Andrew Lloyd Webber possibly concludes his “The show must go on” collection with one of his classic shows, which has recently garnered some catastrophic controversy.
This is a review of the original stage production as the Adelphi Theatre and not the film adaptation directed by Tom Hooper.
The musical takes place in a scrapyard at night and is based on Old Possum’s book of Practical Cats by T.S. Elliot. The Jellicle cats, young and old and different sizes gather around London to learn which one of them will be going up to Jellicle (cat) heaven. They each get their own chance in the spotlight to prove why they are worthy.
To clear up, this is a musical with no speaking and only singing. The dancing and choreography are fantastic as all the actors capture the speed and acrobatic abilities of a cat, especially with the leaps and cartwheels. There is even a little bit of tap dancing.
One of the other things about the production – much like the stage production of The Lion King – the makeup and costumes makes it stand out as it turns the humans into cats. The authentic hair/fur makes these less creepy compared to the CG Motion capture used in the film adaptation. I understand why this exists (it’s the magic of theatre!) but I can see why some people may be put off by this. Don’t worry though, you’ll never see any of the actors licking themselves!
The scrapyard set, when the mysterious Macavity shows up, the lighting embedded into the set particularly impressed me. Another aspect of both the costume and set design which particularly impressed me was the resourcefulness, particularly the Peke and Policles which despite being made of rubbish, look like Dogs and when the cats use this rubbish/scrap to create a train during Skimbleshank’s song.
Personally, some of my favourite cats were Rum Tum Tugger (obviously inspired from David Bowie and played by John Partridge), Skimbleshanks (Geoffrey Garett) and Macavity (Jacob Brent) who was impressive due to his communications through dance rather than song and effects.
I will also admit though that Gus and of course Grizabella (Played by Elaine Page and the one who sings Memory) also stand out amongst the crowd. I feel however that some do not stand out as much. You can tell Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Macintosh shared no expense.
In conclusion, the stage version of Cats is better compared to the film. It has a lot going for it, especially the imagination and dancing. I would say check it out but there’s the possibility, you already have.
By Stuart McComb
Feature image: Broadway World