The Journey to the Heaviside Layer

"The Journey to the Heaviside Layer" is the start of the conclusion of Cats, as the plot resolves with Grizabella having been chosen as the cat to start a new life. The company sings this number as they watch Grizabella ascend to the Heaviside Layer.

Context
After Grizabella finishes singing "Memory", the tribe understand and empathise with her. Victoria touches Grizabella's hand, signalling that she is accepted back into the tribe. As all the others greet Grizabella, the music builds and leads to the lyrics "Up Up Up past the Russell Hotel, Up Up Up Up to the Heaviside Layer." Old Deuteronomy takes Grizabella by the hand and, as the other Jellicles follow behind them, leads her onto the tire, which rises up. Grizabella enters the Heaviside Layer, and Old Deuteronomy returns to the company to sing "The Addressing of Cats".

Grizabella ascends in a variety of ways, depending on the set limitations. She either walks up a staircase, or is carried off in a "flying saucer", or she simply flies up on wires.

History
The text is based on a letter T S Eliot had written to his publisher in 1936, in which he proposed the following ending for Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats:

 At the end they all go up in a balloon, self, Spats, and dogs and cats.

'Up up up past the Russell Hotel,
 * Up up up to the Heaviside Layer.'

The letter had been given to the Cats creative team by Eliot's widow, Valerie, in 1980. Trevor Nunn wrote the additional text.

Music
"The Journey to the Heaviside Layer" begins with the trumpet fanfare theme, serving as a transition from the sombre "Memory" to Grizabella's grand and joyous ascension. This recurring fanfare is also used to introduce "The Old Gumbie Cat" and "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles", as well as supplementing the celebratory refrains in "Magical Mister Mistoffelees". It is set in the 4/4 time signature with a tempo of 104 beats per minute, and is composed in the key of E major.



The number then transitions to the G major key as the repeated vocal refrains ("Up, Up, Up...") begin. As Grizabella is lifted up to the Heaviside Layer, she is accompanied by an instrumental section set in the 6/8 time signature that revisits the "Jellicle theme", first introduced in the "Overture" in its full eight-phrase form and repeated throughout the musical in various forms. Here, it is played in its full eight-phrase form. The number ends with the recurring hymn section first heard in "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats".

Lyrics
 Up Up Up past the Russell Hotel, Up Up Up Up to the Heaviside Layer. Up Up Up past the Russell Hotel, Up Up Up Up to the Heaviside Layer.

Up Up Up past the Russell Hotel, Up Up Up Up to the Heaviside Layer. Up Up Up past the Russell Hotel, Up Up Up Up to the Heaviside Layer.

Up Up Up past the Jellicle Moon, Up Up Up Up to the Heaviside Layer. Up Up Up past the Jellicle Moon, Up Up Up Up to the Heaviside Layer.

The mystical divinity of unashamed felinity, Round the Cathedral Rang, "Vivat!" Life to the everlasting cat!

International Versions

 * Czech
 * Dutch
 * French
 * German
 * Russian
 * Spanish

Trivia

 * The Russell Hotel was the tallest building in London in T S Eliot's time.