At a glance
* “Cats” runs until Dec. 13 at the Cumming Playhouse, 101 School St.
* Tickets are $27.50 for adults, $25 for seniors 60 and older, veterans, students age 18 and younger and groups of 25 or more. They can be purchased online at www.playhousecumming.com or by calling (770) 781-9178.
* Guests also have the option of making a $5 donation to the Cumming Lions Club with their ticket purchase. The club supports a range of civic activities, but primarily focuses on helping men, women and children with vision and hearing impairments.
CUMMING — This holiday season, a beloved Broadway musical has hit the stage at the Cumming Playhouse.
“Cats,” the third longest-running show in Broadway history, opened Nov. 19 and will end its run Dec. 13. Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m., while Sunday matinees start at 3 p.m.
RISPA, an award-winning performing arts schools in Alpharetta, is presenting the production, which is based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.”
The musical tells the tale of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles as they decide which feline will ascend to the “Heaviside Layer” and come back to a new life.
According to its website, RISPA is a “cultural performing arts school committed to making performing arts a meaningful experience for all individuals.”
It seeks to prepare young performers for a serious career in dance, musical theater, acting and singing, while also building skills such as discipline, self-confidence and creativity.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with RISPA on this production,” said Linda Heard, executive director of the playhouse. “RISPA has an amazing reputation in Atlanta for producing top-notch shows
because of its focus on training the very best young talent. We’re happy to share their high level of professionalism with our Cumming audiences.”
Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, “Cats” introduced the song “Memory,” which has become a Broadway standard. The show first opened in London’s West End in 1981 and then on Broadway in 1982.
It has won numerous awards and was the No. 1 longest-running Broadway show in history from 1987 to 2006.