Cats The Musical - let the memory live again!

I am allergic to cats. If I am in the same room as a cat I start sneezing and my eyes start watering. I have a miserable time.

On Wednesday night I spent the evening with more than 25 purring, meowing cats. I had a most enjoyable evening. No sneezing. No watery eyes.

On first glance what I have said above seems to be a contradiction. The explanation is that I went and saw "Cats the Musical" on Wednesday night at at the Capital Theatre in Sydney.

Cats has just started its new Australian season after first appearing in Sydney 30 years ago in 1985. Back then it had well known people like Debbie Byrne, Marina Prior and John Wood it it.

This original production was the very first big theatre show I saw in Sydney as a newly married person. Up until then I had only been involved in my local high school Gilbert and Sullivan productions and seen our local amateur theatre Rodgers and Hammerstein productions.

I was eager to go and see the new production of Cats to see how it compared to what I remembered of this earlier production.

I was wowed with seeing the spectacle of Cats on stage on Wednesday night just as I was thirty years ago. Even more so. This new all Australian production is bursting with energy with its enthusiastic tribe of prancing and meowing cats.

Cats the Musical is based on a children's book "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" written by T. S. Eliot. The music is composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who has written other great musicals such as The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat.

The story revolves around a tribe of cats, the Jellicle Cats, who meet in a garbage dump on one special night of the year – the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one the feline characters (including Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistoffelees, Macavity, Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Grizabella and Skimbleshanks) come on stage to tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy. He is their wise and benevolent leader. He must choose one of the Jellicle Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

The best parts of the show are at the very beginning and at the very end. The black, quite stage comes alive with a crash of music as cats eyes light up the set of the rubbish dump. The closing scene lifts the audience to greater heights, as it does the main star of the show. I won't give too much away here, as it is best you see it yourself rather than just reading about it.

There was just one set that remained on stage through the entire show - the garbage dump. This was an effective backdrop for all the prancing and dancing of the cats. Everything in the dump was proportionate in size to the cats, so this meant huge discarded tyres and others assorted rubbish. It had trap doors that enabled cats to appear and disappear at will. It was good to see that the garbage flowed down from the stage into the audience, so there that we felt we were actually amongst the musical. The whole theatre was the stage, not just the stage out front, as the cats came out into the audience, even up to the dress circle, at various times during the musical. At one point when the cats came out one stood 10 seats away from me and sang part of a song with the other cats still on stage. It was good to see his face close up with all his cat make-up on. It was as though he was looking directly at me as he sang, even though everyone around me felt the same.

The lighting effects were brilliant and suited the moods of the various songs - subdued lights for the slower moody songs, bright flashing lights for the more pacy songs. Sitting high up in the Dress Circle, I was able to look down on the light projections shone on the stage floor from above. The stringed party lights even came out from the stage to go high above the audience. This gave the sense that you were part of the action, not just a distant observer. The only disappointment with the lighting was that the moon light beams did not come from the large moon on the back wall of the stage, but from above the stage. Special effects during Cats included pyrotechnics that appeared at appropriate moments to liven up the show.

There is a wide variety of singing styles in Cats, such as pop, rock, ballad, opera, choir and swing. There are solos, duets, and ensemble singing. In some ways Cats the Musical is just like going to a variety concert, with enough song styles in it to please everyone. New variations to this 2015 version of Cats were the inclusion of a rap style treatment given to a song and the inclusion of an opera duet.

It is the same with the dancing in Cats. A wide variety of dance styles means that there is always something entertaining to watch on stage. There appears to be modern, ballet, break dancing, tap dancing and ballroom dancing performed by the cast of Cats. Some segments are more acrobatic in style, with the dancing cats twisting, turning, jumping and tumbling with full gusto. They must be absolutely exhausted after each show with all the energy they exert on stage.

The costumes, face make-up and wigs transform the actors into realistic looking cats each with their own personality. It is a visual spectacle seeing them prance around the stage. They must spend quite a bit if time in the dressing rooms getting ready for each show. The various types of cats, such as Siamese, alley and train cats were differentiated by cat costume additions which made them look their part.

The orchestra, led by musical director Paul White, provided all the music for the singers. It was s delight to listen to. Each instrument was amplified so that it could be heard but not so loud that it drowned out the  other instruments. Even the soft percussion instruments could be heard. It surprised me that sound effects and music were not just coming from the front of the theatre, but also from the sides. This was just like in the modern cinemas with Dolby Surround Sound systems. I think that this was a first for me in a live theatre production, and it made the show come alive.

Delta Goodrem

The cat that steals the show is Grizabella, played by Delta Goodrem in her musical theatre debut. She is well known for her hit songs such as "Born to Try", "Lost Without You", "Innocent Eyes", and "Predictable", and for being one of the judges on "The Voice" TV show. Delta was only on stage for a short time singing a few songs, but her rendition of "Memory" was outstanding. She sang every word of every line with such feeling and precision. The audience sat motionless spellbound listening to her as she reflected on her past life. 

Cats the Musical is well worth seeing for an enjoyable night out. If, like me you saw it 30 years ago, it is worthwhile seeing again. If you missed seeing it then, it will be good to see for the very first time. Even younger theatre goers will appreciate seeing the performers dressed up as cats and watching their dance moves on the stage. 

Cats The Musical is playing for just a short season in Sydney at the Capital Theatre until 29 November. It then moves to Hobart's Derwent Theatre from 10 - 13 December, Melbourne's Regent Theatre from 18 December to 17 January, Brisbane's Lyric Theatre from 29 January to 14 February, Adelaide's Festival Theatre from 18 March to 10 April, and Perth's Crown Theatre from 16 April to 8 May 2016.

Tickets: http://www.catsthemusical.com/australia/ticket-information/
Website: http://www.catsthemusical.com/australia/