Editorial
Front Page - Friday, December 24, 2010
River City Roundabout
Jellicle Cats
Erica Tuggle
Those who own cats are quite aware of their antics and the range of personalities they have. From lounging about for hours on end, to leaping on your bed in the wee hours of the morning, to finding endless amusement from a piece of tinfoil, the mind of a cat is a mystery. Yet, that doesn’t make it any less fun to hypothesize what our furry friends are thinking during their waking hours, and this is just what the smash Broadway hit “CATS” uncovers.
The musical “CATS”, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, returned to Chattanooga for one-night only in a Dec. 7 performance.
This musical, based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot, is well known for its signature song “Memory,” which Barbara Streisand made a hit in the early ’80s when “CATS” began its stage run.
The London production of “CATS” ran for 21 years and the Broadway production ran for 18 years, making “CATS” the second longest-running show in Broadway history. The performance was also made into a 1998 film and has been translated into more than 20 languages.
With this illustrious background in mind (and tickets starting in the $50 range), it’s no wonder that as the show began, the announcer made clear that no photos of any kind, whether by cell phone or digital camera, were to be made. She also called for the audience to refrain from eating candy with noisy wrappers and said no one was to leave until the house lights were up.
The reasons of this later restriction were made clear during the performance as members of the “CATS” cast in full costume and make-up walked through the aisles and received pets from those they passed.
There were many children and young adults in attendance during this performance because of its kosher G rating and while exposing children to theater is a great idea, bringing your 4- or 5-year-old to a three-hour performance of songs and dance is not such a great idea (as some parents and guardians soon found out as the children screamed, asked incessantly what was going on and squirmed from chair to lap and back again).
The show opened up on a set of an oversized junkyard that over 30 different actors would lounge and slink across during the performance in a variety of different personalities. We soon find out that these cats are a type called “Jellicle cats.”
In the first song “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats,” we learn that this means they are a version of the cats Eliot described as “common black and white cats whose daytime nature is peaceful, pleasant and restful but who possess an active love of nightlife.” We soon see this to be true as the actors prance and dance all night long in the “Jellicle Ball” where the oldest of the cats, “Old Deuteronomy,” will name which cat can be reborn into the “Heavyside Layer.”
Part of the fun from this musical comes from learning all the silly names and wild personalities of all the Jellicle cats. Names like Asparagus, Griddlebone, Grizabella, Growl-tiger, JennyAnyDots, Macavity, Mistoffelees and Rum Tum Tugger are a few of these feline characters played in full makeup and as much of a variety of costumes as there are patterns on real cat coats.
The impressive exposition of characters was none so evident as in Gus’ daydream about his days in the theater, when he played the character Growltiger. This is a scene that made the whole performance sparkle and dazzled all in attendance.
It’s also almost a given that one of the songs performed will be stuck in your head for days.
In particular, the lively beat of “Mr. Mistoffelees” should have you toe tapping and the haunting lyrics of “Memory” might even make you tear up as old Grizabella pleads with the other cats for her case. When we meet JennyAnyDots, “the old gumbie cat,” we can all recognize our own well-fed cat at home and speculate if they truly do rule over the mice and cockroaches during the day, teaching them songs and fencing. The alley cat figure of Rum Tum Tugger will make you smile as he does a very good impression of what happens when felines and rock n’ roll collide.
It’s true; “CATS” is a phenomenon of work. The production value, even off-Broadway, is extremely good. Until “CATS” returns, we will have to be content in wondering if our cats are as extraordinary as they imagine themselves to be.
Don’t miss the next performance, “A Chorus Line” coming to Memorial Auditorium for one performance only on March 15, 2011. Tickets went on sale Dec. 10. Contact Erica Tuggle at reporter@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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