Tug Watson is purr-fect as Munkustrap in “CATS,” the Tony Award-winning musical that settles into the Filene Center for the weekend. Since 2008, he has shared his interpretation of the black and silver tom cat with audiences throughout this country, Canada and South America.
If you go
“CATS”
Where: Wolf Trap Filene Center
When: 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday; 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Info: $40 to $70 in-house, $20 lawn; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org
Now he looks forward to entertaining his family from Fredericksburg and former classmates at Spotsylvania’s Massaponax High School in a role that utilizes his considerable singing, dancing and acting talents. “Of all the cats, Munkustrap sings the most songs, he dances the most and is a constant presence throughout the show,” he said. “Although he is not so well known as Old Deuteronomy or Grizabella who sings the eleven o’clock number, ‘Memory,’ he is a constant presence that allows me to be on stage most of the time.”
Watson always wanted to be an actor but wasn’t certain if he preferred the stage over other mediums. To prepare for every option, he took ballet lessons along with his sisters at Avery Ballet in Fredericksburg. Today his oldest sister, Amy, is a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet. During high school, he developed his voice by listening to and singing along with recordings of Broadway musicals. He laughs when he remembers how annoyed his sisters would get when he jumped out of bed at 6 a.m. and began singing “Jesus Christ, Superstar.”
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in acting from Syracuse University, Watson headed for New York. He recalls walking around the city with only six dollars in his pocket, but he never despaired. Following a run at Washington’s Warner Theatre in the National Tour of “Annie,” he heard of a call to replace Munkustrap, a role he had always wanted. Determined to win it, he arose at 5 a.m., hurried to the audition, and was selected from among 200 other aspiring candidates to fly to California and join the tour then in progress.
Watson still wears the original unitard he was issued and has acclimated to it so well that he never feels constricted, even when the temperature is high or it rains. Two hours before the show begins, he arrives at the theater to don his costume, complete his make-up and participate in a warmup. Often there is time for a quick treatment by the massage therapist who accompanies the tour to soothe all the aches and pains that develop during the highly athletic performances.
Being from a military family, he enjoys traveling and seeing new cities. One highlight for him was performing in Bogota, Columbia, the first time a Broadway show had gone there. He was impressed by the friendly people in that city and throughout South America and anticipates that the success of the show will pave the way for others to tour there.
Looking to the immediate future, he would welcome a role in any Sondheim musical, better yet an opportunity to originate a role and sing on the original Broadway recording so everyone who hears it will associate Tug Watson’s voice with that role far into the future.
Because his high school teachers and college professors were so inspirational and passionate about the arts, he hopes to be teaching theater at the college level in 20 or 30 years.
“With the experience I will have had performing, my passion for my work and the stories I will be able to tell, I hope to inspire others to follow their dreams to the theater,” he said. “Wherever we perform, kids of all ages come backstage with tons of questions. They’ve seen a spark in the show that may change their lives, just as all of us in this show were inspired by something we saw in a Broadway musical while we were growing up. I tell them all, ‘Plant your feet, do your homework, and never lose sight of the payoff.'”
