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Cats' untold stories revealed
Behind the stage: The Jellicle Cats are likely the most fashionable cats in the world
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Behind the stage: The Jellicle Cats are likely the most fashionable cats in the world. But while you see they bring some style to the cats, some costumes actually pretty heavy. JP/Dian KuswandiniOn stage, the Jellicle Cats purr and meow like crazy. But backstage and off set, they get themselves even crazier - with a mishmash of make up, wardrobes, sets, props and more. Here are five untold stories for you.
Make up: We agree that the cats look stunning with their lively make up, don't we? They kind of remind us of characters from the popular 1980's animated series ThunderCats - only that the Jellicles are much more colorful and fun-looking. Ever wondered who would have done all these wonderful face-painting jobs?
"The performers do their make up all by themselves," Penelope Watts, general manager of Cats' touring production team, reveals.
"Of course, we have a make up artist, but she only trains them to do the painting," Watts told The Jakarta Post.
In training, Watts says, the mask guru only paints half part of the performers' faces. "The performers then paint the other half *to practice*."
A trainer surely helps, but it looks like the performers need more than this. On mirrors hung over some make up tables are photographs of make-up designs - as seen from the front, left and right sides - for the performers to follow. As well as this, there are 3D models of their heads and faces placed on their tables - and all are painted accordingly. So, thanks to these photos and models, the Jellicles can look amazing onstage.
Wardrobe: The Jellicle Cats are likely the most fashionable cats in the world. Just check them out, from head to toe. Those wigs and costumes not only make them look stunning onstage, but also reveal their identities and characters.
But while you see they bring some style to the cats, some costumes actually burden their wearers - in the sense that they are heavy. One of costumes for Jennyanydots for example, weights around seven kilograms!
Anything else? Yes, and it has to do with the "feast for the eyes" experience that these wonderful costumes provide. Believe it or not, the costumes actually look less interesting when you see them hung backstage. Not only do they look a bit grubby, the costumes look so old, too. Well, this makes sense, as Watts points out, "most of them are 15 years old".
Dusty and old, but they still look wonderful onstage. And credit for this goes to the stage lighting that "rejuvenates" the costumes, giving them the shine and glitter they deserve.
Sets and Props: In reality, because cats are smaller than humans, all sets and stage props were made to a cat's scale. All the stuff found onstage like huge rubbish bins, old tires, cans, shoes, fish bones, bottles, and boxes as well as worn out Christmas decorations were made larger than their actual sizes. A shoe, for example, has a hole in it the size of a performer's head. A fishbone is the same length like one's arm. And, just like the old costumes, many of the sets and props are 15 to 20 years old, Watts reveals.
Roles: It's not easy to tell who plays who in Cats because of the masks they wear. And thanks to these masks, you, the audience, probably won't realize if one artist plays two characters. Artist Michael-John Hurney, for example, plays both Asparagus (Gus) the theater cat, and the fat Bustopher Jones. Meanwhile, Lisa-Marie Parker takes the roles of Jellylorum and the fluffy white Persian Griddlebone. The mystery cat, Macavity, also shares the role with Plato, and both are played by James Cooper.
Make up, costumes, sets and props: These four things, combined with a sound system and other equipment fill eight large shipping containers! So, as the show travels from Australia to Singapore or other places around the world, it takes these eight containers with it, says the show's producer, Tim McFarlene, of The Really Useful Company Asia Pacific.
But with the musical experience that Cats brings to the stage, we know these containers carry more than just cargo: they carry ideas, memories, culture and excitement!
- Dian Kuswandini
