DRAMATIC arts virtuoso Lydia Martin is preparing to unleash her latest song and dance masterpiece upon the kingdom … this time with a little help from her friends.

The former director of performing arts at the British School of Bahrain and current head of Inspire Bahrain will be presenting a unique take on the iconic Andrew Lloyd Webber classic Cats this coming December, with the cast comprised of talented performers of all ages who will be selected at auditions starting this week.

Lydia believes the choice of Music and Stage for Kids’ (MASK) latest production will inspire acting and stage enthusiasts of all ages to come forward and try out.

She said: “We were looking for a fun family show that will have universal appeal. Cats is a lively musical with plenty of exciting spectacles to keep the audience entertained. Also, it has lots of parts to showcase our adult and children stars.”

Cats is a musical based on T S Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. It tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles, who on one special night of the year – dubbed ‘The Jellicle Ball’ – make what is known as ‘the Jellicle choice’. Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, announces which of them will go up to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new life.

Cats is the third longest-running show in US Broadway history and the fourth longest-running London West End musical.
 
Lydia added: “I’ve always loved the Jellicle Song with its funky syncopated rhythms and the jazzy wild Macavity duet. If I wasn’t conducting the band I’d love to play the part of Demeter!”

There will be two types of auditions, unprepared and prepared, to give prospective performers a wider chance of success. Judges will include Lydia, choreographer Faten El-Gredly from the French School, assistant musical director Freddie Edwin from Voxshop, Maria Jose, the producer, and Carole Wall, who is part of the design team.

Unprepared auditions will see a large group of prospects being taught a song, which they will then perform as a group and take solos as desired, followed by a choreographer teaching them some dance moves where both the ability to keep a beat and quickness to learn will be assessed.

Prepared auditions will consist of 90-second performances, with the sole purpose of dazzling the judges with singing or dancing or even both!

Pure talent and experience, however, is not the only attribute Lydia will be looking for. She explained: “I am always keen to give newcomers a chance, and anyone who has the right attitude and passion will be teachable I’m sure! Raw enthusiasm and willingness to learn can take you a long way in performing arts.”

Obtaining a licence to perform the classic composition has not been the smoothest ride. Large-scale shows, like Cats, are expensive to licence and since they are still being performed professionally in London and Broadway, licences are not always granted to youth or amateur groups.

Lydia explains: “Last year I had a specific musical I wanted to put on in Bahrain which would have been awesome, but it’s a new version of a famous story and the company just wasn’t ready to licence it. They will give us a licence either next year or the year after so I’m not going to reveal what play it is so I won’t spoil the surprise. I am delighted we were able to secure Cats though, it’s going to be a wonderful show.”

Now that Cats has received a thumbs-up, Lydia has thrown herself headlong into organising both the logistics and personnel for the performances.

The show will take place from December 10-12 in the new hall at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Janabiya. A purpose-built temporary stage and raked seating will be installed too to offer theatre fans a more professional and comfortable viewing experience.

But first, the show needs a cast, and this Friday and March 13 will be the only chances for the kingdom’s aspiring entertainers to strut their stuff.

The mother of three-year-old Xavier, himself a singer in Lydia’s school’s Little Voices Choir and drummer in the Mini Music Makers group, as well as being a keen horse rider, says that the sky is the limit. She said: “Our shows have had up to 120 in the cast in previous years and I am willing to go up to these numbers again as we have an excellent production team already. 

“However, the lower age limit is strict and children under eight will not be able to audition as the large scale of the show and length of rehearsals leading up to the performance would be too much for them.

“There will be a Kids Chorus which will include a lot of dancing. The children will mainly rehearse separately from the adults to begin with and their rehearsals will start later in the year. There will be an adult chorus which will mainly sing rather than dance and this could also include teenagers. All the named parts, which total around 40, will also form a chorus whilst they are not soloing.”

*The auditions will be held at Inspire Arts Centre near Shakhoora. Email catsinbahrain@gmail.com for more details and directions.