Cats! The Musical; A Review
A few days back, I sat down and watched the 1998 production of Cats. With the upcoming film adaptation coming to theaters, I figured it would be a great piece to look at!
Cats is adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber of T.S. Eliots “Old Possums Book Of Practical Cats.”
I’d like to start off by reviewing the plot. The plot of Cats is debatable. It is, essentially, a battle to cat heaven. The cats must convince their cat leader that they deserve to die and be reborn into their next life. or, that’s what I’ve gathered, anyway. The plot is not entirely clear. There is no dialogue between songs, and the songs are comprised of introductions and information about every single character. The music is still quite catchy though! Still, the plot could use a bit more content and/or explanation.
There are many characters, just a bit too many to keep up with. Certain characters are charmers, some make me want to cry, and some genuinely terrify me. In all the versions I’ve watched, the actor has done a wonderful job of portraying a strong personality in each cat. Many cats are even given their own introduction song, but I do feel bad that some characters are sort of left out.
the costumes are probably the BEST part of Cats. They are comprised of yarn-like wigs, and striped body suits that look like the different patterns of different types of cats. In some scenes, they will be seen with leg and arm warmers. The costumes look absolutely beautiful on stage, and help convey the look of a cat. different cats may have different items to convey their personality. For example, Rumpleteazer, a thief cat, wears a large pearl necklace (which is probably stolen). I wouldn’t change single thing about the costumes, they’re all wonderful.
The music of Cats is absolutely awesome. Most all song– with the exception of “Memory”, the most well known song– come directly from the original poems about each cat. There are a variety of songs, and type of song, so none of it ever gets boring or repetitive. The duets, trio’s, and solo’s are all wonderfully done. I especially like that most cats will sing a song about another cat which they admire.
the stage set of cats is very intriguing. There are many different entrances and exits, so that cats can enter and leave throughout large dance scene. I like how its almost like a junkyard of sorts, but still keeps a classy charm to it. The lighting is also quite nice for each scene, I really don’t have any complaints.
Overall, I think cats is a wonderful musical that is really only missing a plot line. Even then, that doesn’t bother me much. The music, costumes, dancing, and set make up for it.
