Düsseldorf 2004

Cats played at the Capitol Theater in Düsseldorf, Germany, from 3rd April 2004 - 27th March 2005. The second Düsseldorf cast went on tour through Germany and Switzerland afterwards.

Production Specifics
Düsseldorf was the fourth German production (after Hamburg, Stuttgart and Berlin) of Cats. The set was NAP 15, which had already been used for Antwerp (Belgium), Stuttgart and Berlin by this time; the score was the same one that was used for the UK Tour III which made Düsseldorf the first German production to include The Ballad of Billy McCaw instead of the Italian area In Una Tepida Notte.

When the production started, the show was intended to stay in Düsseldorf for just a few months as part of a tour. After the huge success that Cats had in Düsseldorf, the producers Maik Klokow (Stage Entertainment) and Thomas Krauth (then-owner of the Capitol Theater) decided to extend the run. After one year, the show finally continued on tour.

Costumes and make-up were based on the Berlin production (mostly Hamburg/Stuttgart based unitards and UK based wigs and make-up design). The costumes made specifically for this production have a unique air-brushed look, suggesting that the wardrobe department experimented with new techniques for the difficult process of dyeing and painting the unitards. While these new costumes are rather elegant, the style is notably different from the sketchy look common in the London-style costumes, which meant as they were mixed in to the ensemble it lacked a cohesive style.