By Kristi Casey Sanders
Jennifer Lott not only works for Cats (she’s the national marketing and press representative), she’s one of the show’s biggest fans.
“It’s my favorite show,” she says. “It’s not the only one I like. I love Cabaret; I love Rent, I love Les Miz. And, although I am always amazed by the quality of The Lion King, whenever I see Cats again, I realize that, to me, it is one of the best shows.
“You don’t have to speak English to understand it because the spectacle is so strong,” Lott continues. “I’ve had blind people come to the show who, even though they couldn’t see the spectacle, were moved by the music. And deaf people who couldn’t hear the music, but were moved by the dancing on stage.”
Lott first saw Cats at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta when she was 13 or 14 with her parents, perennial Theater of the Stars season ticket holders. “My parents instilled in me the importance of seeing live theater,” she says. “I have a real deep love for it.”
While attending Clarkston High School, Lott saw Cats every time it came to Atlanta. After graduating college, her affinity for musical theater led to marketing director jobs at Nashville’s Tennessee Performing Arts Center and Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. Eventually, she was offered her dream job, promoting Cats nationwide.
Despite repeated viewings, Lott says, “I see different things every time. For example, when I was sitting in the balcony at the Hippodrome, I realized the stage is painted. There’s a whole mural on the stage floor, but that’s not something you see when you sit in the orchestra level.”
Mr. Mistoffelees, who has a show-stopping dance solo in the second act, is Lott’s favorite character. “He’s an amazing dancer, and that’s one of the reasons I really love Cats – because in most shows, you have a set of strong dancers, and a set of strong singers and, sometimes, a set of strong actors. In Cats, they really have to be triple threats. You see a deeper level of dancing … and they’re all singing at the same time.”
Every cast brings its own energy and talents to the show, but it is the familiarity of the show that keeps Lott coming back. “It’s like visiting old friends on stage,” she explains. “I love the storyline of the young cats realizing that Grizabella was once a young cat like them. It’s about realizing the importance of learning the history and stories of your elders.”
Cats plays The Fabulous Fox Theatre Jan. 15-20.
