not worry about plot details.
“Just go with it, that’s what I tell people,” he said.
The beauty of “Cats,” he said, is that the show offers something for every audience member. From the overarching theme of forgiveness to the diversity of character traits and personalities in the cats, each person will leave feeling connected to at least one aspect of the show.
Sidoli said he has seen that happen with his family members and friends, ranging in age from 6 to 80 years, who have seen him perform.
“Everyone seems to be able to relate to something in the show,” he said. “It’s such a spectacle in so many ways.”
Katie Vaughn can be contacted at (563) 383-2282 or kvaughn@qctimes.com.
IF YOU GO
What: “Cats”
When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4
Where: RiverCenter Adler Theatre, 136 E. 3rd St., Davenport
How much: $54, $41.50 and $31.50
Information: (563) 326-8555
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