Jennifer Hudson to Return to The Voice to Sing 'Memory' from Upcoming Cats Film
Jennifer Hudson will soon make her return to The Voice stage.
The former coach of the NBC singing competition series — who last appeared on season 15 in 2018 — is set to perform “Memory” from the upcoming film Cats, in which she stars as the character Grizabella, on the Tuesday, Dec. 17 finale episode of the show.
Cats is based on the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name, which in turn was based on T.S. Eliot’s 1939 poetry collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. The film revolves around a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as “the Jellicle choice,” in which one cat is chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.
Hudson’s Grizabella is an outcast whose looks have faded. She is known for singing “Memory,” which is perhaps the most famous song come from the musical. “Memory” was originally sung by Elaine Paige when the musical debuted in London’s West End production in 1981.
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Fans can get a sneak peek of what to expect from Hudson’s upcoming Voice performance by watching the trailer for the film, which includes a portion of the Oscar-winner singing “Memory.”
Along with Hudson, 38, the A-list cast of Cats also includes stars Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson, Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, James Corden and Taylor Swift.
On the same night of Hudson’s performance, the winner of season 17 of The Voice will be crowned. Those still in the running for the title are team Blake Shelton‘s Ricky Duran, team Kelly Clarkson‘s Jake Hoot, team John Legend‘s Katie Kadan and team Gwen Stefani‘s Rose Short. This is the first finale in seven seasons in which all four coaches have an artist in the finale.
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In addition to Cats, Hudson will star as late queen of soul Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic Respect, in theaters Aug. 14, 2020.
Cats debuts in theaters on Dec. 20. The Voice finale performance show airs Monday, Dec. 16 at 8pm ET/PT and the finale results show airs Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 9pm ET/PT.
