Victoria the White Cat
Encyclopedia
Victoria is the white cat from the musical
Cats
, and one of the show's principal characters as well as a starring dance role. She was named after T. S. Eliot
's favorite queen, Queen Victoria. As this is a very demanding role, requiring extensive ballet training, the actor enacting the character of Victoria should be very flexible. She is featured in multiple solos, as well as leading group numbers and starring in a Pas de Deux.
. She engages heavily in the dancing throughout the beginning of the show, leading all the cats in the Song of the Jellicles. During the ball, she participates in a mating dance with Plato
. Victoria is one of the many female kittens (Jemima
, Electra
, and Etcetera
) who swoon over Rum Tum Tugger
. She is the eldest of the queen kittens and her closest friends seem to be Mr. Mistoffelees
and Jemima
. She and Jemima are very close, and are the first cats who accept Grizabella
, a social pariah, from the beginning to the end though they are initially held back by the older Jellicles. Victoria is the first cat to fully accept Grizabella
at the end of the show which leads to her readmission to the Jellicle Tribe and accenscion to the Heavyside Layer. Victoria is very quiet, as her voice is never heard solo. She however, is frequently spotlighted as a dancer.
, as the only solid white cat in the junkyard. Her singular appearance also makes her a frequent subject for advertising for the musical. She has a pink bejeweled collar
around her neck.
in London
West End
and by Cynthia Onrubia on Broadway. Phyllida Crowley Smith
played her in the 1998 filmed version
. Sandra Kater, wife of RTE
television presenter Bryan Smyth
, played Victoria for over fifteen hundred performances at the New London Theatre
in London's West End
. She is also played by Joyce Chittick who volunteered inside the Washoe County
Medical Center in Nevada during the North American tour. Sara M. Reardon played the part from 2007-2008. She is at the moment being played by Sarah Bumgarner in the Worldwide Tour.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
, and one of the show's principal characters as well as a starring dance role. She was named after T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's favorite queen, Queen Victoria. As this is a very demanding role, requiring extensive ballet training, the actor enacting the character of Victoria should be very flexible. She is featured in multiple solos, as well as leading group numbers and starring in a Pas de Deux.
Fictional character biography
Victoria is known as the snow white queen due to her being the only cat with a pure white coat. At the beginning of the musical she is seen doing a difficult solo dance in order to transition into adulthood before briefly dancing with Mr. MistoffeleesMr. Mistoffelees
Mr. Mistoffelees is a character in T. S. Eliot's poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and its stage adaptation, Andrew Lloyd Webber's popular musical Cats. He is an important primary character, and one of the most popular of the show...
. She engages heavily in the dancing throughout the beginning of the show, leading all the cats in the Song of the Jellicles. During the ball, she participates in a mating dance with Plato
Macavity
Macavity is a fictional character who is described in a poem in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, by T. S. Eliot. He also appears in Cats, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.-In the poem:...
. Victoria is one of the many female kittens (Jemima
Jemima (cat)
Jemima is a principal character in the musical play Cats, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber using the poetry of T. S. Eliot. She is the youngest member of the tribe of Cats, the voice of innocence and wonder.-Character:...
, Electra
Electra (cat)
Electra is minor female feline character in Cats, a musical inspired by the T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. She is a dancer in the chorus line of "kittens" in the tribe of Jellicle cats.-Origins:...
, and Etcetera
Etcetera (cat)
Etcetera is a fictional character in Cats, the musical play based primarily on T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Primarily a dancer, she is one of the chorus line kittens in the tribe of the Jellicle cats.-Origins:...
) who swoon over Rum Tum Tugger
Rum Tum Tugger
Rum Tum Tugger is one of the many feline characters in the poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, published in 1939, and in the musical Cats which was based on Eliot's book....
. She is the eldest of the queen kittens and her closest friends seem to be Mr. Mistoffelees
Mr. Mistoffelees
Mr. Mistoffelees is a character in T. S. Eliot's poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and its stage adaptation, Andrew Lloyd Webber's popular musical Cats. He is an important primary character, and one of the most popular of the show...
and Jemima
Jemima (cat)
Jemima is a principal character in the musical play Cats, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber using the poetry of T. S. Eliot. She is the youngest member of the tribe of Cats, the voice of innocence and wonder.-Character:...
. She and Jemima are very close, and are the first cats who accept Grizabella
Grizabella
Grizabella is the "Glamour Cat" in the musical production Cats. She does not appear in T. S. Eliot's work Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, but she is a prominent character in the stageplay. It appears that she is the feline version of the woman mentioned in T.S...
, a social pariah, from the beginning to the end though they are initially held back by the older Jellicles. Victoria is the first cat to fully accept Grizabella
Grizabella
Grizabella is the "Glamour Cat" in the musical production Cats. She does not appear in T. S. Eliot's work Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, but she is a prominent character in the stageplay. It appears that she is the feline version of the woman mentioned in T.S...
at the end of the show which leads to her readmission to the Jellicle Tribe and accenscion to the Heavyside Layer. Victoria is very quiet, as her voice is never heard solo. She however, is frequently spotlighted as a dancer.
Appearance
Victoria is known for her distinct, completely white coat. In some productions, however, the tips of her ears are black, with a nose either colored pink or black and she has brownish-copper stripes on her sides. Her memorable visage is individual in comparison to the other JelliclesJellicle cats
The Jellicle cats, or simply the Jellicles, are a type of feline mentioned in T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.Introduced in his poem Song of the Jellicles, they were originally depicted by Eliot as common black-and-white cats whose daytime nature is peaceful, pleasant and restful...
, as the only solid white cat in the junkyard. Her singular appearance also makes her a frequent subject for advertising for the musical. She has a pink bejeweled collar
Collar (animal)
An animal collar is a device that attached to the neck of an animal to allow it to be harnessed, tied up or for various other reasons.*Pet collar. A piece of material put around the neck of certain pet animals, such as dogs or cats, for control, identification, or other purposes. Identification...
around her neck.
Players
The role of Victoria was originated by Finola HughesFinola Hughes
Finola Hughes is an English actress, television host, author and former dancer, best known for role as Anna Devane on the General Hospital, All My Children and General Hospital: Night Shift , and her role as Anna Devane's identical twin sister, Doctor Alexandra Devane Marick, on All My Children...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
and by Cynthia Onrubia on Broadway. Phyllida Crowley Smith
Phyllida Crowley Smith
Phyllida Crowley Smith is an English ballerina, theatre actress and choreographer.Born on the Isle of Wight, England, she studied at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts...
played her in the 1998 filmed version
CATS (film)
Cats is a 1998 direct-to-video film of the long-running West End production of Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber himself personally oversaw orchestration for the film and called on Gillian Lynne, the original show's...
. Sandra Kater, wife of RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
television presenter Bryan Smyth
Bryan Smyth
Bryan Smyth is an Irish singer, television presenter, and actor and Artist. He was born in Dublin, Ireland.- Biography :Smyth came to light as a singer at a young age; as a boy soprano he found himself in demand in many churches in Dublin. He studied singing at the Leinster School of Music &...
, played Victoria for over fifteen hundred performances at the New London Theatre
New London Theatre
The New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden...
in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. She is also played by Joyce Chittick who volunteered inside the Washoe County
Washoe County
Washoe County may refer to:Places*Washoe County, NevadaShips*USS LST-1165, a United States Navy landing ship tank commissioned in 1953 and renamed USS Washoe County in 1955...
Medical Center in Nevada during the North American tour. Sara M. Reardon played the part from 2007-2008. She is at the moment being played by Sarah Bumgarner in the Worldwide Tour.