Old Deuteronomy is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 ''

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

'' and its 1981 musical adaptation, ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

''. He is a wise and beloved elderly cat, further serving as the Jellicle patriarch in the musical. The role of Old Deuteronomy was originated by

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed ( ; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor. He is known for his distinctive bushy beard, booming voice, and exuberant personality and performances. He portrayed PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars''; Augustus in the 1976 BBC television ...

in the West End in 1981, and by Ken Page on Broadway in 1982.

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...

plays Old Deuteronomy in the 2019 film adaptation.

Poem

In Eliot's original poem, Old Deuteronomy is described as an ancient, wise cat who has "lived many lives in succession" and is respected by the other cats and humans (and perhaps even dogs) around him. His name derives from the biblical

Book of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...

, which shares the central element of law with the character (who is a magistrate).

Musical

'' expands on the theme of wisdom by depicting Old Deuteronomy as the leader of the show's Jellicle tribe, providing comfort and guidance to the other characters. He also has the task of making the "Jellicle Choice" and choosing the cat who will ascend to the Heaviside Layer. Much of the plot of ''Cats'' is fueled by this premise; several characters perform and try to convince Old Deuteronomy to choose them. Towards the end of the show, Old Deuteronomy is kidnapped by Macavity and eventually rescued by Mr. Mistoffelees. He then persuades the other cats to listen to Grizabella, selects her to be reborn, and escorts her to the Heaviside Layer. More has been revealed about Old Deuteronomy's past than most of the other Jellicle cats, although how much of it is true is debatable. He is alleged to have been alive long before

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

was crowned and has been mated numerous times (supposedly, anywhere between nine and ninety-nine). Though Old Deuteronomy has outlived his partners, he has had numerous progeny. Old Deuteronomy has three songs in ''Cats'', including the final number, "The Ad-dressing of Cats." He is traditionally played by a high

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

who can hit G♯.

Appearance

Old Deuteronomy has a full beard and, unlike the unitard that the other characters don, his costume consists of a loose-fitting shaggy coat.

Notable casting

The role of Old Deuteronomy was originated by

in the West End in 1981, and by Ken Page on Broadway in 1982. Quentin Earl Darrington played the character in the 2016 Broadway revival. West End star Dave Willetts portrayed the role in the 20th anniversary cast of the West End production. André De Shields played the role in the

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

revival ''Cats: "The Jellicle Ball"'' at

Perelman Performing Arts Center The Perelman Performing Arts Center, branded as PAC NYC, is a multi-space performing arts center at the northeast corner of the World Trade Center (2001–present), World Trade Center complex in Manhattan, New York City. The Performing Arts Cente ...

in 2024. On screen, Page reprised the role for the 1998 filmed version, being the only cast member from the original Broadway cast to appear in the film.

portrayed a female Old Deuteronomy in the 2019 film adaptation.

References

Print sources

General references

*''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'', T.S. Eliot, Harcourt, 1982, *''A Cat's Diary: How the Broadway Production of Cats was born'', Stephen Hanan, Smith & Kraus, 2002, {{Cats navbox Characters in Cats (musical) Literary characters introduced in 1939