Old Deuteronomy is a character in 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 ...

'' and its 1981 musical adaptation, '' Cats''. He is a wise and beloved elderly cat, further serving as the Jellicle patriarch in the musical. The role of Old Deuteronomy originated by

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed (; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor, presenter, writer and mountaineer. Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars'', Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of '' I, Claudius'', King Richard I ...

in the West End in 1981, and by

Ken Page Ken Page (born January 20, 1954) is an American actor and singer. Page created the role of "Ken" in the original Broadway production of '' Ain't Misbehavin, and played the role of " Old Deuteronomy" in both the original Broadway and filmed st ...

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.

Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...

plays Old Deuteronomy in the 2019 film adaptation.

Poem

In Eliot's original poem, Old Deuteronomy is described as an ancient, wise cat who has "lived many lives in succession" and is respected by the other cats and humans (and perhaps even dogs) around him. His name derives from the biblical

Book of Deuteronomy Deuteronomy ( grc, Δευτερονόμιον, Deuteronómion, second law) is the fifth and last book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called (Hebrew: hbo, , Dəḇārīm, hewords Moses.html"_;"title="f_Moses">f_Moseslabel=none)_and_th ...

, which shares the central element of law with the character (who is a magistrate).

Musical

'' Cats'' expands on the theme of wisdom by depicting Old Deuteronomy as the leader of the show's Jellicle tribe, providing comfort and guidance to the other characters. He also has the task of making the "Jellicle Choice" and choosing the cat who will ascend to the Heaviside Layer. Much of the plot of ''Cats'' is fueled by this premise; several characters perform and try to convince Old Deuteronomy to choose them. Towards the end of the show, Old Deuteronomy is kidnapped by

Macavity Macavity the Mystery Cat, also called the Hidden Paw, is a fictional character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. He also appears in the Andrew Lloyd Webber 1981 musical ''Cats'', which is based on Elio ...

and eventually rescued by

Mr. Mistoffelees Mr. Mistoffelees is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' and its 1981 musical adaptation, Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' Cats''. Mistoffelees is a young black-and-white tuxedo cat with magical powers ...

. He then persuades the other cats to listen to

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 ...

, selects her to be reborn, and escorts her to the Heaviside Layer. More has been revealed about Old Deuteronomy's past than most of the other Jellicle cats, although how much of it is true is debatable. He is alleged to have been alive long before

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

was crowned and has been mated numerous times (supposedly, anywhere between nine and ninety-nine). Though Old Deuteronomy has outlived his partners, he has had numerous progeny. Old Deuteronomy has three songs in ''Cats'', including the final number, "The Ad-dressing of Cats." He is traditionally played by a high

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

who can hit G♯.

Appearance

Old Deuteronomy has a full beard and, unlike the

unitard A unitard is a skintight, one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves, usually stopping at the wrists and ankles. It differs from a leotard which does not have long legs. The leotard is also usually considered a more feminine cloth ...

that the other characters don, his costume consists of a loose-fitting shaggy coat.

Notable casting

The role of Old Deuteronomy was originated by

in the West End in 1981, and by

in 1982.

Quentin Earl Darrington Quentin Earl Darrington (born July 9, 1977) is an American actor and singer known for his work in theatre. He has performed in Broadway productions and national tours of shows including ''Once on This Island'', '' Cats'', and ''Memphis''. He orig ...

played the character in the 2016 Broadway revival. On screen, Page reprised the role for the 1998 filmed version, being the only cast member from the Broadway production to appear in the film.

portrayed a female Old Deuteronomy in the 2019 film adaptation.

References

Print sources

General references

*''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'', T.S. Eliot, Harcourt, 1982, *''A Cat's Diary: How the Broadway Production of Cats was born'', Stephen Hanan, Smith & Kraus, 2002, {{Cats navbox Characters in Cats (musical) Literary characters introduced in 1939