A night of

Eight shows a week, Keri Rene Fuller thrills audiences at “Cats” with the show-stopping ballad they’ve all come to hear: “Memory.” Even theatergoers who know nothing else about the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical know that classic song.

There is a lot of pressure to meet their expectations.

“I definitely feel pressure to perform well in ‘Memory’ because, for a lot of people, that’s why they buy a ticket. I always want to give a performance people will remember,” says the actress who plays Grizabella, the aging glamour cat who sings the show’s signature number.

However, she wants to make that memory in her own way.

“The most important part of the role of Grizabella is not to try

to sound like anybody who came before you because it is so iconic. If you are trying to sound like anybody who has ever covered ‘Memory,’ then you are not being authentic to yourself. They’re not seeing Elaine Paige or Betty Buckley (who sang the role in the original London and Broadway casts, respectively); they’re seeing Keri Rene Fuller.” n s a s y e w s t

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Keri Rene Fuller plays Grizabella, the aging glamour cat who sings the musical’s most well-known song, “Memory.” Fuller won the plum role on her first audition for a national tour.