Shiki Cats - Japan キャッツ

The Japanese production of *Cats* by the Shiki Theatre Company has continuously played in the country across multiple locations since premiering in 1983. *Cats* was the first long-running stage show in Japan and is hugely popular within Japanese pop culture.

## Production Specifics

The Japanese production was one of the first productions worldwide, opening two years after the original London production on which it is based. It has developed independently over the years without much influence from more western productions, leading to a strongly Japanese influenced production that still maintains a replica status. The production has gone through two overhauls that saw major revisions to the show, first in 1998 and then in 2018.

One unique element of the Japanese production is its ensemble characters, which differ significantly not only in design but in role compared to most other productions of Cats. There is no Alonzo; his role is covered by two ensemble characters, Gilbert and Rumpus Cat. Gilbert is the cat who swings on the trapeze and his design is an interpretation of the Broadway Golden Alonzo costume. Rumpus Cat doubles as an ensemble character along with his usual role in "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles"; since the 1998 overhaul, his ensemble design has resembled that of the Black and White Alonzo costume. Admetus or Plato are not present in the production, while Macavity doubles as an ensemble character with a separate yellow costume design. For the 1997 to 1998 Sapporo run, the ensemble Macavity was cut and Tumblebrutus doubled as Macavity instead.

The roles of the "twins", usually Coricopat and Tantomile, are instead Cassandra and Tumblebrutus in this production, with Tantomile wearing the smooth brown costume design normally identified as Cassandra. Cassandra and Tumblebrutus are featured as pair dancers throughout the show; however, they don't necessarily wear identical costumes and therefore are not always "twins", as is customary in most productions worldwide. There is no official word on their relationship, but their 2018 performers interpreted and played them as a couple instead of siblings.

The show includes both Sillabub and Jemima. Sillabub is the youngest kitten; she sings the "Moonlight" and "Daylight" refrains as well as "Memory" with Grizabella, and is the first cat to touch Grizabella (instead of Victoria). Jemima is not a kitten in this version; she is featured as one of the Gumbie Trio (with Jellylorum and Tantomile) and sings "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" with Jellylorum (instead of Demeter and Bombalurina).

Starting from the 1998 Fukuoka run, "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" was cut from the show. It was added once again starting from the 2018 Tokyo run.

For more details about the Japanese Score, see HERE.

### Original Creative Team

* Director: Keita Asari (浅利慶太)
* Production Assistant / Artistic Director: Yuji Sawada (沢田祐二)
* Production Assistant / Production Supervisor: Chizuru Tsuruga (梶賀千鶴子)
* Production Assistant / Operations: Shizuo Sugita (杉田静生)
* Choreographer: Taku Yamada (山田 卓)
* Lighting Designer: Yuji Sawada (沢田祐二)
* Musical Director: Morihisa Shibuya (渋谷森久)
* Deputy Musical Director: Akira Aoyama (青山明)
* Scenery Designer: Satoshi Kanamori Memorial Design Studio (金森馨記念デザイン工房)
* Assistant Music Director: Megumi Chinju (鎭守めぐみ), Keisuke Shimizu (清水恵介)
* Stage Director: Keiji Hirase (平瀬慶次)
* Sound Designer: 実吉英一、金森正和、小幡亨、三浦桃枝

## Locations

 File:Japan Cast Poster.jpg
* Tokyo - 11/11/1983 - 10/11/1984
Cats Theater, Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo
* Osaka - 20/03/1985 - 30/04/1986
Cats Theater, Nishi-Umeda, Osaka
* Tokyo - 10/10/1986 - 31/05/1987
Cats Theater, Shinjuku, Tokyo
* Nagoya - 23/11/1988 - 23/11/1989
Cats Theater, Nagoya, Aichi
* Fukuoka - 20/04/1990 - 19/11/1990
Cats Theater, Momochihama, Fukuoka
* Sapporo - 21/05/1991 - 26/04/1992
Cats Theater, Sapporo, Hokkaido
* Osaka - 18/07/1992 - 23/09/1993
Cats Dome, Namba, Osaka
* Tokyo - 04/01/1995 - 14/12/1996
Cats Theater, Shinagawa, Tokyo
* Sapporo - 08/04/1997 - 08/03/1998
JR Cats Theater, Sapporo, Hokkaido
* Fukuoka - 01/07/1998 - 09/05/1999
Fukuoka City Theater, Fukuoka
* Nagoya - 20/07/1999 - 28/01/2001
Shin-Nagoya Musical Theater, Nagoya, Aichi
* Osaka - 11/03/2001 - 13/01/2003
Osaka MBS Theater, Osaka
* Shizuoka - 29/04/2003 - 09/07/2003
Shizuoka City Cultural Hall, Shizuoka
* Hiroshima - 02/08/2003 - 24/11/2003
Hiroshima Postal Savings Hall, Hiroshima
* Sendai - 19/12/2003 - 05/05/2004
Miyagi Prefectural Hall, Sendai
* Tokyo - 11/11/2004 - 03/05/2009
Cats Theater, Gotanda, Tokyo
* Yokohama - 11/11/2009 - 11/11/2012
Canon Cats Theater, Yokohama, Kanagawa
* Hiroshima - 09/12/2012 - 24/03/2013
Hiroshima Ueno Gakuen Hall, Hiroshima
* Sendai - 23/04/2013 - 20/08/2013
Tokyo Electron Hall Miyagi, Miyagi
* Shizuoka - 15/09/2013 - 1/12/2013
Shizuoka City Cultural Hall, Shizuoka
* Fukuoka - 20/04/2014 - 04/10/2014
Canal City Theater, Fukuoka
* Sapporo - 18/01/2015 - 21/03/2016
Hokkaido Shiki Theater, Hokkaido
* Osaka - 16/07/2016 - 06/05/2018
Osaka Shiki Theater, Osaka
* Tokyo - 11/08/2018 - present
Cats Theater, Ōimachi, Tokyo

## Milestones

* 1,000th performance on 9 November 1986 at the Cats Theatre in Shinjuku, Tokyo
* 2,000th performance on 13 October 1991, at the Cats Theatre in Sapporo
* 3,000th performance on 3 October 1995, at the Cats Theatre in Shinagawa, Tokyo
* 4,000th performance on 5 December 1998, at the Fukuoka City Theatre
* 5,000th performance on 4 November 2001, at the Osaka MBS Theater
* 6,000th performance on 8 July 2005, at the Cats Theater in Shinagawa, Tokyo
* 7,000th performance on 27 June 2008, at the Cats Theater in Shinagawa, Tokyo
* 8,000th performance on 28 October 2011, at the Canon Cats Theater in Yokohama
* 9,000th performance on 22 August 2015, at the Hokkaido Shiki Theater
* 10,000th performance on 12 March 2019 at the Cats Theater in Oimachi, Tokyo

 File:Shizuoka 30th anniversary performance 11 Nov 2013.jpg
## Cast Recordings

* 1985 Cast Recording, released 21 April 1985
* 1989 Cast Recording, released 8 February 1989
* 2001 Cast Demo, released 2001
* 2019 Cast Recording, released 24 April 2019

## Publications

* *All About Cats* - the official book of the Japanese Production; published by Kobunsha on 22 August 2014
* Commemorative Magazine - 96 pages commemorating 10,000 performances in Japan, released in 2019

Shiki Production Book Cover.jpgOfficial Book coverCats Commemorative Magazine with 10000 performances in Japan (cover).jpgCommemorative Magazine coverCats Commemorative Magazine with 10000 performances in Japan (inside).jpgA page from the Magazine
## Casts

 File:Cast List Original Programme Japan 1983.png

## References

1. ↑ 劇団四季キャッツ大阪「ファイナルオフステージトーク」イベントレポ, kindantheatre.com. 2018-04-23.

## External Links

* Official Website
	+ Characters
	+ Creative Team
	+ Cast
* Online Merchandise Store
* Cats Japan Musical Playlist on Youtube