In Conversation with CATS’s Rum Tum Tugger, Dylan Janse van Rensburg

The highly anticipated return of the smash-hit musical CATS opens next week

Few productions in musical theatre history have achieved the enduring success and global recognition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS. Since its premiere in London’s West End in 1981, this iconic show has captivated audiences across the world, playing to millions in theatres from Broadway to Tokyo, Sydney to Johannesburg.

With its unforgettable score, inspired by T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and its groundbreaking choreography, CATS has become a cultural phenomenon, winning multiple awards and cementing its place as one of the longest‑running musicals of all time. Now, this beloved production makes its highly anticipated return to South African stages, promising audiences a fresh yet faithful staging that celebrates the magic, mystery, and timeless appeal of the Jellicle tribe.

Currently in their third week of rehearsals, Naledi winning actor Dylan Janse van Rensburg (Spring Awakening, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat) who plays Rum Tum Tugger took time out to have a chat.

What drew you to audition for CATS?

CATS has always been a production that I have wanted to do. In college the question always used to be, “when is CATS coming?” So when that audition brief came out, I had a bit of a jump scare because I couldn’t believe it was actually happening but I immediately knew that I had to
audition.

What was your initial reaction when you found out you had been cast?

Honestly, I remember when I got the news, I had just woken up and saw that I had a miscall from Anton Luitingh and Duane Alexander and I obviously called back not knowing the reason (bed hair and all might I add) and they told me the news. I was in such disbelief, I couldn’t believe it at all. It was honestly one of the best ways to wake up.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic score and T.S. Eliot’s timeless poetry offer audience’s glimpses into each cat’s backstory, yet so much remains beautifully open to interpretation. How are you building your character’s backstory during rehearsals? (What research or personal imagination did you draw upon? / What hidden details about your cat’s life have you imagined that informs your performance?)

At our first rehearsal, we got given 3 words by Chrissie Cartwright that best describes the characteristics of our characters. For the Rum Tum Tugger, those words were, preening, perverse and independent. Now having these words gave me a good base and allowed me to find many little nuances in my character and allowed me to also find a way to make Tugger my own.

The biggest challenge was finding my inner Rockstar because Tugger is very much the Rockstar cat. I drew a lot of inspiration from previous rockstars like Freddie Mercury, Elvis and even Benson Boone. I loved to see how each of these 3 iconic Rockstars could own a stage by just being themselves so that is what I took when creating Tugger.

Tugger is really just the life of the party and he’s so not phased by anything, he makes up his own rules and loves to have fun. The hidden detail I found is his how I play his age, I like to imagine he is roughly the same age as me so I wanted to portray his youth which means giving him a bit of energy and it also allowed me to connect to him personally because I didn’t have to put on a character I could just be myself in that regard which the 3 iconic rockstars did and do everyday.

What has been the most rewarding (and challenging) part for you when it comes to building the chemistry and ensemble connection required for such an iconic, character-driven production?

The most rewarding part, personally for me, has been when I finally found my Tugger characters base. Because once your characters base is set in the truth, you feel like you can then really start to play and that is exactly what I did. It allowed me to be more free with what I did and it gave me motivation to find little things that I didn’t even think about before.

One amazing thing about this character is that he can never be stuck, so I will constantly be learning new things, figuring out little nuances and tricks and honestly helped me to be able to have fun with my fellow cast mates as my character. One thing that challenged me was that because Tugger is so independent, I struggled to find him in and amongst the Jellicle Tribe but after a lot of hard work, I was able to find a world where yes, he may be a bit too cool for school but deep down, he is very caring and underneath his whole facade, he is actually a genuine and real cat.

The choreography in CATS is famously athletic and feline-inspired. How do you prepare physically to embody the movements of your character, (from a twitch of an ear, to the way you interact with the stage floor), while maintaining stamina throughout rehearsals and performances?

First of all, I have never in my life done a show that has been so hectically based in dance. This choreography is not for the faint of heart and will leave you sweating buckets but oh my gosh is it fantastic and rewarding once you get it right. The one thing I love about this show and specifically the choreography is the amount of detail that is given to us. Every little movement has a motivation which allows you to really embrace and immerse yourself into the process.

With the fantastic help of Matt Krzan, Thalia Burt, Duane Alexander and our Dance Captain Morgan Marshall, we get a rigorous yet useful warm up every day that stretches every muscle that needs to be stretched but also is based in strength because a flexible muscle needs to be strong to avoid injuries. These warmups really prepare our body for what’s to come and has honestly helped me get through the day so much. They leave you sweating but at least you know that you are warm and ready to take on the choreography.

To find our Cat, in the first few weeks we did what is called, CATS SCHOOL. This is where we learn how to be a cat. We find out how a cat moves, how they sense things, how they react when they hear things, how they walk, clean themselves. This is where your Cat comes to life and it’s so exciting to see the journey from where you begin and how you perceive a Cat to look and walk like to then see yourself now and honestly form where you started to now, is a completely different version. However, it truly is a process where in the moment you are like, what am I doing, my friends are sitting behind a desk working and here I am learning to be a cat but honestly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

The CATS score is iconic and demanding. What techniques or approaches have you used to balance the vocal requirements with the physicality of the show? Do you have a favourite(s)?

There is nothing like this score. It truly is some of Sir Webbers finest work. The score is so diverse, within the musical there are so many different genres. Not to mention the real ear worm musical motif that will probably be stuck in your head for a long time after you watch the show. For me personally Tugger is a very vocally demanding role. He has a lot of moments where he goes, what I like to call, full ROCKSTAR. So the challenge for me was to find the balance of pushing myself but also being smart and protective about it so that I have longevity in my voice. Luckily I had the most amazing vocal coaches Amy Campbell and Kurt Haupt when I was training and I took all their little drops of wisdom that they gave me which I am now so grateful for because I get to now use them in situation.

The most important thing that I have taken from this rehearsal period when it comes to Tugger vocally is the power of breath and the ability to also not always go full out. Finding moments where he can be, too cool for school, allowed me to reflect it in my voice which made me not always have to sing full belt all the time which is so helpful for the long run.

My favorite vocal part of the show for me as Tugger is probably the end of “Mister Mistoffelees” because that’s where I can have the most fun. However my favorite part of the show is Cindy Abrahams version of “Memory.” She will honestly leave you speechless, her vocals and technique are out of this world and gives me goosebumps every time she opens her mouth.

If your character could give one piece of wisdom (or playful life lesson) to the audience, what would it be, and why?

For Tugger my bit of wisdom is, “life is always better when you’re the life of the party.” This is Tuggers main motto and I think it can really resonate with people because nowadays a lot of people focus on the negative and one must always remind themselves that there is so much to look forward too and that there are many things to make you smile in a day.

For audiences who may be experiencing CATS for the first time, or returning after many years, what can they expect from this production?

For the audience, you can expect an evening you’ll never forget. This is a show filled with clean and eye catching choreography. Show stopping vocals and music that will make you tap your feet. You can expect a very fun and entertaining night if you come and watch Cats. There are also quite a few surprises and cast and audience interactions so make sure you are prepared to fully experience CATS because trust me, you don’t want to miss it.