Who would have thought a musical about cats could have more than nine lives?
The longest-running award-winning musical in Broadway, Cats is back on our sunny shores this festive season. We were pleased to catch this mega-musical on opening night and here’s what we thought about it.
What’s a Jellicle?
Based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber brought this poetry title to the stage in 1981, transforming it into what we know now as Cats, the musical. Simply put, it’s about a clowder of cats gathering in a junkyard, deciding who’s worthy to step into Heaviside Layer – a heaven of sorts for kitties.
It can take you a while – perhaps after three numbers or so – to realise that Cats is a musical in every sense of the word. By that we mean there is no spoken dialogue – everything is conveyed through music. And throughout the 120 minutes, you may be wondering what in the world is a Jellicle. Well, it’s a kind of cat that was introduced in the aforementioned poetry book. In the song, “ The Jellicle Ball”, we learn that Jellicle cats are merry, small, black and white, with pleasant caterwauls.
Feline fantasies
The cast is transformed into humanised cats, dressed in body-fitting striped suits and fur collars, and slapped with feline-inspired makeup. The musical doesn’t take itself too seriously and there isn’t a strong plot to follow, but we reckon the whimsical songs and spectacle dance numbers – which include ballet, tap dancing, ballet and jazz – gives this musical more than nine lives.
Being new to the Cats experience, it was a little hard for us to keep up with all of the characters but some definitely stood out with their performances. Munkustrap, the leader of the Jellicle Cats (played by Luke Fraser Yates), sets the tone for the musical with his performance of “The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball”.
The younger brother of Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger, played by George Hinson, is a coquettish cat. The moment he steps onto the stage, you feel his high energy pulsating through the audience with his gyrating hips movement and larger-than-life persona.
Played by Joanna Ampil, Grizabella’s introduction was a step away from previous acts as the score becomes more ominous – which is probably one of the few moments you get a layer of depth to the show, aside from her beautiful performance of “Memory”.
Stranger than feline
There’s a reason why Cats has maintained its popularity since its premiere at the West End’s New London Theatre, but even if you can’t put a paw on it, you can always enjoy the spectacle played out on stage. Perhaps it takes an acquired taste to fully enjoy the show in all its nuances, but we can certainly appreciate the top-notch singing and choreography.
As you leave the theatre, you’ll be thinking about the feline characters and their complexities. But we say, soak in the moment and marvel at the wondrous world of the Jellicle Cats.
Cats, 17 December 2019 – 5 January 2020, various timings, Sands Theatre at Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018956