Cats, the record-breaking musical, returns to the Sistina Theatre

Cats returns to the stage of the Teatro Sistina. From 8 to 18 May the irresistible colony of humanised cats singing and dancing on the ruins of the Eternal City returns to the stage of the Teatro Sistina. The musical, signed by director, producer and musical adaptor Massimo Romeo Piparo. It returns to the Roman stage in an impressive production by PeepArrow Entertainment in collaboration with Teatro Sistina, under an exclusive licence from The Really Useful Group, London. The musical, with music by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Nobel Prize winner Thomas Stearns Eliot, features a cast of over 30 performers on stage, with live orchestra and choreography by Billy Mitchell.

Piparo's 'Cats' obtained permission from the author to be set in Rome, in a hypothetical and futuristic 'dump' of works of art and archaeological finds, with the Colosseum in the background. Spectacular sets, breathtaking choreography: on stage, the performers move like real felines, in a metamorphosis linked to very long make-up sessions amidst black noses, moustaches, long tails and plush paws. "It is an occasion," Piparo emphasises, "to reaffirm once again to the whole world the cultural and artistic centrality of the Italian capital, of its history and of the fascination it can give to purely Anglo-Saxon stories such as that of the Jellicle cats narrated by T.S.Eliot. The show has been re-adapted, remaining, as always, very faithful to the musical score and the spirit intended by its creators, and has a complete adherence to the taste of the Italian public. The cat-characters all bear a style and character very much in line with our habit of interacting with this animal-companion of life'.

The Jellicle cats meet one night at the Jellicle Ball where Old Deuteronomy (Fabrizio Corucci), their wise and benevolent leader, chooses and announces which of them will be reborn to a new life as Jellicles. A feline feast disturbed by two events: the kidnapping of Old Deuteronomy and the appearance of Grizabella (Giulia Fabbri), the charming cat who, after leaving the Jellicles to explore the world, suffers exclusion and rejection by the pack and launches her desperate and melancholic appeal with the poignant 'Memory'. Many unforgettable characters populate the Musical: among others, old Gus (Gianluca Pilla), once famous for his acting career, and the flamboyant Rum Tum Tugger (Giorgio Adamo), who always wants to be the centre of attention. And again, the ingenious Munkustrap (Sergio Giacomelli), who puts his courage at the disposal of all the members of the tribe, Mr. Mistoffelees (Simone Giovannini), the cat 'in a dinner jacket' capable of performing amazing magic, Bustopher Jones (Jacopo Pelliccia, who also plays the cat Skimbleshanks), Macavity (Simone Nocerino) and the inseparable couple Mungojerrie (Simone Ragozzino) and Rumpleteazer (Rossella Lubrino). And again, Gabriele Aulisio (Bill Bailey), Michele Balzano (Coricopat), Mario De Marzo (Macavity double), Cristina La Gioia (Tantomile), Monica Lepistö (Victoria), Elga Martino (Jennyanydots), Viviana Salvo (Demeter), Natalia Scarpolini (Jellylorum), Alessandra Somma (Jemima), Rossana Vassallo (Bombalurina), Claudia Calesini (Cassandra), Luca Peluso (Quaxo).

The musical direction of the live orchestra and the programming of the original sounds of "Cats", are entrusted to maestro Emanuele Friello, conductor of all Piparo's big hits, who counts in his "youthful" curriculum the militancy within the original orchestra of "Cats" in London's West End. The sets - in an evocative Roman archaeological setting - are by Teresa Caruso, a stable presence in Piparo's team for over ten years, as is costume designer Cecilia Betona, who has been entrusted with the delicate task of supervising the entire look of the cast's realistic transformation, from human to feline.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Cats' is one of the most famous musicals in the world: it has broken all records in terms of longevity, audience and box office. It has been seen by over 73 million people and has captivated audiences in over 300 cities worldwide. The plot of the Musical is based on Thomas Stearns Eliot's book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, a collection of quirky and amusing poems in which cats are the main characters. In this work, the author dwells on feline behaviour and psychology, creating a truly loving homage to cats of all types, from the young to the old, from the cheerful to the wild and aggressive. The poems were written in 1930 and signed by Eliot under the pseudonym "Old Possum": perfect for an audience of young and old, they were then published in 1939, with the cover illustrated by Eliot himself.