It takes Aubrey Elson about two hours to transform herself from a dark-haired California girl into a wide-eyed winsome kitten with a rosy face, brown tabby fur and bold black and white leg warmers.

She loves every minute of it, especially when she slips into her role as Sillabub in the national tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats," which pounces onto the Hershey Theatre stage Friday through Sunday.

The many-lived show has the distinction of being the longest continuously-running touring show in U.S. history, and "Cats" was the longest-running musical ever in both London and New York when it closed on Sept. 10, 2000. Translated into 10 languages from "Gatos" to "Chats," the popular musical dedicated to felines has been presented in 26 countries and more than 300 cities.

Elson has been performing as Sillabub for two years. Her character has also been known as Jemima, and is a young cat with an ethereal voice and an energetic personality. Her dances are very demanding and she joins with the most famous cat of all, the aging Grizabella, to sing "Memory."

"We do our own makeup," Elson says during a lunch break on the national tour. "I have a pretty pink face with great big eyes and brown and white fur. And I have the biggest (leg and arm) warmers to make me look like a small kitten. It takes a while to put on our costumes; they have a lot of hooks. Oh, yes, and I wear a spiked collar."

A graduate of the University of Southern California, Elson, 24, earned her degree in international relations. In high school and in college, she was involved in theatre, performing in "Oliver," "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers." She decided to try out for the "Cats" touring company and got the part. She was so happy, she could have purred.

"I love it," she says, adding that when she first saw the show, "All I ever wanted was to tour with 'Cats.' "

Based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," "Cats" opened on Broadway on Oct. 7, 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City and continued to live up to its motto "Now and Forever." On June 19, 1997, "Cats" became the longest-running musical on Broadway. It ended its 18-year run with 7,485 performances.

"Cats" won seven Tony Awards in 1983, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Lighting and Best Costumes.

That might be better than nine lives.

The words of "Cats" very closely parallel Eliot's poems, with cleverly-named characters such as Rum Tum Tugger, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Old Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat and Macavity the Mystery Cat. The cats dance at the Jellicle Ball, which Eliot once explained was what he thought an elderly Cockney lady was saying when she called for the "dear little cats." And they wait to be called to the Heaviside Layer.

"Which is kind of like kitty heaven," Elson says.

A family show with catchy songs, whimsical lyrics and lots of fancy felines prowling about, "Cats" is still capturing the imagination of theatre-goers of all ages.

"CATS"

Fri. at 8; Sat. 2 and 8 p.m.

Sun. 2 and 7 p.m. $25-$65

Hershey Theatre, 15 E. Caracas Ave

Hershey, 534-3405
www.hersheytheatre.com