‘Never felt so scared’: the Cats obsessive who’s created a feral dance version of the purr-fect musical
Choreographer Drew McOnie is creating a new dance-led production of the musical Cats at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London, drawing on his own history with the show. As a 17-year-old, McOnie skipped school to audition and, within days, joined an international production in Germany, a formative experience that launched his career as a dancer, director and Olivier award-winning choreographer. Now artistic director at the venue, he says reinterpreting Gillian Lynne's celebrated original choreography feels daunting given his admiration for her and the show's significance to his own life.
McOnie's version blends street, commercial, jazz and classical dance influences to give the production a contemporary, "feral" energy that he believes echoes how groundbreaking the original felt in the 1980s. Rehearsals feature a mix of experienced performers and standout student dancers, whom McOnie has sought to draw out of their reserved exteriors into more expressive, energetic performances. He also praises Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he has worked on both this production and Jesus Christ Superstar, describing him as witty, sharp and rigorous.
- Drew McOnie reworks Cats for Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
- He auditioned for the original show aged 17 in Germany.
- New version mixes street, jazz and classical dance styles.
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Drew McOnie is a choreographer and director who is staging a new production of the musical Cats at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre in London, where he is now artistic director. Cats, originally choreographed by Gillian Lynne and scored by Andrew Lloyd Webber, is one of musical theatre's best-known and most distinctive shows, built around dancers portraying cats rather than a conventional plot. McOnie has a personal connection to the show, having joined a production in Germany as a teenager, an experience that shaped his career.
This new staging reworks Lynne's original choreography, mixing street, commercial, jazz and classical dance styles to give the production a more raw, contemporary feel. The cast combines established performers with students, and McOnie has also continued to work with Andrew Lloyd Webber, including on a separate production of Jesus Christ Superstar.