is making a contribution the national tour of the musical Cats by providing a new tracking scissor lift and control.
Opening in London in 1981, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats is the longest-running musical in both London West End and New York Broadway theatre history. The first US national tour opened in 1983 and became the longest continuously touring show in US history
Recently completing a rebuild of the production to update equipment and allow more flexibility in tour schedules, Troika Entertainment employed Tomcat’s expertise. Designing a specialized tracking scissor lift suitable for the new tour schedule, Tomcat built a unit that is less then half the weight of the original, can be used on a dance floor, and includes traveling casters which will fit on a truck ramp. The scissor lift is all-electric and incorporates lift chain technology, which eliminates the hydraulic fluid and pumps typically associated with scissor lifts. The Tomcat tracking scissor lift raises the Cats 1,000-pound junkyard tire with two performers while traveling downstage. The lift raises 72” above a stored height of 22” and tracks downstage on 8” moldon rubber over cast iron castors. Variable-speed control is included for both lift and drive axis.
With the 2003-2004 tour schedule including new venues and also shorter stays than could previously be accommodated, Troika is taking Cats on tour across the US. Troika Entertainment is a theatrical production company with over 15 years of experience in creating first class entertainment. Current productions include Cats, Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever and an upcoming tour of The Sound of Music. Tomcat recently supplied a variable-speed computer controlled chain hoist system to Troika’s Starlight Express.