Cats: the pleasures of feline drag

It’s not that I’ve become a furry or anything, but I’ve begun to understand the appeal of dressing up like a cat.

I never thought I’d live to hear myself say this, but the show to catch this weekend is Cats.

I have never been a fan of Cats, which has always struck me as commercially gimmicky—and mostly tuneless. But seeing Fighting Chance Productions mounting in close quarters at the Jericho Arts Centre has made me reconsider.

With the harmonies rolling over you in waves of sound you can practically feel, and with the talented, exuberant cast having a whole lot of fun right in front of you, the musical becomes much harder to resist.

In fact, I got into that “Everything is beautiful at the ballet” mindset. Yes, Cats is totally weird—a revue with existential feline overtones—but, viewed from the right angle, that oddness is charming. There are a bunch of adults playing dress-up, purring and preening, and coughing up hairballs—essentially for the fun of it. Cool.