Gus the Theatre Cat

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Gus the Theatre Cat is a poem by T. S. Eliot included in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Gus, who's full name is Asparagus, is also one of the principal characters Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical adaption of the book, Cats.

He is a very old and very frail, yet revered cat, who "suffers from palsy, which makes his paws shake." He is known as The Theatre Cat due to his career as an actor in his youth.

Gus is present in every production of Cats, but his role varies after his initial song, in which he recalls roles he has played in the past. Jellylorum points out that Gus's recollection is sometimes through rose tinted glasses, as he says how he played the lead in shows, forgetting to mention he also played the character parts. The final role he recalls is when he played Growltiger the Pirate Cat in his youth. This leads to one of two songs starring Growltiger, the Pirate Cats, the Siamese Cats, and Growltiger's love interest, Lady Griddlebone (later revealed to be an operative for master of crime, Macavity). The original song is "The Ballad of Billy McCaw", a pub style drinking-song about a parrot who lived at his local pub. This song was replaced on Broadway by "Una Tepida Notte", a mock Italian aria, in which Growltiger and Lady Griddlebone try to out-sing each other operatically.

For the recent UK Tours, "The Ballad of Billy McCaw" was re-instated, much to Andrew Lloyd Webber's pleasure, as he didn't like the Italian aria. Subsequently The Ballad of Billy McCaw has replaced the Italian aria in most productions since. Both versions end with the Siamese attacking Growltiger's ship, Lady Griddlebone screaming and running away, and Growltiger being forced to walk the plank. In the 1998 filmed version, neither song takes place, as Gus only sings his initial song. No flashback of Growltiger takes place, primarily due to the age of Sir John Mills who played Gus in the filmed version, as well as time restraints.

[edit] Cultural References

In Logan's Run (1976 film) Logan and Jessica meet an old man in the Senate Chamber during their search for Sanctuary. The old man has many cats and references The Naming of Cats, explaining that each cat has three names: one common, one unique and one that only the cat knows. He refers to one cat in particular: Gus, short for Asparagus.