Ma-Anne Dionisio: Brave enough to do CATS

Ma-Anne Dionisio: Brave enough to do CATS

“I had nightmares about it,” says the lead star of the physically grueling, dance-driven play.

MA-ANNE DIONISIO as Grizabella in CATS. PHOTO: Racheal McCaig

By Beatrice  S. Paez

CATS leaps onto stage this summer. The much-anticipated revival of the frisky musical is getting another shot at fame.

Starring in this new incarnation is Filipino-Canadian actor Ma-Anne Dionisio, who first catapulted to the stage as Kim in Toronto’s original production of Miss Saigon.

The versatile performer is trading her second skin as Kim (her longest role played) for a furry kind. Dionisio plays Grizabella, the fallen feline, from the adapted works of T.S. Eliot.

Though a stranger to the world of the junkyard cat crew, she clinched a spot in the inner circle with just one audition.

“I went into it cold. I wanted my director to have the opportunity to direct me,” said Dionisio.

She mastered the hypnotic lullaby, Memory, but little else. Grizabella’s gritty life was only later revealed to her in bits at the audition. But there was no catfight, even though there were about 400 people clawing for a role.

“It was an absolutely jaw-dropping audition,” said director Dave Campbell. “With just a few seeds of direction, we realized it had to be her. And nobody came in who affected us that way.”

Marlene Smith, the co-producer echoed his enthusiasm. “I don’t even think she realized what she’d done,” she said. “She fits the role perfectly.”

Her blind approach to taking on new roles has served her well throughout her career. “I like that whole sense of discovery,” she said.

Dionisio is hardly alone in the discovery process. The entirely Canadian production is composed of veterans and young blood, or as Dionisio put it, “old cats and new cats,” who are recasting the play with a more modern edge.

The members of the old CATS clan helm the show, with the pioneering producer, Smith and Campbell, who has four other Cats productions as his credits.

CATS-crazed fans can expect transformational tweaks that alter the stylistic makeup of the play, but Campbell promises the changes will only deepen audience engagement.

“The mistake you can make when you remount a show, is that you try to do exactly what was done before,” he said. “We’ve gone to a different colour palette. We’ve changed a lot of the colours of the wigs and costumes – they’re more vibrant.”

The show also tears down the fourth wall that separates the audience from the cast. The grungy set design extends past the stage or the proscenium, with wired webs and discarded parts littered on the walls of the theatre.

PHOTO: Racheal McCaig

The smaller, more intimate venue will also allow the cats to use the aisles as their runway, sending them into the audience. “[This is] the first time I’ve worked in a space that doesn’t feel like a traditional theatre,” said Campbell. “It’s a beautiful, neutral space.”

“It’s very intimate, you do get a different perspective,” said Smith.

To take his contemporary approach a notch further, Campbell interweaves issues of ageism and prejudice into the individual storylines of the cats. “If it’s an issue you’re dealing with you can find a cat or scene that actually speaks to you at the moment,” he explained.

Out of all the cats, Dionisio’s Grizabella is the resident outcast angling for salvation after leading a glamorous life and abandoning her tribe. Her cautionary tale exists separately from T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, from which CATS composer Andrew Lloyd Webber created the musical. The darker tone of her tale juxtaposed with the more whimsical musings of his verses was perceived to be too jarring for children.

In Webber’s adaptation, Grizabella’s journey of redemption, to be accepted back into the Jellicle clan, is the core narrative. And while the rest of the Jellicles have their own issues, they are a rambunctious bunch, fit for entertaining the whole family, with their song and dance.

“It’s a good family show,” said Smith. “If you hate singing, you can watch the dancing. If you hate dancing, you can listen to the music.”

The original glam cat, Betty Buckley, who played Grizabella in the Broadway production, was a creative source for Dionisio.

Buckley provided Dionisio with more insight into the character. “Grizabella has gone through a rough go at life, she’s physically hurt, old and dying,” said Dionisio, recalling what Buckley shared. “At the same time, she’s gracious and regal. She owns what she’s experienced.”

Although considerably younger than her character, Smith said that Dionisio’s experience in theatre adds depth. The old cast has also given Dionisio a stronger impression of the character. “The older cats have a wealth of information about how I can interact with everybody,” she said.

CATS is a physically grueling, dance-driven play. The toughest challenge for the actor is grasping the physicality of the cat.

“I had nightmares about it,” said Dionisio. “But I’m in good hands. And I’m slowly discovering her still.”

Dionisio’s background as a Filipino folk dancer of tinikling and pandango has helped ease her into the art of telling stories through dance. Having access to the original choreographer, Gillian Lynne has also provided her with direction.

The well-rounded actor has had a phenomenal stroke fortune early in her career.

Barely an adult, Dionisio was cast as Kim after she was invited to audition for the role when the casting people saw her performance on TV.

Though she played Kim for several international productions as well, she has hardly been typecast, from playing Sandy in Grease at the Elgin Theatre to Maria in West Side Story at the Stratford Festival.

She added that she has been extremely lucky, as she doesn’t actively look for work and it’s usually a “tough go” for many actors. The rapport she builds with the director and producers is sacrosanct.

“If they’re brave enough to give me this opportunity, I’m brave enough to do it.”