South Philly Review

In the award-winning musical Cats, the show-stopping moment invariably comes when old cat Grizabella sings Memory. The current production at the Walnut Street Theatre features South Philly performer Katie O'Shaughnessey in the role. It's a part she's wanted since age 9, when she saw her first production of Cats -- the longest-running musical in Broadway history.

"I remember thinking, 'I couldn't dance this show, but I could sing Grizabella,'" recalls the 28-year-old actor, who lives in the Girard Estate area.

Her prediction proved true. Last spring, she auditioned for the role in the Walnut production. Of course, she had to sing Memory.

"I was very nervous because I wanted the role so much," she recalls. "But the audition went really well. I sang my best."

Four days later, while O'Shaughnessey was in Shop Rite at 26th and Oregon, her cell phone rang. It was the Walnut Theatre's managing director, offering her the coveted role.

"'Omigod, yes!' I screamed into the phone," she describes. "I was so excited, I was dancing in the aisle."

Now her excitement is playing out onstage. Cats opened at the Walnut Theatre last night and runs until Jan. 9.

The show featuring music by Andrew Lloyd Webber endured on Broadway for l8 years. Set in a junkyard, the play is about an annual gathering of the Jellicle Cats. One of them is the aging cat Grizabella.

"I have to show what it feels like to struggle for every step," says O'Shaughnessey. "And this is not an old woman -- it's an old cat, and that has to be believable."

Grizabella has her big moment in the second act when she sings the full version of Memory. She sings a briefer version in Act I, so the nickname for the full song is Big Memory. It's always the climactic scene.

"The big joke about Cats is that all the other cats work their butts off for the entire show. But Grizabella is onstage for only about 25 minutes, and she steals the show," says O'Shaughnessey.

It could be argued, though, that performing Memory alone requires the entire play's worth of talent and stamina.

"It's a very emotional, huge, belting-out song," says O'Shaughnessey.

Another challenge comes at the end of Act II. Grizabella is chosen to be reborn, so she ascends a staircase that will lead her heavenward. On the Walnut stage, the staircase is almost 60 feet high, rising above the curtain line. And as O'Shaughnessey climbs, there's a spotlight on her face and smoke around her, making the climb even more difficult.

"I was nervous about this at first," she confesses. "I didn't want to trip or do something really stupid, especially with so many people watching!"

But her fears were soon eased. Before the technical rehearsals began, the tech staff brought the actor on the stage to practice climbing. "I felt more comfortable than I expected," she says. "It felt very secure and safe."

In her dressing room each night, O'Shaughnessey applies the elaborate makeup needed to transform from a youthful, fresh-faced actor into an aging feline.

At first, it took a full hour, but by the time previews began last week, she'd trimmed it to 20 minutes.