Sorry, I can’t help writing this next sentence so please don’t judge me. Cats, the young actors’ edition, is the purrfect show for a young cast.
Why is it perfect? The Congress Junior Theatre is for 9-13-year-olds. They are all in the last couple of years of junior school and the first couple of years of high school.
At last night’s opening show, the 40 young people who took part spent most of the time on the stage doing what they love. It’s a show with a simple set and simple costumes. After all, there’s no need to change outfits when you’re a cat living your best life in a junkyard with your mates.
And the young people on stage at Cwmbran’s Congress Theatre were living their best lives with each other.
The show kicked-off with a high-energy, fast-paced, colourful-bang in the opening song, ‘Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats‘, that saw the cast soon joined on stage by the all-important company.
Captivating
It was captivating- and felt like ten minutes of non-stop entertainment before the first round of applause from the audience- and a much-needed split-second pause on stage before the next song.
Pre-show nerves were gone and it was a moment where the cast and company seemed to all take a deep breath and collectively think ‘we’ve got this’.
It’s also purrfect (sorry) because the script gave lots of cast members some lines. Around six microphones were slickly passed around the cast in and around the choreography. We had soloists, duets, trios, groups, and one or two where two songs were sung at the same time ( I can’t think of the musical term for that).
There were so many opportunities for cast members to hold a microphone and sing a line or two, or sometimes more, and be in the spotlight. I don’t use the term ‘centre stage’ as every supporting cast member played a part in making that moment special for both the actor and audience, either through their presence on stage, the build-up to it, or the ‘handover’ to the next scene.
They all played a part in keeping the show moving along and the audience engaged.
The show was purrfect with the cast and company grouped on stage in a huge group hug as the curtain came down. Perfect!
A quick Google reveals cats sleep for around 12 to 16 hours a day. I bet the 40 cats lurking in and around the Congress Theatre for the next couple of nights will sleep longer than that once the curtain comes down for the last time on Saturday night.
Tickets
Visit the Congress Theatre’s website or call the box office on 01633 868239 to get tickets for tonight (Friday 12 July) and tomorrow’s final night (Saturday 13 July).
Ps. During the interval, two minutes before the show restarted, I bumped into a mate I hadn’t seen in ages. We chatted and she said there was a spare seat next to her in the back row. So Sandra, a workmate from many, many years ago, I’m sorry I wasn’t there for the second half in row F next to you.
I didn’t leave, I just moved seats. The view also meant I could grab a cheeky back-of-the-head photo of the audience once the curtain went down- so no set or costume spoilers from Cwmbran Life. Go along and see for yourselves!
The cast
- Jellyanddots- Sophia Mohr
- Friends- Freya Harrison, Betsy Honeywill, Milla Christoffersen
- Rum Tum Tugger- Harry Dowsell
- Grizabella- Grace Collins
- Mungojerrie- Georgia Price
- Rumpleteazer- Sophie Price
- Old Deuteronomy- George Tavener
- Cats Narrator- Erin Harman
- Pekes and the Pollicles- Tobin Sparke, Evan Brenton, Jonah Redwood, Noah Johnson, Elliot Gallihawk, Finley Edwards
- Gus the Theatre Cat- Tristan Bevan-Jones
- Gus Narrator- Cara Marshall
- Skimbleshanks- Isaac Bustin
- Macavity- Noah Bailey
- Macavity Singers- Darcy Rumble, Emmeline Regulski, Leon Cowen
- Mistoffelees- Tobin Sparke
The company
Nora Wood, Martha Whitcombe, Jasmine Gibbs, Anais Edwards, Seren Webster, Amelia Smith, Maisie Frazier, Theodor Alexoaiei, Phoebe Wallace, Nia Evans, Cariad Carpenter, Emanuel Jeans-Wells, Leyla Cagirgan, Ollie Jones, Seren Peake, Ellen Marsh
If you enjoy Cwmbran Life please think about showing your support to make it easier for me to spend time finding and writing stories. You can do this through a one-off or regular donation on Buy Me A Coffee. Thank you 😀