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Cats
- Tour & Musical.
(based on 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' by T.S. Eliot)
Music - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Director - Trevor Nunn
Associate Director/Choreographer - Gillian Lynne Re-creator of
Original Direction and Choreography - Chrissie Cartwright
Associate Scenic Designer - Raymond Huessy
Lighting Designer - Howard Eaton
Musical Director - Stuart Calvert
Co-sound Designers - Simon Baker and Terry Jardine
Wardrobe - Trish McAuley
Company - David Ian for Clear Channel Entertainment.
Website - Official Cats Tour Website
Venue - Edinburgh Playhouse.Online
booking for Current and future shows
0870 606 3424 (national call rate applies)
Dates - on Official Cats Tour Website
Edinburgh in May 2003, Aberdeen in January 2004 and Glasgow in Feb 2004.
Seen to review at Edinburgh Playhouse 21 May 2003.
Reviewer - Lorraine McCann.
Good, old-fashioned fur fun.
Of course, the formbook says we should hate Lloyd Webber. Our postmodern,
irony-saturated sensibilities should inoculate us against corrupting influences
such as sentiment, anthropomorphism and faux rock music. Why, then, is
Cats the world's longest-running musical? Why does a packed Playhouse
audience sit clapping along like seals on Prozac? And why is it only here
for three measly weeks?
In reply, I can only tell you this: Cats is good, old-fashioned fun.
The sound and lighting are superb - it's fantastic to think that the sound
you are listening to is all being produced right there in front of you.
The choreography is slick and contains many lovely touches - I'm sure
I wasn't the only person watching the cats in the chorus licking each
other or playing with a stray tail. As for the singing, it's mostly good,
although lyrics are occasionally hard to make out.
A few individual performances shine through, though, such as Arbroath-born
Norman Bowman as Munkustrap, who exudes a kind of benign radiance.
And quite a few laughs are provoked by Patrick Clancy as Bustopher
Jones. Of course, the big number is 'Memory', and although I've always
loathed it as a stand-alone song, in context it certainly does carry a
charge if you have any affection for felines (which I do). Having said
all that, the costumes don't really look much like cats and the set's
rubbish - literally.
H.G. Wells once said that whenever he saw an adult riding a bicycle,
he was filled with optimism about the future of the human race. Having
just witnessed twenty or so adults swathed in Lycra and funfur tapdancing,
I think I know what he meant. For Cats is testament to a very British
character trait -- the ability to be profoundly silly whilst wearing a
straight face.
© Lorraine McCann 21 May 2003 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com
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