It’s one of the longest-running shows in West End and Broadway and has been performed in around 30 countries and seen by more than 73 million people worldwide.
St Kentigern College student Isabelle Fox cannot believe she is a part of the new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, the brilliant song and dance extravaganza performed by the National Youth Theatre at the ASB Theatre.
Featuring more than 200 talented young performers from all over Auckland, Isabelle plays the dancing white cat Victoria who reaches out to faded glamour cat Grizabella while everyone else has turned away from her.
“I am very much like her in real life and am inclusive by nature,” says the 15-year-old student, who started dancing at the age of three.
An accomplished dancing star adept at tap, jazz, lyrical contemporary, ballet and ballroom, Isabelle competes throughout New Zealand and has won prestigious dance awards.
About transporting the audience into a complete fantasy world she says, “It is so much fun to humanise a cat and to be able to sing and dance on stage with so many people.
“The challenge is to have perfect timing with everyone on stage and to make sure it looks good,” says the talented dancer.
While this is the first professional production the Year 10 student is part of, Isalbelle is not new to challenges of juggling homework with tight dance schedules, workshops and competitions.
Recently, she was in USA on a Performing Arts trip organised by St Kentigern College and says she loved attending dance classes at New York’s Broadway Dance Centre and LA’s Millennium.
“We also saw some great productions that included Aladdin and Kinky Boots. The experience has been an inspiration as I prepare for my role in Cats,” she says.
“Our costumes in Cats are world class, they’re just amazing. It’s such a privileged to work with professional performers. I was lucky that I was selected at the first audition.”
Based on TS Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the show is alive with feline characters including Rum Tum Tugger, Macavity, Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Grizabella and Skimbleshanks.
Watch the Jellicle Cats out at play on one special night of the year – the night of the Jellicle Ball.
- Performance dates: Thursday June 21, 7 pm, Friday June 22, 7pm, Saturday June 23, 1.30pm and 7 pm.
- Venue: The ASB Theatre, Aotea Centre.
