Stir Q&A: CATS director Ashley Wright talks '80s Lycra and the depth of dramaturgy in Theatre Under the Stars show
Eternally popular show by Andrew Lloyd Webber will run from July 5 to August 23 at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park
CATS director Ashley Wright. Photo by Ryan Parker
Clockwise from left: Elijah Sam, Tia Gunhold, Colton Bamber, and Hailey Christie-Hoyle in Theatre Under the Stars’s CATS. Photo by Emily Cooper
Theatre Under the Stars presents CATS at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park from July 5 to August 23
LOVE IT OR HATE IT, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical CATS is one of the most popular West End and Broadway shows of all time.
Originally based on the poetry collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, the storyline follows the Jellicles, an eclectic tribe of cats who gather under the moon every year to decide who among them should ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new life—and they must prove themselves by performing songs.
In recent years, CATS began drawing controversy after a star-studded 2019 feature-film rendition of the musical directed by Tom Hooper was released. Critics and audiences alike expressed disdain at its mix of CGI and live-action components, with one reviewer for The Guardian calling the film “a clear career low” for several of the actors involved, adding that “many of its uncanny images are sure to haunt viewers for generations”. Lloyd Webber himself even described the movie to Variety as “off-the-scale all wrong”.
So perhaps CATS was never meant for the screen—all the more reason to see it on stage instead, as it was intended. Ear-worm tunes like “Mr. Mistoffelees”, “Macavity: The Mystery Cat”, and “Memory” are hard not to sing along to, while its impressive choreography and interesting storyline earned it the Tony Award for Best Musical, among six other wins.
At Theatre Under the Stars, Ashley Wright is directing an outdoor-stage edition of the show alongside music director Sean Bayntun and choreographer Julie Murphy. From a skilled ensemble cast and live orchestra to uber-stylized cat costumes by local designer Donnie Tejani, there are a variety of interesting factors at play here.
Ahead of CATS’ premiere at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park, Stir touched base with Wright to chat about putting the show together.
Sarah Lane as Grizabella the Glamour Cat in CATS. Photo by Emily Cooper
There have been many versions of CATS made over the years. Do you have a memory of when you first saw the musical? How did you approach directing such a popular storyline?
I saw the original production in London when I was 15. It was a pivotal moment in my life—I knew I wanted to be in the theatre after witnessing that show.
A common complaint with this play is that there is no storyline or plot. My goal is to make the story become clear and fully realized. As well, we didn’t want to rehash the same design; it seems that since the original show, most productions have used the same costume and set elements. We want to bring this play out of the early ’80s (Lycra and leg warmers) and honour the words and characters from T.S. Eliot’s poems.
Much of CATS takes place in a junkyard. What kind of local spin have you put on the set design for this Theatre Under the Stars rendition?
We have set the play in an abandoned alley in a city like Vancouver in 2024.
What is the overall vibe of this production? Do you have a favourite number in the musical, and what about it stands out to you?
The overall vibe is that of an annual celebration—think May Day, or Easter, or Christmas. This is the one chance, the one night where all the cats in this tribe gather to celebrate and give one cat the chance to be reborn with an extra life. My favourite number changes daily!
CATS features some very distinct characters, from the wise Old Deuteronomy to cunning Macavity. What has it been like helping the actors really embody these roles?
We did some fairly extensive dramaturgy for each song and each character. What makes them tick? What are the influences musically for each number? We went back to the original poems to further dissect its meaning and its relevance to the story.
What excites you most about getting to bring this musical to the stage in Vancouver? What do you hope the production will leave people with?
I am most excited that this is an original production, with obvious nods to the original, but uniquely our own and one that hopefully is entertaining as well as insightful. We hope the production leaves people with a sense of joy and celebration. 
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