Jellicle Cats!? Yeah, That's Right.
Lavish Broadway musicals — via London's West End — aren't usually on my playlist. But this was Andrew Lloyd Weber's Cats, based on the T. S. Eliot poetry collection (and I do love cats). Not that I dislike musical theater; seen many touring productions of famed shows over the years. Laughter on the 23rd Floor (Neil Simon) and Sunset Boulevard (Weber) come to mind. And even Starlight Express (Weber again) in its first on-Broadway run in 1987.
My parents have been annual ticket-holders for the Broadway in Orlando series — first at the Bob Carr Theatre and now the world-class Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts — for more than 40 years (along with the row "C" center orchestra-seats to prove it).
I've been gifted tickets many times over the years to shows they either couldn't attend or had already seen numerous times; Cats was one such occasion.
Originally debuting in London during May 1981 — and then Broadway a year later — Cats ushered in a new era of mega-watt musicals which soon became the standard-bearers. See Hamilton (of course), Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera, Lion King, Les Misérables and Rent.
As well-known as Cats is, it's also quite usual — the narrative is entirely sung much like an opera. There are no "acted" scenes without musical accompaniment — lyrics are only spoken when breaking the fourth wall to the audience. Dancing is obviously a central focus, but this ain't AI-synchronized music-video choreography. These "dancers" are also dynamic, pitch-perfect singers and actors bringing these felines to life.
The score was performed by a live(!) band positioned backstage as to not interfere with the immersive setting of the single-set production. Though the basic orchestration has varied over the years, it's generally a small flute-sax-clarinet section, three keyboardists, bass, guitar and drums — with a heavy emphasis on analog synths (much to my delight).
Let's just say I liked the music probably even more than I should have. While Cats led to the inevitable commercialization of Broadway musicals — and all the marketing and branding that comes with it — as we know them today, it's still a simple story of a feline tribe seeking life after redemption. I can relate to that — no wonder I love cats.
