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The cast of Cats the Musical
[Photo credit: 2010 Joan Marcus] |
I have to confess something. I've never been a fan of
Cats the Musical. In fact, the 1998 film version has the distinction of being the only filmed musical I've ever fallen asleep to. I remember a lot of dancing, and I remember trying to follow some semblance of a plot that sorta kinda tied the various musical numbers together. And then I remember waking up near the credits, cursing at myself for falling asleep and then getting up to rewind the VHS tape back to Elaine Paige's entrance for "Memory." I've heard that specific song too many times to note since then. I haven't touched the show since, and tonight would be the first night I've ever seen
Cats in its entirety.
This time I think I started to get it. "It" being the hype around
Cats. I distinctly remember the day when the show surpassed
A Chorus Line as the longest running Broadway musical in history. It was kind of a big deal for me, and I wasn't even living in North America at the time! I was already a huge fan of
Chorus Line, so I figured
Cats must be just as gripping, heart-wrenching, and captivating. Well, sorta...
Cats had been dubbed a musical "mega-spectacle" back in its original days in London. And spectacle it was, attracting a brand new crowd to the theatre and defining the look of musical theatre for the late 80s and early 90s.
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| Photo credit: 2010 Joan Marcus |
The whole idea behind
Cats is that the words are actually poems from
T.S. Elliot's Old Possum's Book Of Practical Cats, set to music in the original published form. The poems weren't really meant to form a cohesive piece. Even in their musical incarnations, I found it hard to really tie in different song and dance numbers with one another.
There are certain numbers and characters that stand out.
Chris Stevens as Rum Tum Tugger is hard to miss, especially with his deliciously flirtatious moves and gyrating hips.
Madison Mitchell is just as delicious in her brassy, saucy rendition of "Macavity."
Chaz Wolcott (Mistoffelles) impressed the crowd with his superb ballet.
Erica Leight Hansen (Jennyanydots) added some welcome operatic flavour to the voices in the cast, as well as some enjoyable comedic timing.
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| Photo credit: 2010 Joan Marcus |
There were certain numbers that I just didn't care for. "Growltiger's Last Stand" was a little too campy for me and looked like something out of a children's TV show (with hints of adult flirting thrown in for the parents). Of all the scenes in Act 1, the one that caught my attention the most were those revolving around Grizabella the Glamour cat, now an outcast. Exiled and repeated excluded from all the joyous festivities. Had they done a show around Grizabella (with lots of Rum Tum Tugger's revolving hips thrown in) I probably would've enjoyed the show a whole lot better.
It's rather ironic that the story of Grizabella did not actually come from within the
Book of Practical Cats, but was instead found among the unpublished writings of the author. Grizabella's story was relatable, gripping. Actress
Melissa Grohowski did an amazing job of really showing off Grizabella's current plight. And to top it off, she made "Memory" her own. I got goosebumps, and I definitely heard more than one sniffle from the audience.
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| Photo credit: 2010 Joan Marcus |
Cats, like
Glee, seems to continue making musical theatre more accessible for younger generations and I'm fully supportive of both, long as those younger generations broaden their horizons with other theatrical works. It's definitely a show for those who love a good dance show. The dancing in this show is phenomenal! I wouldn't exactly call it a mega-spectacle, but it's definitely a one-of-a-kind show.
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| Photo credit: 2010 Joan Marcus |
CATS THE MUSICAL
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
until Sunday, April 15
Tickets via
[Ticketmaster]
Posted by Filipina Colada
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