The choreographer of smash-hit musical Cats chats with Georgina Butler about the show’s enduring success and emphasises how dance can keep us all ‘feline’ fine…
Dame Gillian Lynne is a British ballerina, dancer, choreographer and theatre/television director whose inspiring career spans over 70 years.
Huge success as a dancer in possession of an acute understanding of both movement and dramatic intention paved the way for Gillian to step into the “choreographer” role. Many triumphant dance-making credits later, Gillian’s remarkable choreography for Cats won her worldwide acclaim when the production made its debut in the West End in 1981.
Following a series of sell-out seasons at the London Palladium, Cats is back on tour and the Jellicle tribe – the motley menagerie of moggies whose story is brought to life through innovative dance, timeless music, spectacular songs and lively verse – is preparing to wow audiences at Milton Keynes Theatre.
Since its premiere in the West End in 1981, Cats has been performed with sell-out success all over the world. The most obvious question to ask is: why has Cats stood the test of time so well?
“Well, when we were devising it and working towards premiering it we knew that there was simply nothing else in the world quite like it.
Not another show about animals and certainly not one about cats! Everything about it was unusual then, in 1981, and still today there is nothing in the world quite like Cats.
It has an amazing, beautiful score by such a talented man – he is such a very, very talented man – and the choreography that I used was so unusual. In movement, there had never been anything of the sort used before.
It was totally unique and to our amazement it completely worked. It really worked. People saw it and just fell in love with it.
"I’ve had people tell me that they saw Cats years and years ago when they were young and now they are returning with their children to share the Cats experience with them. How lovely!”
Did you ever think Cats would be as successful as it immediately was and still is?
“We believed in it but it was truly a miracle that it became such a phenomenon. We just didn’t know if it would work and there were all these top London producers and directors who thought we were entering into lunacy. They thought us mad, you know.
They were of the opinion that you can’t do a show about cats!
It was a miracle that it caught everyone’s imagination as it did. I mean, it really was to our total amazement that it not only did well, it did better than any other show at the time and for such a long time afterwards.
"And here we are now, still bringing Cats to audiences today.”
Your own success as a dancer and choreographer is a phenomenon itself. Could you ever have imagined doing something other than dance?
“I couldn’t imagine ever spending my life doing anything but dance. I found it aged 8, fell in love with it and from then on I have never been drawn to anything else.
I had a wonderful career as a dancer and have been able to pass dance on in my work as a director and choreographer.
I have always been part of that world of theatre, ballet, dance, the arts. It is where I belong and what I know.”
What does dance mean to you? What have you given to dance and received back?
“Dance for me is everything. It is in my soul. All about the soul. I never really wanted to do anything else.
"Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be well made for it. I had the right body that could do it, the talent and the opportunity. I have met people; travelled the world; experienced all the wonderful things life has to offer. All thanks to dance.
I really do believe dance offers all that a human being needs.
"It involves the body and the mind. It takes dedication and is extremely hard so it takes effort and makes you strong. Strong in a physical sense as it keeps you fit but also strong in the brain, and strong in the mind. It opens you up to learning, keeps you thinking and you have to have willpower.
"Willpower to keep trying, to push on. And, of course, it is artistic. It is expression, communication.”
If anyone has yet to see Cats, how would you describe the show? Who will enjoy it and what should they expect?
“I think Cats is a wonderful show for people of all ages to see. The kids will definitely love it.
"After all, you have these talented performers cavorting around executing amazing movement and really singing beautifully – most other musicals do not have artists that sing and dance as exceptionally well as the Cats cast must.
"And there are dangerous tricks too. Just so much action and energy and life onstage.
Parents who bring their children are opening their eyes to so much visual and rhythmic potential. The parents ought to really observe their children watching the show. As, you know, there will be those children who say “can I go and learn to dance?” and if they truly fall in love with performing and pursue it, who knows where they will end up?
"I really don’t see Cats ever ending. So many people return with their children, eager to share the show with them. I think it is the perfect show for anyone who wants to be entertained and enthralled.”
> Cats comes to Milton Keynes Theatre from Monday 24th October until Saturday 29th October. To book click here
For more dance and theatre interviews, reviews, news and features by Georgina, visit www.georginabutler.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @GeorginaLButler
