Cats would probably like Cats: it’s a shiny bauble that keeps moving around and doesn’t require you to think at all. Cats could probably happily spend a couple of hours, plus intermission, watching Cats. I am not a cat and have never been impressed by Cats — the musical; I quite like the animals. In fact, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call Cats a musical: there’s virtually no story, so it’s more of a revue; and, because a huge part of its appeal is that grown-up humans dress up as cats to perform it, I think it would be fair to call Cats a spectacle.
Unfortunately, this Theatre Under the Stars production is evidence that Cats is still Cats. But the very good news is that, as a spectacle and revue, Cats is a showcase for musical theatre talent, and this production is overflowing with it.
Way back in 1971, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber started setting to music the rhythmic poems in T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Cats, which Eliot wrote for his godchildren in the 1930s.
Trevor Nunn directed the original production, and it was his idea to frame the Jellicle Ball, which is mentioned in the poems, as an annual mystical meeting of a fantastical tribe called the Jellicle Cats. In that meeting, in Nunn’s conception, a feline named Old Deuteronomy decides who in the tribe will ascend to the “Heaviside Layer” (cat heaven) and then start a new life.
It was also Nunn who insisted on including Grizabella the Glamour Cat and who, with Richard Stilgoe, wrote most of the lyrics for “Memory”. That’s all to the good. Once beautiful, Grizabella has become old and despised. Though slight, her journey toward redemption is the only thing in Cats that looks even vaguely like a storyline. And “Memory” is the only truly memorable song in the score.
Now let’s talk about the talent in TUTS’s almost entirely amateur production. I hope agents and artistic directors see this show because a bunch of these performers deserve to go pro if they want to.
Because there’s hardly any story, Cats consists mostly of character numbers that feature one or two cats at a time. Performing his character’s namesake song, “Rum Tum Tugger”, Colton Bamber out-Jaggers Mick Jagger in his charismatic, sinuous sexiness. And the guy can sing, as he proves both here and in “Magical Mister Mistoffelees”, in which Rum Tum Tugger introduces that cat. Dancing as Mister Mistoffelees, October Penningroth is also a knockout. And so is Jaren Guerreiro who dances another showstopping number as Macavity.
Isaac Aaron Johnson, who plays both Bustopher Jones and Gus the Theatre Cat, sings in a fantastically rich baritone. Speaking of tone, it’s a pleasure to hear the warmth of Janet Gigliotti’s voice and experience the clarity of her characterization. One of the two Equity performers in this company, she’s playing Old Deuteronomy.
I was moved to tears by Sarah Lane’s work as Grizabella. Possessed of a silvery soprano, she throws herself into the emotion of the role.
This might seem an odd thing to say but I wanted to see more of Manuela Palmieri. Playing Bombalurina, she’s featured a tiny bit in “Rum Tum Tugger”, but it was enough for me to be struck by the texture of her voice and the vivacity of her movement.
Solid characterizations are just spilling off the stage.
Julie Murphy’s choreography is a huge part of what makes this production work on its own terms. I’ve been seeing a lot of choreography lately that looks like aerobics: “We’re going to do this for a couple of bars, then we’re going to do this.” It’s disjointed, there’s no flow to it. Murphy’s chorography is the opposite of that. Working with a lot of dancers, she creates movement that ripples through bodies and across the stage, as well as an endless series of varied and rewarding tableaux.
Under Sean Bayntun’s musical direction, the live orchestra is tight. Jennifer Stewart’s set, which is based on a concept by Lauchlin Johnston, gives a solid sense of place (in an alley) and provides all sorts of levels for the choreography and other action to play out on. Donnie Tejani’s costumes are excellent: he’s gone for an effectively scruffy look overall and, within that, he references all sorts of styles and textures, which feels appropriate, given the variety to be found in real-life cats. John Webber’s lighting design is gorgeous, especially around Grizabella’s ascension.
Who do we have to thank for the coordination of all these strengths? The director. Thank you, Ashley Wright.
Cats is one of the most financially successful musicals of all time, so I don’t think Andrew Lloyd Webber is going to lose any sleep over my not liking it. If you’re a fan of the musical itself, good on ya. And, no matter which camp you’re in, there’s a hell of a lot to appreciate in this production.
CATS Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. Additional materials for “Prologue – Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats” written by Trevor Nunn and Richard Stilgoe. Additional materials for “Memory” written by Trevor Nunn. Directed by Ashley Wright. On Friday, July 12. A Theatre Under the Stars production running in rep at Malkin Bowl until August 31. Tickets and information
PHOTO CREDIT: Colton Bamber is having a very good time as Rum Tum Tugger. And that’s October Penningroth, who is also outstanding, on the left. (Photo by Emily Cooper)
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