Trevor Nunn

So there was, of course, no dialogue.

And the music was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by T.S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn and Richard Stilgoe.

So it is obviously based on the 1939 poems written by T.S. Eliot called Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats.

Andrew Lloyd Webber began setting T.S. Eliot's poems to music in 1977 and it actually started off as a song cycle in 1980 so there wasn't a through line at all which I think now when you watch the show that makes sense why the storyline is a bit floaty in places it's because it wasn't ever meant to be a story throughout it and it was called Practical Cats originally so it had a longer title it wasn't just called Cats and this was because when they made the poster with the very iconic cat's eyes they looked at the logo and practical cats and they were like it's just too much like there's too much going on let's go simple and that blows my mind because it's now become I'd say definitely one of the most famous musical theatre logos of all time like you can see those cat's eyes and you know exactly what you that musical is, which is just such clever branding.

You don't need to explain anything more.

So yeah, glad that they cut that down.

Now, producer Cameron McIntosh recruited director Trevor Nunn and choreographer Gillian Lynn to turn it into a complete musical.

Gillian Lynn is a name which is going to pop up quite a lot because, of course, her choreography in this musical is iconic.

Like, there are places in this story where Gardner name drops serious directors as well.

Did you notice that? Like Trevor Nunn, the theater director, right? He's a big, big name.

Yeah.

That Dragon Ball lunches with.

Ewan's been born.

But I did Anything Goes at the National with Trevor Nunn.

I was young starting off and all the creative team were amazing.

And it was Trevor Nunn's last big show at the National before he left.

And he gave this young choreographer me a chance.

And he gave me dance arrangements by Gareth Valentine.

Like, really, really fascinating character.

And in the, I think, was this in the Trevor Nunn or the Kenneth? No, it must have been the Trevor Nunn production where they actually managed to have Dame Judi Dench double as both Hermione and Perdita.

Right.

It's really difficult to do.

There's a film version with Dorothy Dandridge.

There's another film version from Trevor Nunn's iteration of it.

Porgy and Bess keeps getting done and keeps getting tinkered with and going back to its origins.

It goes to its origins and then it gets tinkered with and goes to its origins and gets tinkered with.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Macavity isn't my Macavity, and I'm not sure that Elliot's verses as lyrics really work.

The best song by a long way is Memory, and it's written by Trevor Nunn.

Wow, Giles, you're quite outspoken there about a few people, aren't you? I

am.

It was Richard Eyre's theatre.

And no, it was, no, I beg your pardon, I think Trevor Nunn had taken over.

Right, right.

And after a while, because I got addicted to my researches, research sounds pretty worthy and all that.