Sixteen years have passed since Andrew Lloyd Webber’s most popular musical toured Singapore – almost a century in cat years! On the eve of its return, cast member Deliah Hanna (Grizabella the Glamour Cat) gives us a peek behind the scenes of Cats, and shares her thoughts on Singapore and touring.

EL: Are you a “cat person”?
DH: Definitely! I haven’t had a cat for years, but I’ve looked after the odd stray and a couple of friends’ cats while they were away. I’m a dog person too. We’ve had Barracas, a miniature schnauzer, for fifteen years. We have another schnauzer now, Enzo, who’s nearly two.

EL: What are your favourite 60 seconds on stage in Cats?
DH: That’s easy: when Grizabella gets taken up to the “Heavy-Side Layer” to be reborn. I love flying in the theatre! If you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, you’d better come to the show to find out.

EL: What’s your pre-performance routine?
DH: I do a thorough physical and vocal warm-up with the company and then I get my mic, makeup, wig and costume on. We all do our own makeup in Cats, so it’s up to the individual how long he or she wants to spend putting it on. It probably takes me 45 minutes to apply it carefully. By the five-minute call, I’m ready to go out into the audience to get up close and personal during the overture.

EL: Cats is still going strong almost three decades after its London debut. Why?
DH: It’s an icon of modern musical theatre and, in my books, it gives the audience “bang for their buck” – an all-surrounding, electrifying and enthralling musical and dance experience.

EL: Will this be your first time performing in Singapore?
DH: I’ve performed here once before, on tour with Sarah Brightman, Anthony Warlow and a large orchestra, performing The Music Of Andrew Lloyd Webber. I think that was in the late 1990s. I recently holidayed in Singapore with my daughter because my husband was touring with We Will Rock You.

EL: Like the place?
DH: It’s a stunning city, with all these lush, tropical gardens. It’s also the cleanest city I’ve visited, and the people are beautiful and friendly. It’s an easy place to explore and enjoy as a family, too. I’m amazed by Sentosa Island and the history of Singapore in general.

EL: So, you’ll get a chance to look around the city during this upcoming season?
DH: If we’re in a city for more than two weeks, it gives the cast members plenty of time. It’s probably more fun exploring in groups, too – you can be more daring!

EL: Where are you from? What do you miss most when you’re on tour?
DH: I was born in New Zealand in the provincial city of Hastings, famous for its fruit, vineyards and architecture. Hastings and its neighbouring city Napier were virtually destroyed in 1931 by an earthquake and then rebuilt in Art Deco style, so they’ve become popular tourist attractions. I lived in Australia for nearly twenty years and it still feels like home. I miss Bondi Beach the most – I have a lovely twilight photo of Bondi on my computer screen to remind me of my “happy place”. I miss my Aussie friends as well.

EL: You’ve appeared on several TV dramas. How does that experience compare with performing on stage?
DH: TV work is no fun at all! Give me “show business” any day. You may not become a household name, but it’s way more glamorous and exciting than going to work at a television studio every day – which, let’s face it, is kinda like going to the office!

Cats Facts

The deliciously named characters in the show include Bombalurina, Grizabella, Jellylorum, Skimbleshanks, Mungojerrie and Griddlebone. Another character, Rum Tum Tugger, is the ladies’ cat, with a wild mane and leopard spots on his chest – apparently based on Mick Jagger.

The word “Pollicles” – the name of one of the dog tribes that fight in the street – comes from T.S. Eliot’s niece, when she tried to say “poor little dog”.

Cats made its debut in 1981 in London’s West End, where it played a total of 8,949 performances. Among the cast members of the first show was a young Sarah Brightman, in the role of Jemima. It was in rehearsals that she met Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom she would later marry. The London show held the record as the world’s longest running musical until 8 October 2006 when it was surpassed by Les Misérables.

They say Lloyd Webber was concerned that the song “Memory” too closely evoked a work by Puccini. But his father put him in his place, saying that the song sounded “like a million dollars!”

Lloyd Webber doesn’t just write musicals. In 1992, he released a dance single based on music from the computer game Tetris. The single, attributed to Doctor Spin, reached number six on the UK charts.