Nicole goes grey for her Cats bow
NICOLE SCHERZINGER stood in the bandroom beneath the London palladium’s stage and ever so slowly uncoiled her right arm, stretching out her hand as she sang a line from Memory: ‘i can smile at the old days, i was beautiful then.’
Her own long, dark hair was concealed under tangled grey Grizabella locks, created for her by designer John napier — she’s supposed to be old — but her delicate moves, created by choreographer Gillian Lynne, belied Grizabella’s age. nicole was at the palladium to meet with Cats musical director Graham Hurman and his orchestra. she sang Memory a couple of times in the cramped space before andrew Lloyd Webber, director Trevor nunn and producer David ian led her upstairs and onto the mammoth palladium stage.
nunn talked privately with her, and then she turned and sang Memory again. The composer had to compose himself — and, in fact, all of us who listened were moved.
‘she’s a very fine actress,’ Lloyd Webber said, finally.
nunn noted that nicole was able instantly to summon ‘ character, meaning and situation’ as she sang.
‘it’s an astonishing ability to be able to inhabit a song like that,’ he said. ‘i feel it very strongly because i wrote the words, and therefore i feel very proprietorial about it!’
nicole, though, was less satisfied. she said she still had much work to do before she could be happy with her performance.
‘But the song is inside me,’ she said. ‘i know so much about Grizabella and the ugly life she had to lead.’
The palladium stage is twice the size of the new London Theatre, where Cats originally opened in 1981.
Designer napier has turned the theatre into a wasteland that T.s. eliot would have approved of. it was eliot’s old possum’s Book of practical Cats that was the inspiration for what would become one of the theatre blockbusters of the age, thanks in part to the showmanship of original producer Cameron Mackintosh.
napier’s new set runs up into the circle and boxes. Lynne, the show’s associate director and choreographer, has given the cast some new feline moves, which will see them clambering up and around the auditorium.
sharp- eyed members of the audience will notice a number plate that reads nap19. it represents the 19th iteration of napier’s design for the Cats junkyard ( his first effort featured nap1).
Cats has so far sold close to £7 million worth of tickets — a staggering achievement — and previews begin on saturday.