Cats (1998)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Undescribable Perfection

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

"We liked it a lot. It was better than 'Cats'", theater audiences on a TV comedy sketch show proclaimed in a monotone voice after seeing the latest theatrical spectacular. Certainly, "Cats" has gone onto become one of the most financially successful musicals ever, but does that make it good? According to the billions who have seen it, yes, but to a small majority of those involved in the theater, it is a joke, the type of show one would sneak into like an alcoholic sneaking a drink. The music is mediocre (with the exception of one Broadway standard that everybody has probably heard, even those who hate musical theater), the story non-existent, and the premise manipulative. It's like the movies of today, all style-no substance, and after seeing the TV version and the new Broadway revival, I concur that indeed, this show has given me "Cat Scratch Fever".T.S. Elliott's book of poems was just that, poetry, and when put into the premise of a big spectacular musical, is a two hour pretentious ball of fur. It's mesmerizing to watch, and I feel for the talented performers who get put into all sorts of twisted positions, much like Julie Taymor did with her dancers in the stage version of "The Lion King". But unlike the king of the jungle, this kitty is about as emotionally involved as commercial cat Morris and cartoon cat Garfield. At least with those two, you could count on the commercial being over in less than a minute (and usually laughed at his cynical commentary) and the comic strip had wry comments on life, pet and human relations and with a 10 second reading, much more to give to the world than this has done in the past 35+ years.The premise of this show is simple: It's the jellicle ball for jellicle cats, and a song indicating what a jellicle cat is really gives no complete definition. Old Deuteronomy is sort of the great God like old cat who must choose which one of the jellicle cats will go on to start another life, and within the span of two hours, various cats of no varying personalities (with the exception of a few) audition for that honor. Ken Page is one of the great character performers of the theater, and makes a lovable and commanding Deuteronomy. The problem, then, is not in the performances, but within the show itself. Elaine Page repeats her London role as the aging glamour cat Grizabella who sings the poignant anthem "Memory" at the climax of act one, then repeated throughout act two, and she provides the only poignant moment for me that rendered any kind of emotion.There's a show-stopping John Mills as the "theater cat" who claims to have performed for Queen Victoria, giving one analogist the idea that "Cats" was a metaphor for the relationship between Queen Victoria and Disraeli. Original director Harold Prince summed it up best when he replied to that inquiry, "It's about cats." So even the director knows that it's pointless entertainment, manipulating theater goers for decades and certainly packing in the tourist trade in both London and on Broadway. Of course, everybody who has seen this show or knows about it knows "Memory" and characters like Rum Tum Tugger and Jenny Any-Dots (who would name their cat that?), and after seeing this, I needed a double shot of Rum Tum Tugger.The staging is impressive, but after a while, the dance numbers do nothing but take away the notion of any plot, and one number in particular reminded me of the 2002 disaster "Dance of the Vampires" where the living dead danced at the vampire ball in front of a mirror, with no reflection. The staging is corny, sometimes tacky, and when I saw this on Broadway, I realized that everybody around me with the exception of me had drunk the "Cats" kool-aide. I was happy to get this off my bucket list, but I certainly will laugh more every time I see a comic jab at this show, like Woody Allen did in "New York Stories" and what Marc Cherry did on the short-lived "The Five Mrs. Buchannans" when Eileen Heckart rushed her daughter-in-law Harriet Harris out of a store, claiming, "I'm not going to be late for Rum Tum Tugger just because of you." Like those two great theatrical ladies who obviously got the joke (Harris's character referred to it as technically amazing but artistically empty), I too am not taken in by over-stuffed smelly costumes and junk yard modern art when there is no point to the show in the first place.

This musical of Cats is the most favourite musical show because the first ever time I went to see cats the musical was in the Blackpool Grand Theatre when I was on holiday with my mum and dad. My dad said to me and my mum would you like to go and see cats the musical that was produce and directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber .The reason why I have chosen cats the musical is that it's an excellent musical and I love all the songs and dancing but I don't like Phantom of the Opera musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber it's not a good musical because I don't understand the French language and I also don't like opera songs all the way from this musical it's not the best musical to go and see . The favourite actors/actress of the cast of cats the musical is Victoria she is the excellent ballet dancers and I like it when Rum Tum Tugger jump off the stage to sit next to someone in the audience which I think that was the best idea that ever Andrew Lloyd Webber has done by letting one of the cast to jump off the stage to sit in the audience and he was so funny as well in the audience. I love all the other cast as well but the main person I look up to as a role model is Victoria because when I watch her on stage she has all the confidence to perform in front of an audience so that why it has helped me to build up my confidence to be able to sing and dance in front of an audience at my college performance . My dad got me an autograph from the main cast member which was called Old Deuteronomy who signed the programme book at the interval so that my dad came back to the seat next to me and hand me the programme with the autograph on it . My mum also brought me the cats the musical light up badge which I have still got today in my memory box. The other musical which is also second best is the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat that is done by Andrew Lloyd Webber which also the most interesting musical and its colourful which is more eye catching for other people to see .

I don't really know how to put this performance into words. It was a brilliant show for such a large performance being put into film. The production team of it just grabbed the best they could get. Elaine Paige is really good at her part which she is possibly best known for and as for John Partridge that sexy beast! He is just utterly fantastic as the Rum Tum Tugger - just like he was on stage when I saw him. This may seem at first a little slow but it gets way better after the prologue! It is just truly amazing and I think everyone should see it as now the musical has stopped running on stage now. This is possibly one of very few musicals that I cannot get tired of because it is just such an interesting and blockbusting show which deserves more credit than it gets sometimes!

I think that this is the best rendition of Cats that i have seen and John Partridge and Jacob Brent are the best Rum Tum Tugger and Mistoffelees that i have seen... i mean they are absolutely amazing what with Johns great vocals and Jacobs awesome dancing they make the show even more entertaining by actually taking on the persona of the cats themselves and making them more believable and realistic. The whole of the cast that worked on this video were absolutely incredible...a couple of the actors/dancers/vocalists made the show quite funny take Mungojerrie for example he always makes funny faces and mocks what others are doing ((like when he dresses as a pollicle dog and doesn't quite know what to do hehehehehe))