Hysperia

Hysperia is a female character that was used in the early days of the original London production. Her role was presumably that of an ensemble kitten.

Almost nothing is known about the character, nor has she been identified in any production image. The only actor known to have played Hysperia is Anita Pashley. Pashley was part of the original 1981 London cast and initially played an unnamed chorus kitten. According to Pashley, she went on to originate the role of the ensemble kitten Electra. By early 1982 however, Jayne Draper had joined the cast and was playing the role of Electra, while Pashley played the role of Hysperia.

The name "Hysperia" is not mentioned in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and was probably made up by the London production team. It is likely intended to be a variant of the Greek name "Hesperia", similar to how many of the other characters in Cats are also named after ancient Greek figures.

Trivia

 * Around the 1990s, long after the character had been cut from the London production, fans began using the name "Hysperia" for the London Swing Character known as "NBQ", possibly indicating a shared history with the original Hysperia.