Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre’s CATS Opens 11/21

In her first solo directing gig, Brenda Didier is having a ball with the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre production of "Cats," opening at 7 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 21.

"I want to make it more personal, and the intimacy of the No Exit Café allows me to do that. It starts with the heart and what you feel inside about T. S. Eliot's poetry and Andrew Lloyd Webber's music," Didier said. "It's not a children's show, but it brings out the inner child in we adults. And, it's a great outing for the entire family."

"We're going back to the original poetry to get to know the words and lyrics better. It's really more about us than cats. It's about life, community, neighborhood, how we take care of each other-young and old-and how we don't take care of each other. The whole point of the final number ("The Ad-Dressing of Cats") is about us."

Didier, widely known for her award-winning choreography, is also choreographing the show and promises that the traditional elements and spectacle aren't forgotten. "The costumes, makeup and physicality are all part of the charm, the beauty, the magic," she added. The director's position is graciously funded by The Saints of Chicago, volunteers for the performing arts.

The Theo Ubique production will feature 13 actors as 20 cats in the intimate 60-seat setting of the No Exit Café in Rogers Park, compared to 30-32 cats in the original production. "This makes it up close and personal, where we get to know each cat more intimately," Didier said. The two-hour run time is also shorter than the original three-hour production. "Cats" is based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" and introduced the popular song "Memory."

Music director is Ethan Deppe. Dance captain is Maggie Portman, who is playing an ensemble role after her smash Jeff Award-leading roles in Theo Ubique's "Evita" and "Chess" the past two seasons. She, too, is having a ball, according to Didier. "The cast turns to her, and she keeps them grounded. It's been great to see the ensemble grow and bond."

Asked about taking on such a large undertaking for her first solo directing job (Didier co-directed the Jeff Award-winning "Chess" with Fred Anzevino last spring), she said it was both terrifying and exciting at the same time. "It's very lonely, a strange place to be and challenging. But, I couldn't have started with a better show to start my directing career."

She also turns to her Associate Director Jim Beaudry and Associate Choreographer Andrew Waters to keep her honest and the storytelling clear.

Performances are 7:30 p.m., Thursdays; 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 and 7 p.m., Sundays at the No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Due to the holidays, no performances will be held Thursday, Nov. 25; Friday and Saturday, Dec. 24-25, and the 2 p.m. performance on Sunday, Dec. 26. Added performances during the holidays are 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays, Nov. 24 and Dec. 22. The Dec. 31 performance is a special New Year's Eve party/show/dinner package. Doors open, dinner is served and the shuttle van starts 1 ½ hours prior to curtain.

Tickets are $30 for Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, and a show/dinner package is $50. Saturday tickets are $35 with a $55 show/dinner package, and preview tickets are $20 with a $40 show/dinner package. The New Year's Eve package for hors d'oeuvres, dinner, show and midnight champagne toast is $75 for early sign-up by December 10 and $100 afterwards. Tickets can be purchased online through the web site at www.theoubique.org or www.theo-u.org or by calling the ticket service at 800-595-4849. The information line is 773-347-1109.

Free parking is available in the parking lot at the corner of Morse and Ravenswood with free transport on the Lifeline shuttle van to and from the lot. The No Exit Café is a half-block north of the Morse stop on the west side of the Red Line tracks. Special discounts will be offered through Theo Ubique e-news announcements, which are available by signing up through the web site.

 

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