Adam Bailey brings feline magic to 'Cats'
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Adam Bailey as Munkustrap in Korean tour of "Cats," which runs through Feb. 18 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts / Courtesy of Clip Service
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Longtime musical theater classic "Cats" premiered 36 years ago in London, but the show's feline magic still works internationally.
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Adam Bailey
A new touring production of "Cats" arrived in Korea last June and has spread its charm throughout the country. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is one of the most popular shows in Korea, attracting over 2 million spectators since its local premiere in 2003. The production has returned to Seoul for an encore performance after touring 14 Korean cities.
The crowd-pleaser revolves around a group of felines gathered in a junkyard for their annual celebration named the Jellicle Ball. A variety of cats introduce themselves to be picked for the Jellicle Choice, selecting which cat will ascend to the Heaviside layer and come back to a new life.
The best-known cat would be Grizabella, the glamor cat, or the rockstar-style Rum Tum Tugger. However, there is another cat who is worthy of attention and moves the story along, though his name is mentioned only once in the song "The Naming of Cats."
It is Munkustrap, the well-built silver tabby who sings the first line of the show in "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats," in which the feline creatures encounter the human audience on their way to the annual party.
"I feel really powerful. The opening number is about cats going to the ball and then they see these humans in the audience. It is our space and we try to scare them off -- we are singing all things feline, something only we cats can do because we are superior," Adam Bailey, who plays Munkustrap in this tour, said in an interview with The Korea Times on Feb. 8.
Bailey described his character as a narrator in a sense. “He tells the audiences what is going to happen and what has happened. As a character, he is the second in command of the tribe, after Old Deuteronomy. When Old Deuteronomy is away, he is in control and tries to keep things together. On this night of the Jellicle Ball, it's a big party and it is Munkustrap's responsibility to keep everything in order and he tries to show Old Deuteronomy he can take control of the tribe,” Bailey explained of his character.
The actor has displayed talent in singing since childhood. "I sang a lot as a kid and that took me into do a lot of amateur shows in my hometown. From doing it more and more, I just realized it was a great passion of mine. And making money doing what I really want to do was the thing I wanted to explore," he said.
A graduate of the Laine Theatre Arts, Bailey is an actor of wide spectrum. His previous musical theater roles include flamboyant drag queen Adam in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert," sob-sister reporter Mary Sunshine in "Chicago" and teenage boy Alan in rock musical "Bare."
However for "Cats," Bailey pursued the role of Munkustrap from the beginning.
"I wanted to do it for a long time and auditioned for different productions of Cats previously. It's a show I always wanted to do and the part I always wanted to play," Bailey said. "The show is a huge challenge, but I love to do things that challenge me and stretch me as a performer. I don't want anything easy."
Though he had never seen the show live on stage before joining as an actor, Bailey has watched the video version a lot at his nanny's house.
"I probably watched about 100 times," he said. "I don't remember much, but I do remember Munkustrap. The actor was so charismatic and such a great storyteller. That's something I always get across as a narrator, telling the story in a great way. I want people to think about the story (of Cats)."
Bailey understands the character as more than just a narrator.
"In my mind, Munkustrap is trying to impress the fatherly figure, Old Deuteronomy. He is trying to overcome adversities such as Grizabella's interruption, but it kind of goes wrong. He is always trying, trying and trying, but never quite get things right," he said.
"Toward the end, when Grizabella comes up before she sings Memory, it is the turning point for Munkustrap. He realizes he has been turning away this woman, despite singing about opening yourself up and letting happiness enter in. It's the point where he grows up."
While many other cats advertise themselves to live a new life, Bailey said Munkustrap would not appeal for the Jellicle choice, at least not yet.
"I feel like Munkustrap has a lot to achieve. I see Munkustrap around my age, around 28 and he is still trying to figure things out and hasn't accomplished what he has set out to," he said. "He also has respect for the elders and thinks the older ones who have given so much to younger ones are lucky enough to move on."
The Cardiff-born actor has traveled over 10 cities in Korea for more than half a year by now.
"Korean audiences open themselves up to the story and just go into the magic of show by accepting that we are cats. Some audiences even brought cat toys to interact with the actors and I think it is a testament of letting themselves believe in the magic of Cats," he said.
“Cats” runs until Feb. 18 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul and continues to Taiwan from March 1 to 18, where the Asia tour production will wrap up its journey.