To See or Not to See: Cats

The Broadway revival of Cats is, in one word, exuberant. After taking a break from Broadway–it had previously run for 18 years until 2000–Cats dances out of our memories and back into our hearts!

Andrew Lloyd Webber has a history of, well, history-making musical theater. Two of his shows have been long-running staples: Cats and The Phantom of the Opera (currently running for over 25 years). From Cats, in particular, “Memory” was a hit before the show was. People like Barbara Streisand and Elaine Page (the original Grizabella) made it hits on their albums before the show even opened. Needless to say, many people are familiar with the music if not the actual shows themselves which makes a revival of Cats a smart move (and a lot more fun as you’re sure to have a good portion of your fellow audience members wildly applauding, cheering, and, sometimes, singing along).

Having only seen touring company and PBS versions of the original production, I can honestly say that the revival seems to be fairly true to the original. Most of the production team is the same—director Trevor Nunn and sets and costumes by John Napier. The main—highly publicized—difference is the choreographer. In this Broadway revival, original choreographer Gillian Lynne was replaced by Hamilton-choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (we should note that his choreography is largely based on hers so, apparently, the differences are minor). Therefore, the spandex costumes, fluffy wigs, dance, and make-up are subtly changed to fit with today’s style yet retain the original brushstrokes.

Cats is truly an ensemble piece, and the cast is wonderful. In particular, a few cats stood out: the charming, tap dancing of Eloise Kropp as Jennyanydots, the fittingly magical Ricky Ubeda as Mister Mistoffelees, and Georgina Pazcoguin (on leave from the New York City Ballet and making a gorgeous Broadway debut) as Victoria the dancing white cat. Overall, Cats cast members all dance their hearts out—all the while singing—and make it look easy. From tap dancing to rock’n’roll to acrobatics, all the dancing is a spectacular thing to watch.

I’d also be remiss not to mention British singer Leona Lewis as Grizabella. Unlike previous productions that I’ve seen, Lewis’s Grizabella is less of an “old glamour cat” and more of a beaten-down cat; it works quite well in this production that feels young and spry (for the touching, aged cat in this production, you have to look to Bustopher Jones, played lovingly by Christopher Gurr). Lewis’s rendition of “Memory” in the second act is simply stunning. Her powerhouse vocals knock it out of the park.

So, what more do you need? For a fun few hours full of song and dance (and incredibly catchy music), go see Cats!

Cats is playing at the Neil Simon Theater. Get tickets here. 

Photo Credit: Matthew Murphy