Victoria is a principal character in the 1981 musical ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

'', written by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

based on T. S. Eliot's 1939 ''

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' (1939) is a collection of whimsical light poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It serves as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical '' Cats ...

''. Primarily a dance role with no solo singing parts, the role demands extensive

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

training and a high degree of flexibility. The character is featured in a ballet solo ("White Cat Solo") as well as a

pas de deux In ballet, a pas de deux (French language, French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The pas de deux is characteristic of classical ballet and can be fo ...

in the musical, and leads most of the ensemble dance routines. The role was originated by

Finola Hughes Finola Hughes (born 29 October 1959) is an English actress, best known for her role as Anna Devane on the ABC soap operas ''General Hospital'' and ''All My Children'', and her portrayal of Laura in the 1983 film '' Staying Alive'', the sequel ...

in the West End in 1981, and by Cynthia Onrubia on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in 1982. In the 2019 movie adaptation, the role is played by

Francesca Hayward Francesca Hayward (born 4 July 1992) is a Kenyan-born English ballet dancer and actress. She is a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London. In 2019, she starred as Victoria the White Cat in the musical film '' Cats'', an ...

. Unlike her stage counterpart, this version is made the de facto protagonist of the film and has more of a singing role. She performs the film's sole new song " Beautiful Ghosts" as her signature song, as well as taking over Jemima's part in "

Memory Memory is the faculty of the mind by which data or information is encoded, stored, and retrieved when needed. It is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If past events could not be remembered, ...

Character description

Within the Jellicle tribe, Victoria is a naive and shy white kitten who is known for her beauty and poise. She is a very quiet cat and has no solo singing parts; however, she is frequently spotlighted as a dancer and opens with a ballet solo near the beginning of the musical. ''

Dance Magazine ''Dance Magazine'' is an American trade publication for dance published by the Macfadden Communications Group. It was first published in June 1927 as ''The American Dancer''. ''Dance Magazine'' has multiple sister publications, including ''Pointe' ...

'' described her "iconic" solo as "filled with endless développés punctuated by twitches and swerves, ending in a

Pilates Pilates (; ) is a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named. Pilates called his method "Contrology". It is practiced worldwide, especially in countries suc ...

-teaser–like seat." According to ''Cats'' choreographer

Gillian Lynne Dame Gillian Barbara Lynne (née Pyrke; 20 February 1926 – 1 July 2018) was an English ballerina, dancer, choreographer, actress, and theatre-television director, noted for her theatre choreography associated with two of the longest-runnin ...

, the "White Cat Solo" represents the character's

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

. After her solo, Victoria's dancing continues to feature heavily throughout the show; she leads most of the group numbers and takes part in a ceremonial mating dance (

) with

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

. At the end of the musical, Victoria becomes the second cat — after Jemima — to fully accept the outcast

Grizabella Grizabella the Glamour Cat is a main character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Cats''. Lonely and decrepit, Grizabella seeks acceptance from the other Jellicle cats but is initially ostracised. She sings the most famous song from the musical ...

, which leads to Grizabella's re-acceptance by the Jellicles and ascension to the Heaviside Layer.

Appearance

Victoria is known for her distinct white coat, which stands out among the multi-coloured markings of the other cats. Her white coat is meant to symbolise the character's

innocence Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

. Although her costume is designed to give the impression of a pure-white cat, due to the limitations of stage lighting (a pure white costume would wash out all costume details under stage lighting), she has light gold, tan, or grey markings on her costume. Her distinct appearance also makes her a frequent subject for advertising for the musical. She also wears a

pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

bejeweled collar around her neck in the stage musical.

Notable casting

The role of Victoria was originated by

in the original West End production in 1981, and by Cynthia Onrubia in the original

production in 1982. The character was played by

Georgina Pazcoguin Georgina Pazcoguin is an American ballerina. She is a soloist with the New York City Ballet, and is known for challenging racism in ballet, and for performing on Broadway. Early life Pazcoguin was born and raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania. She ...

in the 2016 Broadway revival. On screen,

Phyllida Crowley Smith Phyllida Crowley Smith (born 9 December 1967) is an English ballerina, theatre actress and choreographer. Born in Stoke and grew up in the Isle of Wight and studied at the Bush Davies School of Theatre Arts, she won The Cosmopolitan Magazine A ...

portrayed Victoria in the 1998 filmed version of the musical, and

portrayed the character in the 2019 film adaption.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Victoria The White Cat Characters in Cats (musical)