CATS, Tuacahn Amphitheater, Ivins, through Oct. 21 . Running time: 2 hours (one intermission).

IVINS — With a solid cast of gifted singers and gracefully agile dancers, this outdoor production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats" is well worth the drive to the southwestern corner of Utah.

Derryl Yeager, who directed and choreographed, puts his own touch on the legendary Broadway and London hit. He performed in "Cats" nearly 20 years ago and brings a unique perspective to the table.

There's not a lot of plot (for that, head 45 miles north to the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City), but there are fascinating vignettes drawn from T.S. Eliot's whimsical collection of poems.

Twenty-nine cats playfully pounce and preen in a British junkyard for their annual "Jellicle Ball," a night when one feline will be selected to ascend into the "heavyside layer," a sort of rejuvenating cat heaven.

"Cats" is a huge ensemble piece, but many actors get the spotlight on their individual purr-sonalities.

Knockout performances come from guest artists Jay Pierce as Old Deuteronomy, Scottish lass Margaret Kelly as Grizabella, John Boy as Rum Tum Tugger and Rochone Anderson as the mystical Mr. Mistoffelees.

Old Deuteronomy, the felines' patriarch, may be in his twilight years, but when operatically trained Pierce cuts loose, you wonder if folks over in Bloomington can hear him.

Kelly plays the grizzled Grizabella to perfection, vocally caressing the show's signature tune, "Memory."

John Boy (no, he's not from "The Waltons") takes command of the stage in his swaggering, Presley-esque role. He also prowls back and forth on — what else? — a catwalk.

Anderson doesn't really get to shine until well into the second act but wows the audience with his athletically adventurous dancing.

Some local favorites are also featured, notably Nathan and Suzie Balser as Munkustrap and Demeter, and Aaron De Jesus in two roles. Suzie is especially good — along with Kelly Kohnert (Bombalurina) — in the jazzy "Macavity" segment.

De Jesus, familiar to many for his Wasatch Front performances, is cast completely against type — and that's not a bad thing. Earlier this summer he showed his agility as high-flying Peter Pan. In "Cats" he has two different, well-drawn roles — as supersize Bustopher Jones, the dapper cat-around-town, and as aging, palsy-inflicted Gus, the "theater cat."

Trimmed slightly to make the running time more family friendly, this "Cats" — spread out over Tuacahn's vast stage — makes for great fall entertainment.

Brent Hanson's scenery (the giant balls of yarn are a hoot), associate costumer Cheryl Yeager's adaptations of the rented costumes (and sensational wigs), Jesse Factor's makeup design, Gayle Lockwood's pretaped orchestrations, Joseph L. Eddy's lighting and Bart Schaerrer's sound are all first-rate.

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