Theater Review: Cats

by Mark-Brian Sonna of MBS Productions

Cats is so engrained into our popular culture it’s difficult to remember what theatre was like before it first prowled onto the stage. Andrew Lloyd Webber was daring in creating what would be a two and a half hour big budget musical with absolutely no plot about a gathering of cats that would sing and dance for each other and the audience’s amusement. Talk about milking a concept to the Nth degree. The fact is that the show went on to be one of the most phenomenally successful shows ever created. Curiously only one song of this blockbuster crossed into the mainstream and that is the iconic "Memory."

Dallas Summer Musicals is hosting the current national tour of this show. Think of this as version 5.0. Sometimes shows improve with age others do not. Cats curiously enough isn’t any better or worse. It is frozen in its time period, yet somehow doesn’t feel too dated. The musical arrangements perhaps a little, but they almost have a retro feel now. Some shows as they tour get sloppier others get stronger. This Cats has been on the road for some time and it is tight, snazzy, and as well executed given the constraints of the casting and variations from the original staging. Some tours that are further removed from the original (this is not the first national tour, nor the second, nor the third, try fifth) lose some of the intention and edge of the first. That is the case here. The show has always been about spectacle first, but the feline vignettes are to be reflections of our lives. We are to connect with these critters. This version emphasized the spectacle and lost some of the emotional connection.

Cats is still very good and it’s worth the price of admission. You will not leave disappointed. It lacks the level of surprise and novelty since it’s been around so long. This said I cannot do this production justice if I compare it to the others or the original because it will pale in comparison. I must look at this production as its own separate presentation.

The first thing that struck me was the level of talent in dancing is very high. Dancing was by far the strongest motivation in casting this troupe. Splendid, no make that fantastic, dancers abound. Oddly enough there are two solo dance numbers in the show, and these two cats were the weakest of the litter: specifically Chris Mackenthun as Mr. Mephistoffelees. Mephistoffelees (yes, that is the spelling) is given a show stopping ballet inspired routine. This solo is near the climax of the show and in fact the show is structured that you should think this is the climax number. Unfortunately Mr. Mackenthun, while a very talented dancer, lacked the extension and flexibility to carry off the splits, grand jetés, tour jetés, and a la second turns to make the number wow us. He was able to do all these turns and jumps but it looked a like a struggle. There were other dancers in the troupe that could have pulled these feats off better or the choreography should have been simplified so that he could dazzle us, instead he got a courteous applause.

Because the emphasis was on dance, the singing wasn’t as spectacular, but that’s Ok, they’re felines, and most of the performers imbued their characters with the appropriate level of feeling so as to make us accept them as they were. This said the warhorse of this show is "Memory" and it is sung three times throughout the show. The song belongs to Grizabella but it is also sung by Sillabub. Sari Feldman was a bit off key. She self corrected but when this song is being belted out any note missed is very obvious. It wasn’t just one note, it was several. Grizabella gets to belt out the version that has haunted our lives since it premiered. Tricia Tanguy has a gorgeous voice. She is also very young, and hearing this song sung by such a young voice seemed odd. There really is nothing she could do better to sell the song, but unfortunately the lyrics demand a world weariness that will betray any young person who attempts to sing this song. She got a huge ovation for she does sing it nicely, but it should be emotionally shattering, because it’s about an older cat/person looking back and realizing that more days have been lived then there are to come. It’s hard for someone that sounds like she’s in her 20’s to make this message convincing.

My only other complaint is the acoustics for this show. Hopefully some of the levels will be balanced out but the music was at times louder then the voices. The show wasn’t loud by any means, it’s just the balance was off. The Music Hall already has acoustical problems, so it made hearing the lyrics of the songs difficult, and in this show there are only a few spoken words, most of it is sung.

I must single out Justin Huebener as Munkustrap, he has a presence that even under all that feline make-up stood out. He made his feline dashing, enigmatic, and even sexy somehow. Mungojerri and Rumpleteazer were played with much joy by Andrew Parker Greenwood and Kristy Cavanaugh, their chemistry on stage was palpable.

Richard Strafford did the choreography and directed this version, so don’t expect to see the exact choreography of Gillian Lynne and Trevor Nunn’s direction. This said, because a touring show must adjust to the various stages, Mr. Strafford did a superb job with his adjustments from the original. He didn’t lose any of the flavor and kept overall the spirit of the original. Cats has lots of funny and joyous moments, but remember that this is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, and his shows frequently have a dark undertone. You may wish to take kids to see it, but I’d suggest they be older kids, the little ones won’t get it and will get restless for it is not a short performance.

I left the theatre very happy, and was glad to see that Cats is doing well. In fact I liked it enough to buy the mug, and for those of you in the know that means I really recommend it.

The show runs until June 1 and tickets can be purchased online or by calling 214-631-ARTS.