Cats the Musical | Adelaide Review

The 40th Australian anniversary tour of Cats is an engaging and lively evening of music and dance, with mischievous and endearing felines bringing joy to audiences young and old.

Review by Carla Caruso

All I knew about Cats previously was that it was a long-running stage show – and that Taylor Swift had appeared in a film adaptation that famously flopped.

After seeing the latest production in Adelaide at Her Majesty’s Theatre, I’m still not entirely sure I could explain the whole story, but I’m very glad I got to experience its world during the 40th Australian anniversary tour.

Cats is a sung-through musical, which means there’s no spoken dialogue, with music by English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (also behind hits like The Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar). It’s based on the 1939 poetry collection, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, by T.S. Eliot, which accounts for its quirky, surreal feel.

As Andrew Lloyd Webber writes in the musical’s program, his mother used to read him the poems at bedtime. He first thought about setting the poetry to music in 1978. When T.S. Eliot’s widow introduced him to some of the poet’s unpublished works, the idea really took hold. 

So, what’s it all about? The story is set on one night when a tribe of cats called the ‘Jellicles’ gather for the Jellicle Ball. Each feline introduces themselves through song and dance, showing off their personalities and quirks. The big event of the night is that one kitty will be chosen by their leader, Old Deuteronomy, to ascend to the ‘Heaviside Layer’, which is essentially a kind of cat afterlife or rebirth.

Rather than a conventional story, the show is a series of musical vignettes highlighting different cats’ stories. The production captures a whimsical 1970s/’80s atmosphere, blending a moonlit junkyard setting with elements of glam rock, comedy, and playful choreography.

The coveted role of Grizabella, the glamourpuss, is played by rising star Gabriyel Thomas. She’s joined by TV personality Todd McKenney in the dual roles of the well-fed Bustopher Jones and the aged Asparagus, who fondly remembers the ‘good old days’.

Grizabella is also an older, once-glam cat who’s fallen on hard times and is shunned by the other Jellicles. That changes when her powerful performance of the iconic Memory captures her longing for acceptance and past glory. Another favourite character in the production for me was Des Flanagan as the rebellious Rum Tum Tugger, who exudes a confident, John Travolta-like swagger.

The stage often feels full of life, reminiscent of the musical, Hair, with cats prowling around the set and even weaving through the audience, occasionally accompanied by aerial elements.

The skill and fitness of the Lycra-clad performers is impressive, with acrobatic movements and synchronised choreography that will make you want to book a Pilates class. The nightly transformation each artist undergoes through cat makeup and costumes is, in itself, applause-worthy. (Beneath the stage, meanwhile, the brilliant orchestra plays out of sight.)

Running for two hours and 20 minutes with a 20-minute interval, the show requires patrons under 16 to be accompanied by an adult in an adjoining seat. Please note that the performance includes some gunshot-like sounds and bright flashing lights.

Whether you’re a lifelong fan or a first-timer like me, Cats is well worth experiencing at least once during one of your nine lives!

Cats the Musical is performing in Adelaide until 12 October 2025

For more information and all enquiries, please visit the Adelaide Festival Centre website.

Photos: Daniel Boud/Theatre Royal Sydney.

At Play & Go Adelaide, we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.

As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. 

SUBSCRIBE

Follow Play & Go Adelaide on Facebook and Instagram

Want to get all the latest events and activities straight to your inbox?

Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter below to keep up to date with our latest posts and find out all the best events & activities for Adelaide families. Newsletters are only sent once a week, and you may sometimes get a special offer exclusively for our subscribers only!