-
Cats is one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway (second only to Phantom Of The Opera) and frankly, I couldn't fathom why that might be. At least not until I finally saw the show... Cats is musical theaters lowest common denominator.
-
Why is that? Observe. Start with subject matter that's hard to resist: really--who (besides a few old sour pusses like me) doesn't love kitties? Add in a tuneful score filled with one stunning production number after another and connect them with a plot thread so thin it is all but non-existent. Make sure the score is complex enough to follow but complex enough to keep it interesting. Give it a structure that is accessible yet complex enough so the average individual knows they couldn't do that. A clever book loaded with charming word play and the illusion of depth to distract the audience from how little there really is to the show. Mount the show on a set that brings out the child in everyone then sprinkle liberally with stage fog and big effects and cast a good group of singer/dancers to bring the show to life. Once all this is place you can sit back and let the show run for over seven thousand performances while the millions roll in.
-
You might think from the above paragraph that I didn't enjoy the show but I did. So--what if the show is an air biscuit of epic proportions? It's FUN! What if it panders to the crowd? Theaters NEED extravaganzas like Cats to make enough money to mount other shows. Besides--singing a populist show like this might encourage those who don't attend the theater to come back for something else. There's no point of concentrating on what the show ISN'T--for what it IS Cats is pretty darn good!
-
Of course, this wouldn't be a Baronial review without at least one minor quibble. The cast (many of whom were making their professional debuts) was quite talented even if I didn't recognize any of their names. The set was fun, costumes perfect and the effects pretty flawless (a major achievement in a touring production). All I could find the complain about was the pit band: I don't know what it was about their performance but it is just struck me as a bad 80s synth-pop band, It sounded like it was played on cheap instruments but medium-talented amateurs.
-
Will Cats stand the test of time? I honestly don't know: with all their is to recommend it this show will be touring for years to come but I do wonder if we'll look back in a decade or so and note that it's a period-piece good for nothing but remembering a long-gone period of history. Still, for the packed crowed we saw the show with Cats IS "now and forever".
-
FINAL GRADE: A-
-
Oh--and why did I pick Zimple Zpiral as the fractal cookie? I chose it, not only because I didn't have a "better" images that I hadn't already used multiple times and because, like Cats, this image is pretty enough but there really isn't a lot to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment