Admetus

Admetus is an ensemble character in Cats. A young good-natured tom, his main function in the show is to be the ensemble identity for the actor who also plays Macavity.

The character originated in the London production, initially as a nameless kitten and only later given the name "Admetus". The same role was then renamed "Plato" on Broadway. In productions that use Plato, the name Admetus is sometimes given to a male or female swing character.

Personality
Admetus is an easy-going and friendly character. Although one of the tallest males, he tends to behave more like a kitten and can be somewhat goofy. He remains in the background for most of the show, a strong dancer but rarely taking the lead. He and Bill Bailey are seen encouraging Carbucketty to scratch Grizabella, showing a lack of empathy and maturity.

Etymology
"Admetus" is mentioned in "The Naming of Cats" as one of the "fancier" but still "sensible" names. T S Eliot derived it from the Greek mythological king of the same name.

Before he was given a name, the character was originally credited as one of "The Kittens" in the London production.

Role
"Very good dancer. Ensemble Baritone. Pas de Deux with good strength in lifts."

- Casting Calls

Admetus often performs the pas de deux (known to fans as the "mating dance") with Victoria during the Jellicle Ball - this is due to his dual role as Macavity that requires great strength to throw Munkustrap during the fight, which makes lifting a small girl comparatively easy.

Admetus leaves the stage during "Gus: The Theatre Cat" to change into Macavity, and returns during Mistoffelees' number having replaced his Admetus makeup.

Chorus Admetus
In Australian-style productions, Admetus is a common chorus/swing cat, while Plato is the main role. In the 2001-05 World Tour, the Admetus swing was played by female performers. For the 2015-16 Australia/NZ tour, Plato was renamed to Admetus instead.

Appearance
Admetus is a tall adult male, ginger and white, with a distinctive ginger wig. Plato's costume was originally a completely different design, but since the release of the video, the London-style costume designs have been used with the Broadway-style names, leading to Plato often wearing Admetus' costume.

His makeup is relatively simple and elegant. This is due to the fact he applies the Macavity makeup directly on top of Admetus design, and then after Macavity's scenes he re-applies Admetus makeup for the remainder of the show.

Film Disambiguation
The 1998 film of Cats uses most of the Broadway names for the chorus cats (Tumblebrutus not Bill Bailey, Pouncival not Carbucketty, Plato not Admetus)  Fans quickly spotted an unnamed background character, not credited except as Rumpus Cat. Not knowing who he was, and recognising that Admetus was not named in the film either, the fans decided this unknown cat was called "Admetus". However, his actual identity is "George". George had only appeared in the London production, played by Steven Wayne for almost the entire run, so was unfamiliar to most fans online. George is generally a quiet background character whose main purpose in the show is to play Rumpus Cat. His costume is notable in its lack of distinguishing features on the unitard, he's greyish brown and has light hatching in loose patches. His most distinctive feature is his wig, which has white bangs, one brown ear, one black ear.