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SCENE IT: Beloved CATS a rather meowvellous way to kick off the festive season
- Dec 17, 2025
- 4 min read
Barbara Loots
The Pieter Toerien and GWB Entertainment staging of the musical phenomenon CATS is currently dazzling audiences at the Artscape Opera House… because there is nothing quite as appealing as a cat!
“With cats, some say one rule is true: don't speak 'til you are spoken to. Myself, I do not hold with that. I say you should address a cat, but always keep in mind that he resents familiarity. You bow, and taking off your hat, address him in this form: O, Cat!” – Old Deuteronomy
The world’s fascination with cats did not start with the dawn of the internet, but rather with the dawn of time: The Egyptians worshipped them, TS Eliot celebrated them with whimsical poems, Alan Rawsthorne paired six of these with orchestral arrangement, and then Andrew Lloyd Webber immortalised Eliot’s vision in a musical. In soing so Lloyd Webber not only brought to stage the cats in Eliot's Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, but also additional characters from the unpublished drafts. CATS THE MUSICAL premiered in the West End in 1981, two years before the ‘birth’ of the internet in 1983 set the scene for the modern day social media obsession with cats. It is then no surprise that this musical phenomenon is still going strong: People simply adore cats!
CATS draws on the power of that adoration and can therefore break all the rules when it comes to theatre, because as a celebration of the human fascination with the feline gods it does not need rhyme or reason… though CATS does cover the rhyme part abundantly well thanks to Eliot’s beautiful wordsmith roadmap.
Yes, the storyline in CATS is rather on the flimsy side, so if you are not well acquainted with the music and inspiration behind this musical, don’t walk in thinking it’s going to offer you escapism by way of substantive storytelling. What it does offer is a parade of different and endearing cats, showcasing their delightful traits, all brought together under the umbrella of the anticipation of the Jellicle Ball and the revelation of the chosen one to reincarnate into a new jellicle cat form. If you want to be cynical about it all, one could argue that you only really need to catch the beginning and the end of CATS, but then would you miss out on all the bits in the middle that’s a lovely cat on parade talent show… and those are some great cats strutting their stuff!
In this current production, act one hits all the traditional CATS notes, yet there was a bit of hesitation in the air: The performances feeling a bit muted in comparison to the energy the performers are known for. Dylan Janse van Rensburg as Rum Tum Tugger has all the Tugger-type moves and sings through his big number with great accuracy, it just felt as if he held back on the larger-than-life rock 'n' roll persona that the role requires. Yet it’s still a good showcase for Janse van Rensburg’s skills. The same muted, somewhat restrained sense also struck me with the introduction of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer (Austin Tshikosi and Tannah Levick), which was similarly performed with great technical proclivity, but just lacking in the “with-heart” side of things. What did make their number memorable was the lovely dose of sass added by Levick. Otherwise, both numbers felt as if the performers were holding back on unleashing their inner cats with abandon –hopefully that's just press night nerves, and things will settle with experience, as it's easy to forget how young these talents still are.
Things dramatically picked up in act two as far as the cat-like essence of it all, with the energy of the performers filling the space. The highlights included the numbers about Gus the Theatre Cat (Tshepo Ncokoane), Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat (Logan Timbre), and (my all-time favourite CATS moment, always) Macavity the Mystery Cat –I’m still humming Macavity’s sexy jazzy number days after seeing the show thanks to its unforgettable delivery by Brittané van Loggerenberg (Demeter) and Tatum Coleman (Bombalurina). Add to that the light footedness of the wonderfully pirouetting Mister Mistoffelees (Jordon Roelfze), and you have a great build up to the ultimate “Memory” performance by the scene stealer of the show, Cindy-Ann Abrahams as Grizabella. Abrahams is a vocal phenomenon; simply astonishing.
Throughout the show one cat stood out as the MVP both in terms of overall performance and magnetic stage presence: Ché-Jean Jupp as Munkustrap. Even when his dynamic cat is not the centre of attention, he stays in character and provides considerate support to his fellow cast members with a praiseworthy complimentary ensemble focused approach; such thoughtful acting elevates the whole holistic CATS experience. Considering that South African musical legends such as Jonathan Roxmouth and Anton Luitingh have donned the Munkustrap fur before, Jupp finds himself in rather great company as he splendidly steps into these big paws as leader-of the-pack.
For those who already love CATS, it's return to South African stages will be like catnip. This production is sleek and the musical numbers as impressive as always. I’m betting that those humans who worship our feline friends both at home and on social media will absolutely delight in this offering: It’s a rather meowvellous musical way to kick off the festive season.
Pieter Toerien and GWB Entertainment, in association with Cape Town Opera and by arrangement with LW Entertainment, presents CATS at the Artscape Opera House until 11 January 2026. Tickets can be booked online through Webtickets. Please note the show carries an age restriction of 5, and no babies in arms are allowed. CATS transfers to The Teatro, Montecasino in Johannesburg on 17 January 2026.