Alumnae return to L.A. as part of Cats world tour

It’s almost impossible for fans of musicals to make it through their lives without seeing a production of Cats, either onstage or on screen.

Frisky · The current incarnation of Cats is the only American production to be sanctioned by the musical’s composer Andrew Lloyd Weber. - Photos courtesy of Broadway LA

The show has been around since 1981 and was one of Broadway’s longest running musicals. USC alumnae Jennifer Cohen (’05) and Aubrey Elson (’07) said they are having the time of their lives on a touring production of Cats that opens at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre today.

“It’s a national production of Cats, and it’s the only production of Cats sanctioned by Andrew Lloyd Weber in the U.S.,” explained Cohen, who plays Jennyanydots in the touring production. “It’s the original choreography and staging from the original production.”

Although the two USC grads are enjoying their time on the tour, they weren’t always sure they had what it took to hold their own in a touring production of such a high-caliber musical.

“You have to have a strong backbone, and I wasn’t sure if I was emotionally going to be able to do it,” said Elson, who plays Sillabub. “It’s a hard lifestyle — it’s a gamble.”

Although the women have taken separate routes until this point, they’ve both been heavily involved in live theater since graduation.

Cohen’s professional experience after college consisted of teaching musical theater in Los Angeles and performing regionally. She earned a master’s degree in musical theater from Boston Conservatory in 2009 and landed a role in Cats that same year.

After graduating in 2007 from the USC School of Theatre, Elson said her  route could have veered in a number of ways. She was accepted into Teach For America but had to defer the offer in favor of another opportunity.

“Literally on the same day I got an offer to work under Dr. Leventhal at USC to do a show through Kelly Ward, who was my theater mentor at USC,” Elson said.

Elson realized she enjoyed professional theater.

“I started auditioning in Los Angeles, and I worked pretty consistently doing theater jobs, got an agent, served a little bit of time as a Starbucks barista and eventually booked Cats out of L.A.,” Elson said.

Both Cohen and Elson explained that the USC experience enriched their knowledge. While Cohen said she was focused primarily on classical music and opera in her time in the USC Thornton School of Music, Elson majored in theatre and minored in international relations. It is interesting that the two women are both touring in the same production of Cats despite their disparate majors.

In addition to studying singing, Cohen tried to branch out.

“I also got to be in the musicals [at USC] and be in the theatre classes, dance classes,” Cohen said.

Elson’s feelings about her USC experience were similar. While she was in the theater school, she took advantage of classes such as Musical Theatre Audition, while also participating in USC Dance Company productions.

“That helped with understanding how to put a story together and how to tell a story onstage,” Elson said. “There were a lot of little things that helped.”

Elson also said the class Advanced Movement for Actors specifically helped her with Cats, a show that is truly based on actors’ movement more than the mis-en-scene.

She said being able to partake in classes outside of her major was especially important for a show like Cats, which, although dance-heavy, requires almost equal strength in singing and acting.

“You have to be able to do all three,” Cohen said.

Elson described the Cats cast dynamic as being akin to “one big happy family.”

Touring is tough Elson said — sometimes the cast has to go straight to the theater without even getting to settle into a hotel first — but they rarely become frustrated with one another.

While a part of the cast, Cohen and Elson have been getting to see the world from one side to another.

“We were in South America for six weeks, and we’ve been to Chicago, Orlando, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and every little town in between,” Elson said.

The two USC grads are excited to have the opportunity to travel, but they’re both also ecstatic to be back in their mutual college town.

“When I found out we were performing at the Pantages, I cried,” Elson said. “I’m from Thousand Oaks, so I grew up going to Pantages shows, and never in a million years did I think I’d be in a show of that caliber.”

Cohen also admitted being a longtime fan of the Pantages Theatre, having seen shows at the Hollywood venue throughout her college career.

“To actually get to perform there and have my college friends and family, and hopefully some teachers come out to see it, it’s a pretty neat opportunity,” Cohen said.

While not performing, Cohen and Elson said they are just glad to be returning to the city itself.

“A lot of people in the cast have never been to Los Angeles,” Cohen said. “I can’t wait to show them around!”

While being in such a large musical is a dream come true, both women expressed that Cats is a particularly fun musical to be a part of. The show has had a traveling production on the road since 1985.

“People bring their children to see it, and then those children are affected by it,” Elson said.

“We call the show ‘Now and Forever,’” Cohen said. “It is such a timeless show and has something for all ages, and I think that people appreciate the music and appreciate the dance that goes into it … There’s something in it that everyone can enjoy.”

Cats is now playing at the Pantages Theatre through March 21.