‘Cats’ the musical at Pope John High School

Prepare to put your paws together for “Cats” the musical at Pope John High School. The production, featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a script penned by T. S. Eliot, is student-run under the guidance of Ms. Jacquelyn Burt.

The show follows a tribe of cats as they compete in the Jellicle Ball, where one feline will be chosen to progress to the “Heaviside Layer” and be granted a new life.

With many live performances threatened by the pandemic, the students at Pope John consider themselves lucky to be making live theater. Last year, the drama club could safely accommodate only seven participants in the spring musical. This year, over one-hundred are helping to bring the tabbytale to life.

“To get working together as a group is really, really special,” said senior Shane Elvin, who is playing Rum Tum Tugger.

“’Cats’ is a cultural icon,” said senior Lily Marino, the executive producer for the drama club.

The New York production of “Cats” ran for 7,485 performances, making it the fourth longest-running Broadway musical of all time. It is not a show that many high schools attempt, with an offbeat concept and acrobatic vocal score.

“We like to make a point of doing shows that other [high schools] wouldn’t dare,” added Marino.

The drama club is certainly up to the challenge — their performances have earned superlative adjudications at the Bucks County Student Theater Festival, Sussex County Teen Arts Festival, and New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival in recent years.

Tickets for “Cats” at Pope John High School are $12.00.

The drama club is partnering with Father John’s Animal Shelter and Bloomingdale Animal Shelter, offering a $2.00 discount on tickets with a donation of cat food or cat litter.

The show dates are:

February 23rd at 3:30 p.m. (a special showing for senior citizens)

February 24, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.

February 25, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.

February 26, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.