Local 'Cats' fans devoted to musical

Sitting in the front row at tonight's performance of "Cats" at the Show Me Center will be one of the show's biggest fans. She'll be hard to miss in her handmade cat costume, wig and full makeup.

The Cape Girardeau "Cats" performance will mark the fifth time Carly Trautwein, 15, has seen the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Trautwein's younger sister Janna and friend Lauren Bishop, both 12, also will be in the front row. While the three Cape Girardeau natives are also fans of the musical, their devotion has its limits, meaning they don't plan to come to the show looking like a lost cast member.

"I told all my friends they don't have to admit they know me," said Carly, who even has a Web site devoted to her obsession.

While it may be more rabid than most, Carly isn't alone in her love of "Cats." There has to be something special about a musical that became the longest-running musical in Broadway history, opening in 1982 and closing in 1997.

The story behind "Cats" is based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," which, not suprisingly, Carly also adores.

She actually will be reciting three poems from the collection at the state speech and debate competition in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday.

Carly, Janna and Lauren's interest in "Cats" started several years ago when Carly and Janna's mother, Jody Trautwein, played a cassette tape of songs from the musical in the car.

It slowly progressed from constantly listening to the tape to constantly watching a recorded video. All three girls saw their first live performance of "Cats" in Chicago about two years ago, followed by a St. Louis show shorthly thereafter.

"It was completely awesome," Janna said of seeing the musical performed live for the first time.

After that, the only thing left to do was stage their own production, and that is exactly what they did in the basement of the Bishops' home.

In addition to the three girls, the basement "Cats" production involved seven children, two adults, full costumes and makeup, as well as a set that included dry ice. About 30 people attended each of the two nights it was performed.

"I was amazed that all these kids could work together," said Lauren's father Sam Bishop. "It was really gratifying to them."

Carly, Janna and Lauren already had an interest and background in dance and theater when they decided to undertake the production, but the experience deepened their love and appreciation.

All three girls take dance lessons at the Academy of Dance Arts in Cape Girardeau, and Carly and Lauren said they are interested in pursuing a career in theater.

Since the St. Louis performance, Lauren, Janna and Carly have seen "Cats" performed in Springfield, Mo., and the sisters have also seen it in Wolverhampton, England.

Carly first heard about "Cats" coming to Cape Girardeau when, a few months ago, she asked one of the show's understudies at the Springfield performance where the show was going next.

When he said Cape Girardeau, "I thought he had found out where I lived and was making fun of me," she said.

This will be the first time the girls have had front-row tickets to the show. They said they are looking forward to noticing all the on-stage details that had escaped them so far.

They also said it's unlikely tonight's will be the last performance of "Cats" they'll see.

If it stops being performed, the girls said they will just have to start their own revival.

kalfisi@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182