Khalid tickets New York

A Team Without Faith or Trust in the Show

I recently returned from watching the touring presentation of Cats and I need to discuss it. It seemed as if the team in charge came together and thought, "No one truly takes this show seriously, right? Let's fully embrace that. Forget the original! Forget the source material! Yes, we'll offer a few nods to the traditionalists and the die-hard fans, but primarily we'll serve the audience easy laughs one after another. We can't assume they possess enough creativity for anything more."

This was infuriating. Viewers might perceive this as the true essence of Cats and then agree with the critics who have been criticizing it for weeks. How and when did these directors simply surrender?

The production disrespects both the show and the audience. It displays all the indications of a director and choreographer who had no belief in or grasp of the original production and its intended essence. The overly intricate choreography by the individual who choreographed Hamilton, whose name escapes me at the moment, was filled with pointless lifts. It felt like some dancers spent more time in the air than on the ground. What's frustrating is that the same choreographer worked on the movie, which was excellent. Does he think that no audience would willingly endure a live performance of an "outdated" musical?

The major musical numbers were all tampered with... I mean... "modernized," which often involved cutting out beloved sections of each song and introducing unnecessary pauses for the aforementioned easy laughs, many of which incorporated "humorously oversized" props. Because they're felines! Do you understand? Remember that they're felines? Here's another quirky visual reminder just in case you forgot. We don't want you to exert any mental effort during this two and a half-hour stretch.

Let's touch on the lighting. Whose brilliant (pun intended) idea was it to illuminate the entire stage in cool hues and with minimal intensity? This caused everyone to continuously blend into the background. Then, towards the end, they suddenly illuminated the stage in rainbow colors, revealing that they could have used them all along but chose not to for unknown reasons. Moreover, nearly all the crucial lighting cues were mistimed, ruining the element of surprise. "Look over here, something is about to happen RIGHT NOW!"

Fortunately, most of the performances were commendable, with only a few questionable singers. Jellylorum was particularly delightful. Grizabella, despite possessing a lovely voice, was perhaps the most perplexing of all. Her constant contortions and jerky movements were unsettling, to say the least. Yes, she's meant to be aged and frail, but not on the brink of death. You shouldn't feel like they could have avoided selecting her as the Jellicle Choice if they had just waited a bit longer.

To sum up (finally), this production and its creators fail to grasp the essence of Cats. It's a show that should celebrate its uniqueness and revel in itself, even in the face of the perpetual critics. Instead, this production feels like an individual who insults themselves in an attempt to prevent others from doing so. The creative team simply gave up.

Fortunately, I can always turn to the 1998 video production, which remains the definitive rendition of Cats, as well as the recent film adaptation that I genuinely enjoyed. If this touring production is indicative of the current live Cats experience, I'd rather skip it and stay home next time it rolls into town.