Macavity - in The Musical

In The Musical

Macavity is the only real villain in the musical Cats, who kidnaps Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle leader, and attempts to abduct Demeter, one of two cats who sings about him. Lloyd Webber noted that "Macavity... is obviously a take-off on Moriarty." The character was originally played by Richard Pettyfer in the original West End production, by Kenneth Ard in the Broadway production, and by Bryn Walters in the Cats film production.

Within the storyline of the musical, Macavity makes several attempts to scare the tribe. This culminates in his abduction of Old Deuteronomy, after which two queens, Bombalurina and Demeter, sing about him. He then returns to attempt to abduct Demeter. Munkustrap and Alonzo come to her defence and, in a dramatic cat fight, drive him off. As seen in the film production and most stage performances, he appears to be capable of performing some form of hypnosis. When Demeter and Bombalurina (a flirty queen cat who is close friends with Demeter) sing about him, they do so in a sensuous manner, suggesting he is more familiar to them. The Macavity number develops from a bluesy duet into a big female ensemble routine.

Macavity is typically depicted as a cat with a chaotic array of red, orange, white, and sharp black stripes. He is often portrayed with very long claws and wild dark hair. The role of Macavity is usually played by the same actor as Admetus (a chorus cat who notably does a pas de deux with Victoria during the Jellicle Ball) or Plato (alternate name in some productions). His costume is ginger and white, and specifically includes a simple make-up design that the actor transforms into the elaborate Macavity make-up, and then re-applies after the featured scene. Admetus/Plato is also often recognizable as one of the tallest cast members, as the fight scene between Macavity and Munkustrap requires him to be able to lift other male dancers.