Cats

From LoveToKnow Music


CATS, the wildly popular and well known Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, shattered box office records around the globe. Despite being largely panned by critics, CATS is perhaps the best loved musical ever to hit the stage, with legions of adoring fans keeping the story alive long after the stage lights went down.

History

Stage musical extraordinaire Andrew Lloyd Webber composed CATS between 1978 and 1979. His inspiration was T.S. Elliot’s 1939 poetry collection, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Elliot’s work is the first appearance of many characters that would later be made famous by Webber, such as Grizabella, Old Deuteronomy, and Mr. Mistoffelees. Webber turned to Elliot’s writing, basing the most famous song from CATS, Memory, on the Elliot poem Rhapsody on a Windy Night.

London Debut

CATS hit the stage in London’s West End New London Theatre on May 11, 1981. The lead roles of Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy were played by Elaine Paige and Ken Page, respectively. Cameron MacKintosh and Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Company produced, with Trevor Nunn directing and Gillian Lynne choreographing.

Broadway Debut

The same team brought CATS to Broadway, debuting on October 1, 1982. The famous Winter Garden Theatre was home to CATS on Broadway. The show would go on to become one of the longest running musicals on Broadway stages, second only to another Webber production, Phantom of the Opera.

The Show’s Run

CATS had an amazing run of 7,485 performances on Broadway, before closing on September 10, 2000. In London, the show ran a total of 8,949 times. CATS closed in London on the 21st anniversary of its opening night, May 11, 2001. The final performance was televised live to an audience in Covent Garden.

CATS lives on in regional theatre throughout the world. The play has been translated into 22 languages and performed an inestimable amount of times.

Awards

CATS swept the 1983 Tony awards, taking away six trophies, for Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and Best Costume Design of a Musical.

Story

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One problem critics have had with CATS is its lack of a cohesive story, but there is a basic plot in place. The Jellicle cats are meeting for their annual Jellicle Ball, during which one of the cats will be chosen to go to Heavyside Layer to be reborn. Grizabella, the so called “Glamour Cat,” returns to the tribe at the time of the Ball, after many years away, exploring the world. Grizabella, older and wiser now, hopes her tribe will welcome her return, but she is shunned. It is Grizabella who laments the time passed with the famous song Memory.

Old Deuteronomy, the “father figure” to the cats, is then kidnapped by a band of rebel felines. Magical Mr. Mistoffelees is called upon to use his powers to bring Old Deuteronomy back. He succeeds, but the temporary loss of their leader softens the tribe’s feelings towards Grizabella, whom they now accept back into the group. Old Deuteronomy ends the musical by choosing Grizabella to be reborn in Heavyside Layer.

Confused? Check out CATS Musical.com - a fan site dedicated to all things CATS for a much more in depth plot analysis.

Songs

The songs in CATS have become some of the most famous, and most loved, musical theater songs of all times:

ACT ONE:

  • Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats
  • The Naming of Cats
  • Invitation to the Jellicle Ball
  • The Old Gumbie Cat
  • The Rum Tum Tugger
  • Grizabella - The Glamour Cat
  • Bustopher Jones
  • Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer
  • Old Deuteronomy
  • The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles
  • The Jellicle Ball
  • Grizabella

ACT TWO:

  • The Moments of Happiness
  • Gus - The Theatre Cat
  • Growltiger's Last Stand (including either "The Ballad of Billy McCaw" or "Una Tiepida *Notte" depending on production)
  • Skimbleshanks - The Railway Cat
  • Macavity - The Mystery Cat
  • Mr. Mistoffelees
  • Memory
  • The Journey to The Heaviside Layer
  • The Ad-Dressing of Cats

DVD Release

Webber produced a video version of the stage show, which was released in 1998. Elaine Paige and Ken Page revived their starring roles for the film.


 


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