Grizabella

Grizabella the Glamour Cat is a main character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. Lonely and decrepit, Grizabella seeks acceptance from the other Jellicle cats but is initially ostracised. She sings the most famous song from the musical, "Memory".

Grizabella
Elaine Paige as Grizabella
Created by	T. S. Eliot
Portrayed by	Elaine Paige (West End, video) Betty Buckley (Broadway) Jennifer Hudson (Film)
In-universe information
Species	Cat
Gender	Female

The role was originated by Elaine Paige in the West End in 1981, and by Betty Buckley on Broadway in 1982. Buckley won the 1983 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal. Jennifer Hudson portrayed Grizabella in the 2019 film adaptation.

Character

Grizabella is, at the time of her appearance, a very old and mangy cat, withered to the point that she no longer resembles the glamorous cat of her youth. Having left the Jellicle tribe a long time ago, she is now all alone and left with only the memories of her happier days. She returns to the tribe seeking re-acceptance, but her fellow Jellicles are initially repulsed by her and repeatedly shun her.[1][2]

Grizabella makes her entrance early on in the first act of the musical. She approaches the other cats, but they treat her like a pariah as Demeter and Bombalurina explain who she is ("Grizabella: The Glamour Cat"). She comes back at the end of the first act, watching from afar as the other cats dance at the Jellicle Ball. Grizabella attempts to replicate their dance moves but realises she is too weak; she sings a prelude to "Memory" as she contemplates her plight. Grizabella makes her final appearance towards the end of the musical. This time, she addresses the cats by singing the full version of "Memory" in which she pleads for their understanding and acceptance. She collapses in the middle of the song but is encouraged to press on by the kitten Jemima (also known as Sillabub). After the song, Victoria approaches Grizabella and touches her as a sign of acceptance. The other cats soon follow and welcome her back into the tribe. Grizabella is then led to the Jellicle leader Old Deuteronomy; her initial shock turns to happiness as she begins her ascendance to the Heaviside Layer (the Jellicle version of heaven).[3]

The role of Grizabella requires a wide vocal range and the ability to belt to E♭5.[4][5]

Origins and songs

Although Cats is based on T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Grizabella does not appear in the published source material. Instead, the character came from an unpublished poem by Eliot titled "Grizabella the Glamour Cat" that had been given to Lloyd Webber by Eliot's widow and literary executor, Valerie Eliot.[6] Although the poem had been rejected from Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats for being "too sad for children",[7] it became the basis for Grizabella's character-defining song in the musical ("Grizabella: The Glamour Cat"). The poem centres on a former glamour cat who has fallen on hard times and now roams the red-light district near Tottenham Court.[8]

Additionally, the introduction for "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" is taken almost word-for-word from a verse in another Eliot poem titled "Rhapsody on a Windy Night", with Grizabella as the feline version of the fallen woman:[9]

Remark the woman
Who hesitates toward you in the light of the door
Which opens on her like a grin.
You see the border of her dress
Is torn and stained with sand,
And you see the corner of her eye
Twists like a crooked pin.

— Excerpt from "Rhapsody on a Windy Night", T. S. Eliot[10]

The main song that Grizabella sings is "Memory", the best-known song from Cats and "by some estimations the most successful song ever from a musical."[11] It has been recorded around 600 times (as of 2006) by artists including Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis,[12] Michael Crawford and Kikki Danielsson.[13]

Notable performers

The role of Grizabella was originated by Elaine Paige in the West End in 1981.[14] She later reprised the role for the 1998 film version. Betty Buckley originated the role in the 1982 Broadway production, earning the 1983 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance.[15] In 2015, pop singer Nicole Scherzinger was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Grizabella in the West End revival.[16] In the 2016 Broadway revival, Mamie Parris starred as Grizabella after replacing Leona Lewis in October.[17]

Notable performers who have played the role of Grizabella include:

West End Elaine Paige (original cast)[18] Angela Richards (1982)[18] Marti Webb (1983)[18] Anita Harris (1985–1986)[18] Rosemarie Ford (1995)[18] Diane Langton (1996)[18] Stephanie Lawrence (1997)[18] Sally Ann Triplett (1998)[18] Chrissie Hammond (1999–2002)[18] Nicole Scherzinger (2014–2015)[19] Kerry Ellis (2015)[19] Beverley Knight (2015–2016)[20] Madalena Alberto (2015–2016)[20]

Broadway Betty Buckley (original cast)[21] Laurie Beechman (1984–1988, 1997)[21] Loni Ackerman (1988–1991)[21] Lillias White (1991–1992)[21] Liz Callaway (1993–1999)[21] Linda Balgord (1999–2000)[21] Leona Lewis (2016)[17] Mamie Parris (2016-2017)[22] Film Elaine Paige (1998)[23] Jennifer Hudson (2019)[24]

Others

Kim Criswell (Los Angeles, 1985)[25] Jan Horvath (US tour, 1990)[25] Natalie Toro (US tour, 1992 and 1997)[25] Dee Roscioli (US tour, 2002)[26] Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (US regional, 2003 and 2009)[27][28] Stephanie J. Block (US regional, 2010)[29] Taylor Dayne (New York, 2013)[30] Paula Lima (Brazil, 2010)[31] María del Sol (México, 1991–1992)[32] Filippa Giordano (México, 2013)[33] Lisset (México, 2014)[34] Rocío Banquells (México, 2014)[35] Lila Deneken (México)[36] Myriam Montemayor Cruz (México)[36] Yuri (México, 2018–2019)[37]

Ute Lemper (Vienna, 1983)[38] Maarja-Liis Ilus Di Botcher Monica Aspelund (Finland, 1986)[39] Pia Douwes (Vienna and The Netherlands, 1987–1989 and 2006)[40][41] Ruth Jacott (Original Netherlands cast, 1987)[42] Anita Meyer (The Netherlands, 2006)[41] Pernilla Wahlgren (Sweden, 2003)[43] Katarína Hasprová (Slovakia, 2016)[44] Joanna Ampil (European Tour 2013, 2016–17)[45] Dianne Pilkington (UK tour, 2006)[46] Susan McFadden Jane McDonald (UK Tour, 2015)[47] Anita Louise Combe (UK and European Tour, 2016–2017) Chimene Badi (Paris, 2016) Jenna Lee-James (UK and European Tour, 2017–2019)[48] Li-Tong Hsu (International Tour 2019)[49]

Bev Harrell, (Australia/New Zealand), 1989/1990[50] Delia Hannah (Australia, 1994 and 2016)[51] Marina Prior (Australia, 2014)[52] Delta Goodrem (Australia, 2015–2016)[51] Debra Byrne (Original Australian cast, 1985)[25] Lea Salonga (Manila, 2010)[53] Louise Dearman (Cyprus) Shin Youngsook (South Korea, 2008–2009)[54] Ock Joo-hyun (South Korea, 2008–2009)[54] Insooni (South Korea, 2011–2012)[55][56] Park Hae-mi (South Korea, 2011–2012)[55][56] Silvie Paladino (Malaysia) Keri René Fuller (US Tour, 2019-2020) Donna Vivino (US Tour, 2020) Jacintha Abisheganaden (Singapore, 1993)[57] Slindile Nodangala (International tour, 2004)[58]

In popular culture

Madame Tussauds New York features a wax figure of Grizabella that sings "Memory".[59]

References

1. "Grizabella". Cats the Musical (official website). Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
2. "The Story of Cats". Cats the musical (official website). Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
3. Sternfeld 2006, p. 129, 159–161, 363–365
4. "Cats". Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
5. "Cast / Vocal Requirements: Cats". The Musical Company. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
6. Eliot et al. 1983, p. 9–10
7. Lloyd Webber 2018, p. 315–317
8. Siropoulos 2008, p. 181
9. Sternfeld 2006, p. 367
10. T. S. Eliot, "Rhapsody on a Windy Night", Academy of American Poets. Accessed Aug. 18, 2017.
11. Sternfeld 2006, p. 113
12. Sternfeld 2006, p. 125, 157, 163
13. "Minnet | Svensk mediedatabas". SMDB.kb.se. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
14. "Original London Cast List". Really Useful Group. Archived from the original on 15 August 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
15. "Search Past Winners: Keyword Search – "Cats"". Tony Award. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
16. "Olivier Winners 2015". Official London Theatre. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
17. "Cats, Neil Simon Theatre 250 W. 52nd St., New York, NY – Cast". Playbill. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
18. Stewart 2014, p. 117
19. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (5 January 2015). "Cats curls up for longer stay in West End – with Kerry Ellis joining cast". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
20. "Photo Flash: Beverley Knight Stars in CATS, Returning to London, January 2". BroadwayWorld. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
21. Stewart 2014, p. 119
22. http://www.playbill.com/article/let-the-memory-live-again-with-a-look-back-at-grizabellas-past
23. "1998 Video Cast List". Really Useful Group. Archived from the original on 7 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
24. Schaefer, Sandy (13 December 2018). "Cats Movie Musical Officially Begins Filming; Full Cast Revealed". Screen Rant. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
25. Stewart 2014, p. 121
26. Lauer-Williams, Kathy (24 October 2009). "Flying High ** Wilson native is Broadway's newest Wicked Witch of the West ** 'Wicked' on Broadway". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
27. Gans, Andrew (23 June 2003). "Music Circus Summer Season to Include O'Malley, von Essen, Page, Piro, Lanier and More". Playbill. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
28. Gans, Andrew (2 June 2009). "Music Circus Season to Feature Beach, Davi, Lee, Denman, Charles, Page and More". Playbill. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
29. Gans, Andrew (19 July 2010). "Muny's Cats, with Block, Page, Teeter, Dunn, Dudding, Begins July 19". Playbill. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
30. "Watch Taylor Dayne Glam It Up as Grizabella in Cats | Broadway Buzz". Broadway.com. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
31. Pelogia, Gustavo (25 March 2010). ""Pensei muito se eu realmente daria conta", diz Paula Lima sobre 'Cats'" ["I thought a lot if I really would," says Paula Lima about 'Cats'] (in Portuguese). Terra (Brazil). Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
32. "Las siete vidas de CATS" [The seven lives of CATS]. Proceso (in Spanish). 7 August 2005. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
33. "Gerardo Quiroz graduates with premiere of Cats". El Universal (in Spanish). 10 May 2013. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
34. Mendoza Escamilla, Viridiana (16 May 2014). "Cats, teatro mexicano con talla de Broadway". Forbes (Mexico) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
35. "Rocío Banquells cumple su sueño de participar en 'Cats'". El Informador (in Spanish). 20 July 2014. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
36. "Landeta asegura que elenco de Cats supera al de 1991" [Landeta ensures that cast of Cats exceeds 1991]. Vanguardia MX (in Spanish). 6 May 2013. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
37. "Yuri dará vida a Grizabella en el musical Cats" [Yuri will play Grizabella in the musical Cats]. El Sol De Mexico (in Spanish). 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
38. "Ute Lemper to Bring Songs from the Broken Heart to Feinstein's/54 Below This Weekend". BroadwayWorld. 6 January 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
39. "Cats: Helsinki Production (1986)". Ovrtur. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
40. "Curriculum Vitae". piadouwes.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
41. "Cats: 2006 Rotterdam". Stage Entertainment. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
42. "English Version of West End Musical Cats Still Popular". Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre. 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
43. Sperling, Fredrik (28 August 2003). "Efter 20 år – nu får Pernilla sjunga "Memory" i "Cats"". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
44. "Muzikálová diva Katarína Hasprová: Pravda o rivalstve so Sklovskou!" [Musical Diva Katarína Hasprová: The Truth About Rivalry with Sklovská!]. Nový čas (in Slovak). 28 March 2016. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
45. "Cast Lists: UK/Europe tour, 2013". catsthemusical.com (official website). Archived from the original on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
46. "Cast lists: UK Tour, 2006". Really Useful Group. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
47. Hill, Patrick (21 March 2015). "Jane McDonald lands Nicole Scherzinger's sexy Cats role after wowing composer Andrew Lloyd Webber - 3am & Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
48. "Hoofdrol voor Jenna Lee-James in Nederlandse Cats". De Telegraaf. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
49. https://tour.catsthemusical.com/people/li-tong-hsu/
50. "Bev Harrell". ACA Entertainment. Archived from the original on 25 May 2003.
51. Edwards, Matt (17 January 2016). "CATS news: Delia Hannah confirmed to play Grizabella in Adelaide & Perth". AussieTheatre. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
52. Dionysius, Bobbi-Lea (5 July 2014). "CATS – Harvest Rain Breaks Records". AussieTheatre. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
53. Oliveros, Oliver (24 July 2010). "Lea Salonga Plays 'Grizabella' the Philippines, 7/24". BroadwayWorld (Philippines). Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
54. "캣츠 CATS (2008/09/19 ~ 2009/01/18)" (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
55. "캣츠 – 이천 CATS (2011/08/26 ~ 2011/08/28)" (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
56. "캣츠 – 제주 Musical CATS (2012/04/20 ~ 2012/04/22)" (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
57. Ting, Lisabel (13 August 2014). "Keep Kallang Theatre". AsiaOne. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
58. "Cast lists: Beijing, 2004". Really Useful Group. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
59. "Broadway fans will love this new immersive Madame Tussauds exhibit featuring 'Cats,' 'Phantom,' 'Big' and more". USA Today. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.

Print sources

• Eliot, T. S.; Eliot, Valerie; Lloyd Webber, Andrew; Nunn, Trevor; Lynne, Gillian; Napier, John (1983). Cats: The Book of the Musical. Harvest Books. ISBN 978-0156155823.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Lloyd Webber, Andrew (2018). Unmasked: A Memoir. Harper. ISBN 978-0062424204.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Siropoulos, Vagelis (2008). The Ideology and Aesthetics of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Musicals: From Broadway Musical to the British Megamusical (PDF) (PhD thesis). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Sternfeld, Jessica (2006). The Megamusical. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34793-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Stewart, John (2014). "128. Cats". Broadway Musicals, 1943–2004, (2 volume set). McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786495658.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Rhapsody on a Windy Night by T.S. Eliot