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THE ANSWERS |
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Heaviside or Heavyside? Back to top
The actual correct word is "Heaviside". T.S. Eliot wrote "Heaviside" in all his poems, so that is what it is. However many people on the internet write "Heavyside", probably because this is how it sounds in the songs.
The first Cats production in London didn't have many of the Cats that are named in the movie. There was no Admetus, Asparagus, Electra, Etcetera, Plato, Pouncival, and no darling Tumblebrutus *cries*. However, they did have a Cat called George, who didn't appear in the movie. The second production, at Winter Garden in America, had Etcetera, Plato, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus *yaay*, but no George. As Cats got bigger, people started to give the nameless chorus, or "swings" as they began to be called, names. By the time of the movie, Admetus, Asparagus and Electra were usual characters around the world. Often, particulaly in countries where the lyrics are translated, swings are invented especially for the particular production.
Why are there two Asparaguses? Back to top
You might have wondered why, when a cat is supposed to have a name that's particular, both Gus the Theatre Cat and the brown tom are called Asparagus. This is simply because the late Sir John Mills who played Gus the Theatre cat couldn't also play Growltiger, for a few reasons (being quite elderly and not a dancer) as well as the fact that the musical was cut down quite a lot and the Growltiger sequence is missing. In stage shows, the actor playing Gus the Theatre cat dances in the rest of the show and also plays Growltiger. So, Tony Timberlake is playing Asparagus as the dancer, and Sir John Mills is playing Asparagus as Gus. In London, Tony Timberlake would also play Gus the Theatre Cat and Growltiger. Hope that made sense!
Are Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer really dubbed? Back to top
Yes and no (but mostly no)! In the credits at the end, it shows that Mungo (Drew Varley) and Teazer (Jo Gibb) had their parts sung by other singers. However, the only part these other singers actually do is Rumpelteazer's giggle and Mungo's sssh! So Drew and Jo are singing the song, after all. Yay!
Why is Jemima's voice dubbed? Back to top
Veerle Casteleyn, who plays Jemima, comes from Belgium and was Jemima in the production there. The directors wanted her for her childlike appeal and "wide-open face". However, she had a lot of trouble pronouncing the English lyrics, so she was dubbed by Helen Massie so the words could be understood.
Why can't I find out anything about Helen Massie?
These are Plato and Admetus. They don't get their name in the credits, because they also play more prominent characters. Bryn Walters is Plato (the cat who dances the mating dance with Victoria) and Macavity, so he is credited as Macavity. Frank Thompson plays Admetus (hard to spot, he stands behind Bustopher Jones while B.J is sitting on the hat, and makes funny faces) and the Great Rumpuscat, so he is credited as the Rumpuscat.
Who is Exotica and why is she in the movie? Back to top
Femi Taylor plays Exotica. She played Tantomile in the original London production. The directors wanted her to be in the video, but they already had a Tantomile, so the character of Exotica was created especially for the movie.
The Growltiger sequence is two songs that in stage productions, are between the end of Gus: the Theatre Cat and the Gus Reprise. In the movie, all that happens is that Gus wanders around after a vision of Firefrorfiddle: the Fiend of the Fell, but in the stage plays there's much more to it. Gus acts out the play of Growltiger's Last Stand (see lyrics here) which includes the Ballad of Billy M'Caw (see lyrics here). During this is a set change to the deck of a boat in the Junkyard, and the cats dress up as either Growltiger's pirates or Siamese cats, who drive Growltiger off the plank.
Why are some of the lyrics in the songs cut? Back to top
The musical was too long to be a movie, so the directors decided to cut out some of the lyrics to the songs, these included Macavity, Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, The Ad-dressing of Cats and Old Deuteronomy. You can see the missing verse of Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer in the Making of Cats, during Jo Gibb's interview.
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