Ever-popular ‘Cats’ strays back to Las Vegas

Tuesday, June 22, 2004 | 9:40 a.m.

What: "Cats."

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Where: Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Tickets: $36.93, $57.93, $78.93.

Information: 785-5555.

Break out the kitty litter, "Cats" is coming to Vegas.

After a three-year lull, Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical returns Wednesday to the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts for eight performances in five days.

"I think the show is the most incredible musical there is," actress Katie Wanner said during a recent telephone interview from East Lansing, Mich., where the musical was on tour. "It's certainly the most challenging.

"It's interesting that it has drawn a crowd for the 22 or 23 years it's been running it still sells out almost every night."

Wanner plays one of the lead characters, Victoria, the white cat, a role she has coveted since first trying out for the production almost three years ago.

The 22-year-old St. Louis native was in her second semester at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York when she failed to make the cut at an audition.

"I didn't get the job but then they called me right before the start of my third semester and said they needed a replacement," Wanner said.

She was an understudy for four characters for more than a year before finally being given the role she originally wanted.

"It's so unique," Wanner said. "So many come to see it and don't realize what's going on in the story, but they don't care -- what they are seeing is so neat, making people believe they are cats."

Now that she has achieved her goal, what next?

"Good question," Wanner said. "It's something I have to deal with and work with. I wanted to work my way up to this. I will finish my contract July 18.

"My plan is to go back to New York and try to find another job. The road show will continue. Some of us will be finishing our contracts, and some will stay on for another year. But for me, three years is long enough. It's been an incredible experience."

But when she leaves the cast she won't be a stray cat for long.

"I actually got an offer to do 'Cats' in Maine," Wanner said. "It will be a short gig, only five weeks."

"Cats" is playing all over the world, from Maine to Europe and Asia.

The original production of "Cats" opened at the New London Theatre on May 11, 1981, and is still playing in dozens of nations. It opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York on Oct. 7, 1982, and ran for 18 years, closing on Sept. 10, 2000.

The play closed in New York, but has been touring America ever since, popping up periodically in Las Vegas.

Based on T.S. Eliot's 1939 poem "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," and with music by Webber, "Cats" won seven Tony Awards in 1983, including best musical, best lighting and best costumes.

"Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats" dealt with the distinct and bizarre personalities of various breeds of cats.

Webber took Eliot's abstract expressions and turned them into a variety of issues, including ageism, lost love and youthful sexual drive.

Colorful greasepaint, wigs and catlike attire convert a cast of 20 actors into a pack of alley cats with distinct personalities that have enchanted audiences for more than 20 years -- characters including Old Deuteronomy, Jennyanydots, Mr. Mistoffelees, Rum Tum Tugger, Skimbleshanks, Griddlebone and Grizabella (who sings the hit song "Memory").

Dealing with such a large cast can be difficult, but it is a job company manager Natalie Fleming thoroughly enjoys.

Fleming left her native England at age 17 to pursue a dancing career.

Eventually she landed in Las Vegas, where she spent five years as a dancer in such productions as "Tournament of Kings" at the Excalibur and "Midnight Fantasy" at Luxor before deciding to make a career change and go behind the scenes about three years ago.

"I was getting too old to dance," the 36-year-old Fleming said. "My body started to complain about the high heels and the kicking."

She became an assistant in the "Tournament of Kings" production, then a production assistant in "Storm" at Mandalay Bay, a company manager for "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" at the Flamingo, and then back to "Storm" as a company manager.

She joined the road company of "Cats" two years ago.

As a company manager, Fleming says she takes care of everything that doesn't involve the stage -- from the occasional catfight to payroll to human resource issues, insurance, workman's comp and other details common to any company.

"I have gray hair under my red," Fleming said. "Sometimes I joke around that I baby-sit 50 people, taking care of everybody's needs."

She said she decided to pursue the role of company manager rather than stage manager because there is too much pressure in being a stage manager.

Fleming travels with the company.

"The travel does become tedious at times," she said. "Two weeks ago we were in five cities in seven days. For me, that's a lot more work. But I have always traveled. The five years I lived in Las Vegas was the longest I had been in one place since I was 17."

Eventually she says she knows the inevitable will happen.

"At one point I will finally decide to get off the road and lead a normal life," she said.

But until then, her life is the cat's meow.