Muse Machine's winter musical production of "Cats" this year has been reimagined with a unique set design and a more positive, humorous tone compared to the traditional version.
The show's director this year is Joe Deer, who has directed more than 10 productions Muse.
"We have in this production, actually about 130 students are involved," he says. "That includes a full student orchestra, members of the backstage crew, obviously, or maybe not obviously, but the production has a full professional crew. The director, choreographer, music director, stage manager, lighting designer and so forth are all professionals, and they're supplemented by students in every capacity."
Deer is excited by the set design they've come up with for the production, which takes the musical's characters from the show's traditional junk yard setting and places them in an abandoned amusement park.
"This production has a very different vibe," Deer says. "It's extremely positive, hopeful, a ton of humor. It moves very, very quickly. You know, the traditional production of Cats can feel a little bit long at times. This one flies by. Audiences will be out in about two hours, which is a pretty tight timeframe for this kind of show. So I think I think they're in for a real new look at cats and the set is absolutely spectacular."
The Muse Machine has been putting on productions for over 40 years, attracting young performers from across the region.
Deer says many past student performers have gone on to pursue successful careers in the performing arts as well as other fields.
Cats runs this weekend with a final performance at 2 P.M. on Sunday. You can find details on the Dayton Live website.
