CURTAIN FINALLY SET TO RISE ON YOUTH THEATRE PRODUCTION OF MUSICAL SHELVED BY PANDEMIC

The curtain is finally set to rise on a Chester youth theatre's production of a much loved musical which had to be shelved due to the Covid pandemic.

On The Mark Youth Theatre (OTMYT) had originally planned to stage a production of smash-hit West End and Broadway musical 'Cats' five years ago but it was cancelled the night before it was meant to open due to the newly announced Covid restrictions. The cancellation of the production after six months of hard work left the young cast, the crew and the show's producers absolutely devastated.

Happily, the show is finally set to hit the stage at Storyhouse, the first ever production of 'Cats' in Chester. Featuring a cast of over 70, a 16-strong live band, over 70 wigs, more than 90 costumes and a make-up team of over 20 people, the show will run on Friday 15th August & Saturday 16th August at 2pm and 7pm on both days. The show will be directed and musically directed by OTMYT co-founder Simon Phillips.

The 2025 cast of 'Cats' will include the last remaining original OTMYT student, Ella, who joined the youth theatre 10 years ago when the group began. 'Cats' will be Ella's final show with OTMYT before she heads off to University to study Musical Theatre. 

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe and Trevor Nunn, 'Cats' is based on T.S Eliot's 1939 poetry collection 'Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats'. The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year—the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one they tell their stories to Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

'Cats' premiered at the New London Theatre in the West End in 1981, and ran for 21 years and almost 9,000 performances. The musical garnered six Laurence Olivier Awards nominations, winning two, including Best New Musical. In 1982, it opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway where it played for 18 years and 7,485 performances. The show continues to be produced all over the world to sell out audiences.

Speaking about finally bringing the show to the stage, Simon Phillips said "We were all absolutely devasted when we were told that the original production would have to be cancelled due to the pandemic. It was such an upsetting time for all our students.  We are delighted that we are finally able to stage this iconic musical for the first time in Chester. Due to 'Cats' being incredibly challenging in terms of staging and choreography, our cast and crew have worked so hard for the last six months and we can't wait for our audience to see the show".

Simon added:

"We are incredibly grateful that 'Cats', our first production to be staged at Storyhouse, is being generously sponsored by three local companies; Hartey Wealth Management, Elegant Resorts, and Health Diagnostics."

Full details of On The Mark Youth Theatre's production of 'Cats' at Storyhouse can be found at: 

www.otmyt.co.uk 

...where tickets can be booked online.