Review: Theatre school’s tail is purr-fect show

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is a musical which can either make or break a company. The famous songs and difficult dance content is a challenge for the most experienced adults, so when a group of 6-18 year olds took on this task it was always going to be tricky. Fortunately, the students of Bath Theatre School are an extremely talented bunch, clearly well rehearsed to do Cats justice. Based on T.S Eliot’s Old Possums Book of Practical Cats, the hit musical follows the lives of cats as they tell of their stories from the junkyard, the wise Old Deuteronomy looks on and chooses the cat to be reborn into a new Jellicle life. Two casts performed alternate nights and on the opening night the audience enjoyed Georgia Meddick as the aged ‘glamour cat’ Grizabella who performed Memory with outstanding vocals. To add the comedy, the Rum Tum Tugger played by Sebastian Pellow-briggs was fun and lively, as well as the cheeky Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer played by Bella Shorten and Ruby Millard who energetically demonstrated their acrobatic talent whilst wonderfully singing and dancing their way through a very challenging and comedic routine. This show featured many stand out numbers and around every corner was another intricate and flawless dance routine or powerful and rousing vocal number. The life-sized train created from junkyard items in front of the audience’s eyes, complete with puffing smoke was a real spectacle, as indeed were Mr Mistoffelees’s magic tricks. A mention must go to the fantastic costumes and makeup. Each child looked expertly unique which must have taken hours to create and gave the show its wonderful look, accompanied by the beautiful atmospheric lighting and bespoke set design. The show deserved its packed audience and rapturous applause this Theatre School is certainly setting the standard for ‘amateur’ youth and adult theatre.