'CATS: The Jellicle Ball' at PAC reviews- Page 9

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 1:39pm

Maybe I just missed it, but how is the show as, you know, a musical? Like I get the production is great, and they've done all these things to it. But is the score just kind of lost in the sauce, or besides the point?

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 1:44pm

It's still very much a musical and the songs feel like they almost make more sense because of the different story they're telling.  The score feels very much integrated into the new concept and things like Memory in particular are still used to really give the character a chance to shine and tell their story. 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 1:47pm

Somebody should write a musical about ballroom. The biggest appeal to cats for me is the choreography, the big choral sound, the costumes and wigs and makeup.  You’re never gonna see a scaled down production of the show so directors need to find a gimmick to make it exciting.  I just think this production took away everything that made cats exciting in the first place. But those who hate cats are feeling this

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 1:53pm

Broadway Flash said: "Somebody should write a musical about ballroom.”

Take the Lead premieres at Paper Mill next spring. 

 

[guitarperson]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 2:19pm

Broadway Flash said: "Somebody should write a musical about ballroom. The biggest appeal to cats for me is the choreography, the big choral sound, the costumes and wigs and makeup. You’re never gonna see a scaled down production of the show so directors need to find a gimmick to make it exciting. I just think this production took away everything that made cats exciting in the first place. But those who hate cats are feeling this"

Have you actually seen this production?  The ensemble vocals are certainly better/fuller here than they were in the last broadway revival, and the new choreography is wildly exciting.  I love the old Cats AND I love this one.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 2:26pm

They cut the endings of a lot of the songs to accommodate the ballroom. All you have is underscoring while the cats are competing in front of the judges.  this was the case with most of the numbers. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 3:41pm

Broadway Flash said: "They cut the endings of a lot of the songs to accommodate the ballroom. All you have is underscoring while the cats are competing in front of the judges. this was the case with most of the numbers."

They didn't cut anything, they aren't allowed to do that. Cats has numerous dance breaks that were trimmed from the 1998 filmed version (the only version I'm sure you've seen and the person whose comments youre parroting has seen because i know you havent seen this production) and that is what they perform over as well during the lyrical sections themselves. The entire SHOW is a Ball and if you think it lacks spectacle then that is a you problem, not a them problem because they left it all out on the floor. 

I have been a fan of Cats going on damn near almost 30 years now and this show is just as much a spectacle now in this production as it has ever been. It adds on a level of humanity to the story that was missing from the piece. If you fail to see that, then YOU don't know Cats. 

The Broadway revival was a production that so desperately wanted to have a new take, but their own hubris an inability to commit to a NEW version is the reason we were shackled with a Blankenbheuler-ized production. 

Updated On: 7/8/24 at 03:41 PM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 3:55pm

Broadway Flash said: "They cut the endings of a lot of the songs to accommodate the ballroom. All you have is underscoring while the cats are competing in front of the judges. this was the case with most of the numbers."

 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 4:15pm

They 100% rearranged the numbers including all sorts of cuts and add ins. I don’t know where ur getting that they’re not allowed to make cuts because they certainly did here

[Kad]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 4:23pm

What did they cut and add?

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 4:32pm

The dance arrangements were different.  In nearly every number. Rum tum, mistofolees, jennyanydots, mungojerry and rumpleteazer.  In skimble, the actor was a woman who was singing in Spanish.  They cut growltigers last stand.  You did not get the same sound and obviously not the same choreo.  They were not the same from any production, not the last revival, completely new stuff.  Thats just from the top of my head. Theres plenty of other things 

[Kad]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 4:54pm

The production's whole selling point is that it's a re-imagining of Cats. If you want classic Cats, ask your parents if you can pop in the tape.

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 5:03pm

Yes I understand that and I think doing new productions is great.  I like the great Gatsby and the new cabaret.  Stupid people on this board are acting like they didn’t make changes or that it sounds the same as the original.  I needed to correct them. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 7:22pm

Broadway Flash said: "The dance arrangements were different. In nearly every number. Rum tum, mistofolees, jennyanydots, mungojerry and rumpleteazer. In skimble, the actor was a woman who was singing in Spanish. They cut growltigers last stand. You did not get the same sound and obviously not the same choreo. They were not the same from any production, not the last revival, completely new stuff. Thats just from the top of my head. Theres plenty of other things"

You're just hopping all around now aren't you with what your issues are. Your complaint was that they cut lyrics so they could dance, and that is verifiable false. Really Useful does not allow changes like that. As for Growltiger, try and keep up. The last major production to use that song in the US was the tour before the Broadway revival. THEY did not cut it. Mungojerrie has had no less than three different iterations just in it's English productions. Originally a very Jazzy number in the OLC, in the OBC the characters didn't even exist as Cats themselves but rather costumes other cats wore and Mistofolees sang the song, and the version immortalized on the 1998 recording. I think it's Crazy that the first thing you jump to with Skimble is not her being an English train conducter, but an MTA conducter. I'd argue a far bigger change, but of course you'd focus on what i thought you would. Rum Tum Tugger is actually VERY traditional to the original staging and every single bit of swagger is there. 

Again, you have not even seen this production, stop pretending as though you did. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 7:26pm

Broadway Flash said: "Yes I understand that and I think doing new productions is great. I like the great Gatsby and the new cabaret. Stupid peopleon this board are acting like they didn’t make changes or that it sounds the same as the original. I needed to correct them."

You just love lying don't you? This entire thread is about the changes they made, you're just upset that people aren't just accepting your lie that lyrics were cut from any song so they could do ballroom when they're saying every word in the script licensed to them by Really Useful. 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 7:39pm

I have seen it, why on earth would I be going on about this if I didn’t see it. And there are cuts to the material beyond growltiger. The numbers have been changed.  Thats just a fact.  Stop lying!

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 7:46pm

Broadway Flash said: "I have seen it, why on earth would I be going on about this if I didn’t see it. Andthere are cuts to the material beyond growltiger. The numbers have been changed. Thats just a fact. Stop lying!"

Then name the ACTUAL cuts, tell me what lyrics are missing. Somehow I don't think you're that familiar with material that you'd even know what lyrics are missing. Careful, I have audio of this production so i can go back and check your work. Better yet, name the biggest change that I feel is obvious, but you haven't even brought it up. As though you haven't seen it. Weird.

As for why you'd be running your mouth if you hadn't seen it? It's a production by Black and Brown Queer people, that's all the reason you need and all the criticism you have to give. Nothing about the work itself, just that it is LITERALLY "different". 

Updated On: 7/8/24 at 07:46 PM

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 8:00pm

Are u talking about the battle with the dogs and the cats?  Yes I know they cut that as well.  I miss the old dance breaks

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 8:05pm

Broadway Flash said: "Are u talking about the battle with the dogs and the cats? Yes I know they cut that as well. I miss the old dance breaks"

No, again that's been a number in and out of the show for 40+ years. When you saw Gillian Lynne listed nowhere, why would you think you'd see them? They have literally been telling you how different this show is from the jump and none of that is in deviation of the text or cuts to the score. 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 8:14pm

Yeah I miss the sex-ography in macavity.  And mistoffolees pirouettes.  What is the most obvious change they made? 

Updated On: 7/8/24 at 08:14 PM

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 8:39pm

Broadway Flash said: "Yeah I miss the sex-ography in macavity. And mistoffolees pirouettes. What is the most obvious change they made?"

That Macavity isn't even the villain? Doesn't kidnap Old D and instead Old D takes the fall for him and gets arrested by the cops? 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 7/8/24 at 9:08pm

Oh yes, that’s a change that I liked.  This production is at its strongest when it’s making sense of the material. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/9/24 at 10:04am

Broadway Flash said: "Oh yes, that’s a change that I liked. This production is at its strongest when it’s making sense of the material."

So like... you didn't like the thing they were explicit in telling you they were changing for the past 2 years, but do like a thing they did change? And like... I'm fine with the change, but I wouldn't consider THAT in particular "making sense of the material" more so than anything else they did to connect the entire show to Ballroom. Okay...

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 7/10/24 at 5:53pm

Had a smile on my face this entire time. The audience is a lot, applauding and hollering for every little thing because they’re encouraged by the cast, but the cast works their behinds off and deserve that enthusiasm. Sydney Harcourt was gorgeous (but his bio made me think he’s his own biggest fan), Shireen Pimentel’s voice is beautiful (I like it more here than as Maria in WSS), Andre DeShields and Gus (I forget his name) gave this some weight and heart, and Mister Mistoffelees was my favorite. Really they were all great! Except…Grisabella. I was not a fan of her performance or her voice. There was no hope in her voice or expression at the end of the song.
 

She’s the only one who didn’t do it for me, but this whole show was a blast. I don’t know that it’s for everyone, and I’ve heard some say it’s planning a Broadway run, so we’ll see. If it does come, I was thinking about it and I actually think bringing it to the Winter Garden after BTTF is kind of perfect. The curvature of that theatre would work for the ball. “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” at the Winter Garden Theatre. Again and anew.

Updated On: 7/10/24 at 05:53 PM

[jakethesnake]

Posted: 7/10/24 at 8:59pm

DramaTeach said: "Had a smile on my face this entire time. The audience is a lot, applauding and hollering for every little thing because they’re encouraged by the cast, but the cast works their behinds off and deserve that enthusiasm. Sydney Harcourt was gorgeous (but his bio made me think he’s his own biggest fan), Shireen Pimentel’s voice is beautiful (I like it more here than as Maria in WSS), Andre DeShields and Gus (I forget his name) gave this some weight and heart, and Mister Mistoffelees was my favorite. Really they were all great! Except…Grisabella. I was not a fan of her performance or her voice. There was no hope in her voice or expression at the end of the song.


She’s the only one who didn’t do it for me, but this whole show was a blast. I don’t know that it’s for everyone, and I’ve heard some say it’s planning a Broadway run, so we’ll see. If it does come, I was thinking about it and I actually think bringing it to the Winter Garden after BTTF is kind of perfect. The curvature of that theatre would work for the ball. “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” now at the Winter Garden Theatre. Again andanew."

I enjoyed reading your review. Hope I get a chance to see this.  I was curious about your comment regarding Sydney Harcourt.  I went on the website and this is the bio on there.   I assume it’s the same as in the program.  I’m wondering what you are referring to?

Sydney James Harcourt is a Grammy®-winning multidisciplinary artist from Detroit, Michigan. Stage credits include: Hamilton(Aaron Burr), The Lion King(Simba), American Idiot, Girl from the North Country (Joe Scott – Drama Desk nomination). TV/Film includes: FBI, Blue Bloods, Elementary, Tell Me A Story, Edouard on Netflix’s Castlevania: Nocturne, Enchanted, and Disney’s Hamilton movie. Sydney recently appeared on PBS’s Black Broadway concert and is currently working on a Dance/Electronic album with Netflix Music Lab.