Whilst both Broadway and the West End remain in darkness during these difficult and strange times, for the last few weeks musical legend Andrew Lloyd Webber has been streaming live recordings of some of his most popular shows on YouTube. So far we’ve had the likes of 'Joseph And The Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat' (starring Donny Osmand in the title role), 'The Phantom Of The Opera' (25th Anniversary performance) and this weeks instalment is the 1981 feline-esque musical “Cats”. Filmed live at The Adelphi Theatre in London in 1998.
Whilst watching live streams obviously isn’t a patch on seeing shows live in person, watching it “live” on my living room television at the same time as thousands of other theatre fanatics, without the need to travel or go through security bag checks there’s also the huge bonus of not having the performance disrupted by latecomers, the “I’m only checking Facebook/eBay /turning off my phone twenty minutes too laters” or the annoying sweet rustlers. With the option to pause and grab refreshments at any moment is also an added bonus! My only gripe so far with these streamings is that the majority of them have been previously released on DVD, with copies already being within my possession (Joseph, Phantom and Cats) - I am absolutely desperate for the next one to be announced as either 'Evita' (which with the right cast I adore) or 'School Of Rock' (which, unlike all the other live streams so far, is the only one I’ve never seen live before). But I guess ANY theatre productions made available to watch for free in the comfort of my own home is better than nothing to get my much needed musical theatre fix I am so badly craving (so far lockdown has caused me to miss over fifteen pre-booked performances).
I have a major love/hate relationship with 'Cats' as a musical. Whilst I find the majority of songs catchy and memorable, often getting stuck in my head for days at a time, I find the story - or lack of in this case - questioning the whole point of the musical. It is based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book Of Practical Cats” - a 1939 book of feline poetry, which was used as a basis for Lloyd-Webber to write music for the poems, having been a huge fan of the book in his childhood. It tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle Choice," deciding which cat will ascend to the “Heaviside Layer” and come back to a new life. It includes the well-known song "Memory" as sung by Grizabella. As of 2019, Cats remains the fourth-longest-running Broadway show and the sixth-longest-running West End show.
This particular recording is from 1998 and stars Elaine Paige as Grizabella, John Partridge as Rum Tum Tugger, and Rosemary Ford as Bombalurina. The “story” (If you can call it a story!) starts with the cats gathering on stage who then begin to describe the Jellicle tribe and its purpose. The cats - who break the fourth wall throughout the show - then notice that they are being watched by a human audience begin to explain to the humans how the different cats are named. (“The Naming Of Cats”).
Phyllis Crowley-Smith as Victoria - a demure and graceful white kitten, then performs a solo ballet to signal the beginning of the Jellicle Ball ("The Invitation To The Jellicle Ball"). At this moment, Munkustrap - the show's main narrator, (Michael Gruber) explains that tonight the Jellicle patriarch Old Deuteronomy - The wise and benevolent elderly Jellicle leader who is beloved by his tribe (Ken Page), will make an appearance and choose one of the cats to be reborn into a new life on the Heaviside Layer. The rest of the story consists of introductions to a variety of different cats, as they decide who gets to go to the Heaviside Layer.
Memorable characters include my favourite Skimbleshanks - the railway cat - an active and upbeat orange tabby, who lives on the mail trains and acts as an unofficial chaperone to such an extent he is considered rather indispensable to the train and station employees. I particularly love how the cats gather round having collected items disposed by humans to build a realistic life size steam train - complete with steam no less! Other notable characters include Rumpleteazer (Jo Gibb) - a mischievous troublemaker, who has a partner in crime - Mungojerrie - who side by side are notorious cat burglars. Then there’s Mistoffelees- a young black and white tuxedoed tom cat who is playing still trying to learn to control his magical powers.
The detail in the costumes along with some of the more memorable upbeat songs are what really makes 'Cats' worth seeing. The last time I saw it, (the last time it toured) I was fortunate enough to be on an end aisle seat in the stalls where the various cats often come up close to the audience and you get to see the real detail in the costume. I had several of the “cats” come right up close to me and it was surreal yet remains a firm favourite theatre memory of mine.
The story ends, of course, with the chosen cat (spoiler alert - Grizabella - the honourable Elaine Paige - who also originated the role in 1981) going to the Heaviside Layer.
Whilst 'Cats' will never be in my list of top ten musicals, it’s one I think everyone should see at least once, maybe not for the weak storyline, but the costumes and catchy songs. Whilst these streams are free of charge to watch, there are links within the credits to donate to a charity of your choice; from The Actors Fund to funds set up to help those most in need during this awful global pandemic.
The shows are only available on The Show Must Go On’s YouTube channel for 24 hours when they go online at 7pm each Friday night. Whilst nothing beats the live theatre experience, these and other online streamed West End productions online are certainly filling the huge gap in my life during these uncertain times.
Reviewer - Charlotte Davis-Browne
on - 17/5/20
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