UKIAH — Mendocino College Performing Arts and Ukiah Civic Light Opera present Andrew Lloyd Webber”s musical “Cats,” April 1 through 10 at the Mendocino College Center Theatre, 1000 Hensley Creek Road in Ukiah. “Cats” tells the story, in song and dance, of the annual gathering of Jellicle cats, where one special cat is selected to ascend to its next life in the Heavyside Layer.
“Cats” ran on Broadway for 18 years, making it one of Broadway”s longest running shows. It features the song, “Memory,” sung in this production by Paula Samonte as Grizabella, a former glamour cat who has lost her sparkle.
Winner of the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical, “Cats” has been performed around the world in numerous productions in more than 20 languages. Based upon poet T.S. Eliot”s “Old Possum”s Book of Practical Cats” (1939), the production is unusual in that musical genres range from classical to pop, music hall, jazz, rock and electro-acoustic music, as well as hymnal songs.
Mendocino College Performing Arts departments and Ukiah Civic Light Opera are co-producers of this event. “Seventy people, ranging in age from 7 to 70 years old, auditioned for the show and out of that, 38 people were cast,” Leslie Saxon West, choreographer and producer said. About 80 people are involved in this show, with cast members taking singing, acting and dance classes and non-performers taking theatrical lighting, costuming, make up and prop making.
“I”m thrilled to be choreographing this production as there is so much room for creativity,” Saxon West added. “We are taking a new direction with the choreography, trying to make it more contemporary and more relevant to our dance program, students and our community. We are even including a little hip hop.”
Director John DeGaetano, who lives in Sonoma County, is new to the theater arts faculty at the college. He has worked for years in theater, film and public television including an upcoming National Geographic docu-drama. His production credits include “Miss Saigon,” “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and the North Bay premi?re of “Cats” among others. He is currently president of the Raven Players Artistic Board in Healdsburg.
Heading up the musical direction are Les Pfutzenreuter and Marilyn Simpson, with lighting design by Steve Wilson, set design by Larry Lang and costume design by Kathy Dingman-Katz.
“Cats” opens on April 1 with an 8 p.m. start time. Show times are 8 p.m. April 2, 2 p.m. April 3, 7:30 p.m. April 7, 8 p.m. April 8, 2 and 8 p.m. April 9 and 2 p.m. April 10. General seating costs $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. Tickets are available at Mendocino Book Company in Ukiah, the Mendocino College Bookstore and online at www.artsmendocino.org. For more information, go to www.mendocino.edu or call 462-9155.
