Taking inspiration from the idea and questions of Trude Jensen and Lisa Yardley's Absolute Munkustrap interview, I wrote to a few Victor performers, asking them to answer a list of questions about the character and about the show in general.
With many thanks to Stori James, dance captain and swing in the final London cast of Cats.
How were you told to play Victor?
He is very friendly and would help anyone.
How do/did you interpret and play him?
I tend to play him a bit more kitten-like as I am small and I think
he's a little dim, i.e. he sits with the girls instead of the boys at the
beginning of Pekes and Pollicles by mistake.
What do you like the most and least about him?
I love the fact that he isn't in all the highly choreographed sections
in act 1 so you get to really explore the set and have a lot of fun.
How much freedom do you have with your makeup, and how
long does it take to put on?
Victor's make-up takes about 15 minutes and as the make-up has a very
detailed design (designed by Karen Dawson) you should really follow that
(we all have charts, it's a bit like painting by numbers!!!)
How did you learn/prepare yourself to play at cat?
5 weeks of intense rehearsals and watching the show to get a good idea
of what works and what doesn't. Also trying not to be too obvious with the
cat work!
How is Victor different to play from the characters you play?
You get much more time on the set so you get to really change your
shows a lot!
Who is your favourite CATS character to play?
I don't really have a favourite. I love swinging as you have such a
variety you don't get the chance to get bored. I've also played Tantomile
and Electra!!
What are the best and worst things about performing in CATS?
The best things have to be all the playing around you get to do,
there's so much improvisation that no one show is the same. Sometimes your
body gets very tired, but it's a small price to pay!
What has been the most memorable/funniest thing about your time in CATS?
The most memorable has to be the time when I was on for Skimbleshanks
(my first run in Cats 92-4) and there was a cover on for Gus who didn't
turn the 1/2 pipe in the overture, so when I made my entrance on the USR
(upper stage right) ramp I fell all the way to the floor as the pipe
wasn't there to stop the ramp falling. I came away with just a few
splinters and no great injury. Thank Goodness!!! It wasn't funny at the
time but hilarious to look back on.