Growltiger is a fictional character appearing in both T. S. Eliot's ''

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'' ...

'' and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical '' Cats'' which is based on Eliot's book. He is described as a "bravo cat who lived upon a

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

", one who scoured the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

from Gravesend to

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, terrorizing the inhabitants along the river, including "cottagers", canaries,

geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera '' Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...

, hens, "pampered Pekinese", and the "bristly

Bandicoot Bandicoots are a group of more than 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial, largely nocturnal marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. They are endemic to the Australia–New Guinea region, including the Bismarck Archipelago t ...

that lurks on foreign ships". Growltiger is usually envisioned as a pirate, although he is never explicitly described as such. He has lost one eye, and one of his

ears An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists o ...

is "somewhat missing" after an incident involving a

Siamese cat The Siamese cat ( th, แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Seeaam) is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand ( ...

. "Growltiger's Last Stand" describes how he meets his fate when he least expects it. Besides the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical setting in '' Cats'' the English composer

Humphrey Searle Humphrey Searle (26 August 1915 – 12 May 1982) was an English composer and writer on music. His music combines aspects of late Romanticism and modernist serialism, particularly reminiscent of his primary influences, Franz Liszt, Arnold Schoen ...

composed a musical setting of "Growltiger's Last Stand" as the second of his ''Two Practical Cats'' for speaker, flute, cello and guitar.

''Cats''

In the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical '' Cats'' the poem is used nearly verbatim as the lyrics of the song, except that one stanza has been cut. The song appears as a reminiscence by "

Gus the Theatre Cat "Gus: The Theatre Cat" is a poem by T. S. Eliot included in ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. Known as "The Theatre Cat" due to his career as an actor, Gus is an old and frail, yet revered, cat, who "suffers from palsy, which makes his p ...

", who "once played Growltiger – could do it again". In most productions, the actor who plays Gus then becomes Growltiger, while Gus's companion

Jellylorum Jellylorum is a principal character in the musical ''Cats (musical), Cats''. One of the Jellicle cats, she is usually portrayed as a motherly caretaker and is principally a vocalist. The musical is based on the 1939 collection of poems by T. S. ...

becomes Growltiger's love interest,

Griddlebone ''Cats'' is a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based upon the 1939 poetry collection '' Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' by T. S. Eliot. It tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they ...

. Growltiger's crew of cats is played by male members of the troupe with pirate accoutrements over their cat costumes. There have been two different "last duets" for Growltiger and Griddlebone to sing during this scene. In the original London production, they sing a setting of an unpublished T.S. Eliot poem, "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw". This poem is a reminiscence of good times at the "old Bull and Bush" and the crowd at that bar on a "Sattaday night", in particular the barmaid Lily La Rose and the parrot Billy M'Caw. The initial New York production of ''Cats'' replaced "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw" with a "pastiche Italian aria" because the aria was "felt to be more of a crowd pleaser".Lloyd Webber, p.122. The lyrics for the Italian aria come from the original Italian translation of "Growltiger's Last Stand". Lloyd Webber "much prefers" "Billy M'Caw", and in the 2003 UK touring production, "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw" was re-instated and has subsequently replaced the Italian aria in most productions. After Growltiger and Griddlebone have finished singing their "last duet", the

Siamese cats The Siamese cat ( th, แมวไทย, Maeo Thai; แมวสยาม, Maeo Seeaam) is one of the first distinctly recognized breeds of Asian cat. Derived from the Wichianmat landrace, one of several varieties of cat native to Thailand ( ...

, led by Genghis (or Gilbert in the original London show and in T.S. Eliot's poem), "swarm aboard" the barge. Griddlebone escapes in terror and the Siamese make Growltiger walk the plank, ending the song. (In the New York version there was a short sword fight between Genghis and Growltiger before Growltiger's demise). At this point, Gus returns with a short

reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

. "Growltiger's Last Stand" does not appear in the 1998 filmed version of the musical – Gus only sings his initial song. This was primarily due to the age of

Sir John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

, who played Gus in the filmed version, as well as time restraints.

Controversy

Eliot's poem "Growltiger's Last Stand" includes the racial epithet " chinks" in reference to the

s. The word was used in early versions of the musical, but was later changed to "Siamese". The musical also received criticism as non-Asian cast members originally used "stereotyped Asian accents" when portraying the Siamese cats. By 2016, the song was dropped from US and UK productions of the show altogether.

Actors who have played the part

Actors who have played the part on stage include Stephen Nathan,

Eddie Korbich Eddie Korbich (born November 6, 1960) is an American actor, singer and dancer. He was born in Washington, D.C. but grew up in Shamokin, Pennsylvania. Career 1980s He graduated from the Boston Conservatory with a B.F.A. in acting in 1983. In 198 ...

, Bronson N. Murphy (US National Tour), Matt Bartlett, Christopher E. Sidoli, Stephen Mo Hanan (1983 Tony Nominee), Ryan Bailey, Sal Minstretta, Nathan Morgan, Kelly Robertson, Bill Remps, Ethan Jones, George Breynard and Christopher Scott. On screen,

Ray Winstone Raymond Andrew Winstone (; born 19 February 1957) is an English television, stage and film actor with a career spanning five decades. Having worked with many prominent directors, including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Winstone is perha ...

portrayed this role in the 2019 film adaptation.

Notes

*Lloyd Webber, Andrew (2005) ''Cats, Vocal Book'', R & H Theatricals, New York.

External links

Growltiger’s Last Stand
{{Cats navbox Songs about cats Songs about fictional male characters Poetry by T. S. Eliot Cats (musical) Race-related controversies in music