Grizabella the Glamour Cat is a main character in the

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...

''. Lonely and decrepit, Grizabella seeks acceptance from the other

Jellicle cats Jellicle cats are a fictional type of feline from T. S. Eliot's 1939 light poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. Jellicle cats were first mentioned in Eliot's 1933 poem "Five-Finger Exercises" and later developed in ''Old Possu ...

but is initially ostracised. She sings the most famous song from the musical, "

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remember ...

". The role was originated by

Elaine Paige Elaine Jill Paige (née Bickerstaff; born 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professiona ...

in the West End in 1981 (replacing Dame Judi Dench four days before the production's opening night), and by

Betty Buckley Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1982. Buckley won the 1983

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950 ...

for her portrayal.

Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...

portrayed Grizabella in the 2019 film adaptation.

Character

Grizabella is, at the time of her appearance, a very old and mangy cat, withered to the point that she no longer resembles the glamorous cat of her youth. Having left the Jellicle tribe a long time ago, she is now all alone and left with only the memories of her happier days. She returns to the tribe seeking re-acceptance, but her fellow Jellicles are initially repulsed by her and repeatedly shun her. Grizabella makes her entrance early on in the first act of the musical. She approaches the other cats, but they treat her like a pariah as

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, ...

and Bombalurina explain who she is ("Grizabella: The Glamour Cat"). She comes back at the end of the first act, watching from afar as the other cats dance at the Jellicle Ball. Grizabella attempts to replicate their dance moves but realises she is too weak; she sings a prelude to "

" as she contemplates her plight. Grizabella makes her final appearance towards the end of the musical. This time, she addresses the cats by singing the full version of "Memory" in which she pleads for their understanding and acceptance. She collapses in the middle of the song but is encouraged to press on by the kitten

Jemima Jemima is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin (first written Jemimah, Hebrew: יְמִימָה, Yemimah) which may refer to: People * Jemima Blackburn (1823–1909), Scottish painter * Jemima Boone, daughter of Daniel Boone captured by Indians ...

(also known as Sillabub). After the song,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

approaches Grizabella and touches her as a sign of acceptance. The other cats soon follow and welcome her back into the tribe. Grizabella is then led to the Jellicle leader

Old Deuteronomy Old Deuteronomy is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 '' Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' and its 1981 musical adaptation, ''Cats''. He is a wise and beloved elderly cat, further serving as the Jellicle patriarch in the musical. The role of O ...

; her initial shock turns to happiness as she begins her ascendance to the Heaviside Layer (the Jellicle version of

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

). The role of Grizabella requires a wide

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...

and the ability to

belt Belt may refer to: Apparel * Belt (clothing), a leather or fabric band worn around the waist * Championship belt, a type of trophy used primarily in combat sports * Colored belts, such as a black belt or red belt, worn by martial arts practiti ...

to E♭5.

Origins and songs

Although ''Cats'' is based on T. S. Eliot's ''

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' (1939) is a collection of whimsical light poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It serves as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical ''Cats'' ...

'', Grizabella does not appear in the published source material. Instead, the character came from an unpublished poem by Eliot titled "Grizabella the Glamour Cat" that had been given to Lloyd Webber by Eliot's widow and literary executor, Valerie Eliot. Although the poem had been rejected from ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' for being "too sad for children", it became the basis for Grizabella's character-defining song in the musical ("Grizabella: The Glamour Cat"). The poem centres on a former glamour cat who has fallen on hard times and now roams the

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are partic ...

near Tottenham Court. Additionally, the introduction for "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" is taken almost word-for-word from a verse in another Eliot poem titled "Rhapsody on a Windy Night", with Grizabella as the feline version of the fallen woman: The main song that Grizabella sings is "Memory", the best-known song from ''Cats'' and "by some estimations the most successful song ever from a musical." It has been recorded around 600 times (as of 2006) by artists including

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

, Michael Crawford and

Kikki Danielsson Ann-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson (born 10 May 1952) is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She has gained notice for yodeling in some songs. Danielsson gained ...

Notable performers

The role of Grizabella was originated by

in the West End in 1981. She later reprised the role for the 1998 film version.

originated the role in the 1982

production, earning the 1983

for her performance. In 2015, pop singer

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger (; born Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Valiente, June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She is best known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls, one of the best-selling g ...

was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Grizabella in the West End revival. In the 2016 Broadway revival, Mamie Parris starred as Grizabella after replacing

Leona Lewis Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved natio ...

in October. Notable performers who have played the role of Grizabella include:

West End

(original cast) *

Angela Richards Angela Richards (born 18 December 1944 in London) is an English actress. A graduate of RADA, she is also known for her body of work in musical theatre. Biography Theatre Richards has starred in several West End productions such as ''Robert a ...

(1982) *

Marti Webb Marti Webb (born 13 December 1943) is an English actress and singer, who appeared on stage in '' Evita'', before starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's one-woman show ''Tell Me on a Sunday'' in 1980. This included her biggest hit single, "Take That ...

(1983) *

Anita Harris Anita Madeleine Harris (born 3 June 1942) is an English actress, singer and entertainer. Harris sang with the Cliff Adams Singers for three years from 1961 and had a number of chart hits during the 1960s. She appeared in the ''Carry On'' fil ...

(1985–1986) * Rosemarie Ford (1995) * Diane Langton (1996) *

Stephanie Lawrence Stephanie Lawrence (16 December 1949 – 4 November 2000) was a British musical theatre actress. Background Stephanie Lawrence was born in 1949 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. She was the daughter of a Welsh singer, to whom sh ...

(1997) * Sally Ann Triplett (1998) * Chrissie Hammond (1999–2002) *

(2014–2015) * Kerry Ellis (2015) *

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, '' The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and ...

(2015–2016) *

Madalena Alberto Madalena Alberto is a Portuguese actress, singer and composer who has developed her career in the West End. Alberto received rave reviews for her role as Eva Perón in '' Evita'' in the West End (16 September - 1 November 2014), where the show ar ...

(2015–2016)

Broadway

(original cast) *

Laurie Beechman Laurie Hope Beechman (April 4, 1953 – March 8, 1998) was an American actress and singer, known for her work in Broadway musicals. She also had a career as a cabaret performer and recording artist. After her death, the West Bank Cafe Downstairs T ...

(1984–1988, 1997) * Loni Ackerman (1988–1991) * Lillias White (1991–1992) * Liz Callaway (1993–1999) *

Linda Balgord Linda Balgord (born February 18, 1960) is an American Broadway actress and singer, most notable for playing Norma Desmond in the 1996 United States tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ''Sunset Boulevard'', being the last actress to portray Gr ...

(1999–2000) *

(2016) * Mamie Parris (2016-2017)

Film

(1998) *

(2019)

Others

* Kim Criswell (Los Angeles, 1985) * Jan Horvath (US tour, 1990) * Natalie Toro (US tour, 1992 and 1997) *

Dee Roscioli Dee Roscioli (born Danielle Marie Roscioli on July 20, 1977) is an American singer and actress, who is known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco, and national touring productions of the musical '' Wicked''. E ...

(US tour, 2002) * Jacquelyn Piro Donovan (US regional, 2003 and 2009) *

Stephanie J. Block Stephanie Janette Block (born September 19, 1972) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway stage. Block made her Broadway debut in 2003, originating the role of Liza Minnelli in '' The Boy from Oz''. After readi ...

(US regional, 2010) *

Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame in 1987 after her debut single " Tell It to My Heart". Dayne achieved six additional U.S. top-10 singles, including "Love Will ...

(New York, 2013) * Paula Lima (Brazil, 2010) * María del Sol (México, 1991–1992) * Filippa Giordano (México, 2013) *

Lisset Lisset Gutiérrez Salazar (born November 3, 1973), also known as Lisset, is a Mexican actress and singer. Filmography Film Television References External links * Actresses from Guadalajara, Jalisco 20th-century Mexican actr ...

(México, 2014) *

Rocío Banquells Rocío Banquells (; born María del Rocío Banquells Nuñez, 22 June 1960 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico) is a Mexican pop singer and actress, best known for her work on television, the stage and cinema of Mexico and Latin America. Her mezzo ...

(México, 2014) * Lila Deneken (México) *

Myriam Montemayor Cruz Myriam Montemayor Cruz (born February 8, 1981, Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico), better known mononymously as Myriam, is a Mexican recording artist, known for winning the first season of Mexican talent show ''La Academia''. Biography Myriam gre ...

(México) *

Yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. * Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Ja ...

(México, 2018–2019) *

Ute Lemper Ute Gertrud Lemper (; born 4 July 1963) is a German singer and actress. Her roles in musicals include playing Sally Bowles in the original Paris production of ''Cabaret'', for which she won the 1987 Molière Award for Best Newcomer, and Velm ...

(Vienna, 1983) *

Maarja-Liis Ilus Maarja-Liis Ilus, sometimes better known by her performing name Maarja (born 24 December 1980) is an Estonian pop musician and presenter. She has represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest twice. She was only 15 when she participated in the ...

Di Botcher Diane Botcher (born 2 June 1959) is a Welsh actress. She has starred in several British television sitcoms and dramas, including the Sky comedy drama ''Stella'', BBC comedies '' Little Britain'' and ''Tittybangbang'' and the ITV period drama ' ...

* Yukimi Shimura (Original Japanese Cast) *

Monica Aspelund Monica Aspelund (born 16 July 1946 in Vaasa) is a Finnish singer. She is the older sister of Ami Aspelund. Life and career Born into a family of Swedish speaking Finns, Aspelund danced and sang in talent shows from an early age, making her re ...

(Finland, 1986) *

Pia Douwes Pia Douwes (born 5 August 1964) is a Dutch actress in musical theatre in Europe. She is best known for having created the title role in the German-language musical '' Elisabeth''. Biography Douwes was born in Amsterdam, North Holland, The Netherl ...

(Vienna and The Netherlands, 1987–1989 and 2006) * Ruth Jacott (Original Netherlands cast, 1987) * Akiko Kuno (Japan, 1983–85) * Mikiko Shiraki (Japan) * Masako Saito (Japan) * Vera Mann (The Netherlands, 2006) * Ruthie Henshall * Yasuko Sado (Japan) * Sayoko Hayami (Japan) * Yukie Yokoyama (Japan) * Yuri Sawa (Japan, 2004) *

Anita Meyer Anita Meyer (''Annita Meijer''), born in Rotterdam 29 October 1954, is a Dutch singer. One of her most notable songs is " Why Tell Me Why" that charted for 14 weeks and topped the Dutch singles list for six weeks in 1981. Discography Albums ...

(The Netherlands, 2006) *

Pernilla Wahlgren Pernilla Nina Elisabeth Wahlgren (born 24 December 1967) is a Swedish singer and actress. She has sung in Melodifestivalen several times; her 1985 entry titled " Piccadilly Circus" became popular and successful. She has acted in several plays and ...

(Sweden, 2003) * Rikako Orikasa (Japan, 2007–09, 2010–12, 2013, 2019–2020) * Katarína Hasprová (Slovakia, 2016) * Honoka Suzuki (Japan, 2012–13) * Aya Kawamura (Japan, 2013–15) *

Joanna Ampil Joanna Ampil is a musical theatre and film actress from the Philippines and United Kingdom. Career Joanna is a stage actress. She played Kim in ''Miss Saigon'' (London, original Australian production, original United Kingdom and Ireland Tour a ...

(European Tour 2013, 2016–17) * Sophia Ragavelas (European Tour 2013–15) * Kei Miyahara (Japan, 2015) * Dianne Pilkington (UK tour, 2006) *

Susan McFadden Susan McFadden (born 8 February 1983) is an Irish actress and singer. She is best known for playing the roles of Sandy in '' Grease'' and Elle Woods in '' Legally Blonde the Musical'' in London's West End and being a member of Celtic Woman from ...

* Chiaki Kimura (Japan, 2015–2017) *

Jane McDonald Jane Anne McDonald (born 4 April 1963) is an English singer, songwriter and television presenter. Born and raised in Wakefield, McDonald spent much of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cr ...

(UK Tour, 2015) * Anita Louise Combe (UK and European Tour, 2016–2017) * Chimene Badi (Paris, 2016) * Jenna Lee-James (UK and European Tour, 2017–2019) * Li-Tong Hsu (International Tour 2019) * Bev Harrell (Australia/New Zealand), 1989/1990 *

Delia Hannah Delia Hannah is a New Zealand actress and singer, notable for leading roles in musical theatre in Australia and New Zealand. Awards Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Austral ...

(Australia, 1994 and 2016) * Marina Prior (Australia, 2014) *

Delta Goodrem Delta Lea Goodrem AM (born November 9, 1984) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Goodrem signed to Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut album, '' Innocent Eyes'' (2003), topped the ARIA Albums Chart for 29 non-consecutive wee ...

(Australia, 2015–2016) * Debra Byrne (Original Australian cast, 1985) *

Lea Salonga Maria Lea Carmen Imutan Salonga (; born February 22, 1971), known professionally as Lea Salonga, is a Filipino singer, actress, and columnist. Nicknamed "Pride of the Philippines," she is best known for her roles in musical theatre, for supplyi ...

(Manila, 2010) * Louise Dearman (Cyprus) * Masae Ebata (Japan, 2017–2019) * Shin Youngsook (South Korea, 2008–2009) * Ock Joo-hyun (South Korea, 2008–2009) *

Insooni Kim In-soon ( ko, 김인순; born April 5, 1957), known professionally as Insooni ( ko, 인순이), is a South Korean singer who made her debut in 1978 as a member of Hee Sisters ( ko, 희자매). Since then, she has recorded a total of 19 alb ...

(South Korea, 2011–2012) *

Park Hae-mi Park Hae-Mi (born January 28, 1964) is a South Korean actress. She is best known as a musical theatre actress, starring in stage productions of '' Mamma Mia!'', '' 42nd Street'', and ''Really Really Like You''. Park rose to mainstream popularit ...

(South Korea, 2011–2012)"캣츠 – 이천 CATS (2011/08/26 ~ 2011/08/28)"
(in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019."캣츠 – 제주 Musical CATS (2012/04/20 ~ 2012/04/22)"
(in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. *

Silvie Paladino Silvie Paladino (born 18 August 1971) is an Australian singer. She began singing at the age of nine, learning at an inner- Melbourne music school, and from an early age won several major singing competitions, including the Italian Song Festival an ...

(Malaysia) * Miki Kanehara (Japan, 2019, 2020–2021) * Emma Hatton (UK Tour, 2018) * Lucy O'Byrne (UK Tour, 2018–2019) * Keri René Fuller (US Tour, 2019–2020) * Donna Vivino (US Tour, 2020) * Jacinta Whyte (UK and International Tour, 2021–2022) *

Jacintha Abisheganaden Jacintha Abisheganaden (born 3 October 1957), known professionally as Jacintha, is a Singaporean singer, actress, and theater practitioner who studied at the National University of Singapore and received a degree in arts, majoring in English li ...

(Singapore, 1993) * Slindile Nodangala (International tour, 2004)

In popular culture

Madame Tussauds New York features a

wax figure A wax sculpture is a depiction made using a waxy substance. Often these are effigies, usually of a notable individual, but there are also death masks and scenes with many figures, mostly in relief. The properties of beeswax make it an excell ...

of Grizabella that sings "Memory".

References

Print sources

* * * * *

External links

Rhapsody on a Windy Night
by T.S. Eliot {{Cats navbox Characters in Cats (musical) Female characters in musical theatre Anthropomorphic cats