China 2012

The Chinese production of Cats (《猫》中文版) was a slow tour around major cities in China. Starting in Shanghai on 17 August 2012, then playing in Beijing in December 2012, the show continued to visit other cities throughout 2013 and 2014.

The Chinese version of Cats is the 15th language version (after English, German, Japanese, Korean etc) of the musical.

Production Specifics
While the production was based on the Australasian tour and directed by Jo-Anne Robinson, the producers made efforts to make the show more relevant to their audience, with local dialects and references in the translation  and Asian influences in the costume and makeup. This included the introduction of a new ensemble character Grumbuskin, a "Chinese martial arts cat". The translations were done by a team of over 10 experts, enthusiasts and college students, led by Xue Fan (薛范).

As with the Australasian productions, the show included all the swings as named on-stage characters.

Production Team

 * Resident Director: Liu Chun (刘春)
 * Associate Director/Choreographer - Jo-Anne Robinson
 * Assistant Director/Choreographer - Sharyn Winney
 * Musical Director: 菲兹·沙普尔 (Fiz Shapur)
 * Translation by: A team led by Xue Fan (薛范)

Tour Dates
First Season: Second Season: (some dates may be missing)
 * Shanghai Grand Theatre - 17 August to 9 October 2012 (61 performances + previews from 5th to 11th)
 * Xi'an Sofitel People's Building Grand Theater - 16 to 21 October 2012 (8 performances)
 * Chongqing Grand Theatre - 28 October to 3 November 2012 (8 performances)
 * Wuhan Theater - 10 to 15 November 2012 (8 performances)
 * Guangzhou Grand Theatre - 23 November to 14 December 2012 (25 performances)
 * Beijing Century Theatre, Beijing - 21 December 2012 to 3 February 2013 (52 performances)
 * Hangzhou Grand Theatre
 * Xiamen South Theater - 23 to 28 August 2013 (8 performances + preview on 22nd)
 * Nanjing Great Hall of the People - 6 to 11 September 2013 (8 performances)
 * Nanning People's Hall - 22 to 28 September 2013 (7 performances)
 * Shanghai Daning Theatre - 18 to 23 October 2013
 * Jinan Shandong Provincial Grand Theatre - 31 October to 5 November 2013 (8 performances)
 * Sichuan Jincheng Art Palace - 31 December 2013 to 5 January 2014
 * Chongqing Fuling Grand Theatre - 11 to 13 January 2014 (3 performances)

Cast List
The production used a full cast, including named swings

Television Specials
Two television documentaries aired in Shanghai that followed the making of the Chinese production, from auditions to the premiere.
 * "Cat's Time" - produced by United Asia Live Entertainment (亚洲联创) and aired by the Shanghai Media Group (SMG). Watch here in 16 parts.
 * "中国猫 演出开始" ("Chinese Cats - Performances Begin") - an episode on Cultural Sky that aired on the Shanghai Arts and Humanities Channel. Watch here in 6 parts.