A cat lover's fevered dream with elements of musical theatre.
Do you know what "jellicle" means? Neither did I, but apparently it's a portmanteau of "dear little cats". Adapted from T.S. Eliot's poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, CATS is a musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is also known for composing The Phantom of the Opera. Essentially, Eliot's poems did not have an overarching narrative; they solely focused on the varying feline personalities. Lloyd Webber added a storyline to connect the fragmented poems of cats into a full-fledged musical.
So, jellicle. This is a story about a cat tribe known as the jellicles, who all gather for the yearly Jellicle Ball to deliberate which one of them would enter the "Heaviside Layer" (cat heaven) and be reincarnated into a new cat. The patriarch, Old Deuteronomy, has the final word, but gets kidnapped in the middle of the ball. This leads to the cats working together to rescue their leader in order for the ritual to proceed.
The set design was what a fever dream would feel like but in the best way possible. We are welcomed to a junkyard, where the central item is an oven that's two feet tall, and the hub bore of a spare wheel that's huge enough for five human adults. It wasn't all funky and unsanitary as you would think; the yard was outlined with dynamic LED fairy lights; hues of lavender and indigo flooded the scene to present a late-night setting, emulating the atmosphere of a teenage girl in her whimsically decorated bedroom (I would know). The floors and walls of the orchestra pits were lined with magazine tear sheets, posters and newspapers appropriate as a playground of its feline residents.
The costumes heightened the characteristics of each main jellicle. From amplifying the haggardness of Grizabella, who has fallen off from her glamour posturing, to encapsulating the charisma of Bustopher Jones, who sang about indulging at fine dining establishments. Movements and posture of the actors described the state of mind or stage of life their character was in. This brings me to my next point about the dancing: every leg lift, shimmy, and manoeuvre was on point. It was marvellous to see steady breath control in some of the actors' sing-and-dance solos.
During the introductory solos, an eclectic mix of dance and musical styles was applied. The varied contenders are as follows: A youthful kitten named Victoria opens the Jellicle Ball with an operatic ballet solo, Jennyanydots, an old gumbie cat who leads a double-life, performs a classic tap-dance number; while Rum Tum Tugger and Macavity groove to heavy electric guitar riffs and electronic synthesisers with more flamboyant, contemporary motions. Gus (short for Asparagus), an old performer suffering from palsy, relives his renowned performance as Growltiger and his supporting cast dance in a transformed 19th-century Victorian music hall. Contrasting Gus was Mr Mistoffelees, who performs a high-intensity funk-pop routine with splits and pirouettes, that eventually transitions to trumpet fanfare.
Lastly, the singing. Grizabella belts a deeply heartbreaking and emotional tune of "Memory", a ballad composed in the style of a Puccini opera aria. Old Deuteronomy breaks the fourth wall, and, with steady vocal control, demands your attention with a final grand, cathedral-like hymn.
Overall, the lighting was not overdone, as it was utilised appropriately for different scenes, and added to the theatrics. Costumes and makeup highlight the standout cats and their personalities. The fusion of different musical genres and dancing styles incorporated a truly immersive experience, with occasional interactions with the audience.
Unlike the other main cats, Grizabella wasn't given a brief introduction or backstory. A little context would have helped in understanding the hissing and swatting by the other cats.
During a solo, pay heed to the other cats in the background, as they uphold their personas with their own personal quirks, stances, sitting positions, or expressions. Although minute, these details are still fun elements to add to the characters' stage presence.
CATS is now playing at the Sands Theatre
