Breaking News: CATS to Return to Broadway This Summer; Andy Blankenbuehler Joins Team- Page 5

[chernjam]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 9:42pm

Love these posts "who needs another revival of Cats" - did they say the same thing for Side Show, Spring Awakening, The Color Purple?  At least Cats was a mega-hit that obviously many want to see again. 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 10:11pm

There is a whole section on Cats in the Michael Riedel book Razzle Dazzle. It is quite interesting as is the book.

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 10:16pm

Peter2 said: "But on the other hand, given what you say the show is about, isn't it it ironic that the revival will take up a valuable Broadway house, likely for years, that could otherwise be devoted to a new musical, or the revival of one that hasn't already had all the success that "Cats" has had (it occupied the Winter Garden for EIGHTEEN years!).."

 

Well, the Neil Simon hasn't exactly been so kind to these new musicals and musical revivals of which you speak. Nothing that has played that theatre since the end of 2009 has sustained a run of more than six months. It seems silly to decry a production as being a waste of space when it very well may be the Simon's first occupant since the closing of Hairspray to keep the lights on for a substantial amount of time.

 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 10:31pm

As much as I am not a fan of the show, the previous posters comments very well said and probably true.

Updated On: 1/21/16 at 10:31 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 10:35pm

did they say the same thing for Side Show, Spring Awakening, The Color Purple?

 

Yes they absolutely did, and right here in River City.  And also Fiddler, Gypsy, RENT off-away, Cabaret... in fact people say it all the time about shows that weren't as reviled as KATZ.

Updated On: 1/21/16 at 10:35 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 10:42pm

'the revival will take up a valuable Broadway house, likely for years, that could otherwise be devoted to a new musical, or the revival of one that hasn't already had all the success that "Cats" has had '

 

I think it makes perfect sense since the bottom line is money.

 

 

[c0113g3b0y]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 11:59pm

i hope they cast Stephanie J Block as Grizabella. not Nicole Sherzinger, YUCK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUE_pX4UWaE

[c0113g3b0y]

Posted: 1/21/16 at 11:59pm

i hope they cast Stephanie J Block as Grizabella. not Nicole Sherzinger, YUCK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUE_pX4UWaE

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 12:40am

Why does Blankenbuehler keep getting hired? Sure, he's great in the hip-hop world, but when it comes to other shows 9 to 5, Annie...he's pretty bad. I can't see him making a pop and locking Cat. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 12:48am

Oh he most definitely will. Don't forget the Rum Tum Tugger raps now.

[MorningGlow2]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 12:49am

As much as I'm looking forward to this, I still miss the awesome staging from Japan's CATS purpose built theater, complete with a rotating seat section.

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 12:54am

That pretty much looks like a replica of the New London Theatre set.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 11:27am

And it looks like the Winter Garden Theatre during CATS original Broadway run: 1982 to 2000.  

 

[BroadMagTech]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 11:30am

I would love to see pictures of the Winter Garden transformation. I searched google but could not find any good ones. 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 12:27pm

There's a black and white photograph of Napier's set model for the Winter Garden in the coffee table book but I can't find a copy of the photograph on-line. It provides a little bit of an idea at least of how the proscenium was essentially eliminated and some of the other modifications.

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 6:58pm

Medium.com published a very funny article called "The Amazing, True Story of How Cats the Musical Came to Be":

 

1. At some point a composer thought to himself, “You know what would be cool? A musical about cats where all the characters are cats.”
2. The composer likely shared his idea with friends, family members, and colleagues. At least a few people in his life said, “A musical about cats where all the characters are cats? That sounds like a good idea for a musical.” These loved ones apparently harbored no ill will or malice toward the composer, and their support was genuine and not part of any elaborate plan to humiliate or ruin him.
3. Around this time, the title “Cats” was conceived to really play off of the overwhelmingly cat-centric content of the musical.
4. A first draft was written. This draft included moments where cats sing, dance, and tell stories, setting up a conceptual framework wherein the cats are magic and vying for a spot in cat heaven.
5. A second draft was written in which the composer, who was actually already kind of successful, read over his musical about cats called Cats where all the characters are cats and attempted to identify weaknesses and correct them. In spite of this, the second draft of Cats was still a musical about cats.
6. The song “Memory,” the grand dramatic climax of Cats, was completed. The final crescendo of the song, and thus the emotional apex of the musical about cats, featured a cat belting the lyric, “Touch me!” The composer played this song for his father, who continued to love and respect his son and did not say anything to the tune of, “This is ridiculous and you are wasting your life.”
7. The musical about Cats was pitched to a producer who did not immediately kick the composer out of his office. In fact, the producer agreed that the musical about Cats was a good idea for a musical and was willing to put up a great deal of money, like ****ing $5,000,000, to produce the musical for a public audience. That $5,000,000 is not a metaphorical $5,000,000 exaggerated for emphasis, but the literal amount of money spent to produce Cats, a musical about cats where all the characters are cats.
8. Auditions were held. People of sound mind and solid judgement willingly chose to participate in these auditions. It is conceivable that a very talented young actress on the cusp of a promising career was rejected by the producers for not sounding enough like a cat.
9. A choreographer, makeup artist, costume designer, and set designer were all hired, knowingly attaching their names to the project. None demanded to work under a pseudonym, none were being blackmailed, and none were working on the musical in order to pay back a blood debt.
10. During rehearsals, the director likely angrily shouted, “No, damn it! More like a cat!”
11. Cats, the musical about cats where all the characters are singing and dancing cats, opened to the public. It was neither financially nor critically a complete and massive failure. Without having to be motivated by morbid curiosity, actual human beings paid money to see Cats, and theater critics, with no trace of sarcasm or irony, declared Cats a hit, encouraging even more mentally stable adults to pay their hard-earned cash to see other mentally stable adults dress up like cats and dance around for two hours.
12. Not satisfied with simply existing, Cats won the Tony Award for best musical in 1983, permanently recording in time a moment where three other musical productions were told, “I’m sorry, but there is a musical with singing and dancing cats that is better than your musical.”
13. Cats has since been translated into over 20 languages, meaning this isn’t just one of those white people things. Some productions have grossed over $155 million dollars, up $155 million dollars from what rational thought would lead one to guess it would gross. Cats went on to run longer than any other Broadway musical in history. No, seriously. I **** you not, it continues to be a beloved musical today.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 7:30pm

Rotating seats? 

 

 

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 8:22pm

Yes to Stephanie J. Block as Grizabella. I think she'd be absolutely lovely in that role. It's going to take a lot for me to think of Scherzinger as a "glamour cat." But it seems more or less set in stone from all the buzz prior to the announcement.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 1/22/16 at 8:40pm

I imagine this revival will be similar to the production that played two seasons at the London Palladium which was a modified version of the UK touring production. 

 

[Princeton78]

Posted: 1/23/16 at 8:34am

Yes, rotating seats. In the original London production, when you entered the theatre, the back of the stage was facing you, and some patrons, who thought they had been screwed were seated "behind" the stage as it was set. Imagine their surprise, when at the climax of the overture, the whole thing, including their seats began to rotate, thus making them the front 5-ish rows when all was set. 

That was a lousy job of explaining it, but hopefully you get the idea. 

I for one, am beside myself about this news. Cats was my first show ever (at the Winter Garden w/Lillias White as Grizz), and while it's certainly not Carousel, it's brought me much joy and I can't wait to see this revival. I will miss the huge billboard at the WG though, as I don't think there much you can do in the "larger than life" vein at the Neil Simon. 

Scherzinger's final verse of Memory is impressive on YouTube, but overall, I'd love to see Block play the part.  Or, is Julia Murney available? Could a more age-appropriate Marin Mazzie handle it? 

Updated On: 1/23/16 at 08:34 AM

[perfectliar]

Posted: 1/23/16 at 1:24pm

Cupid Boy2 said: "Nothing that has played that theatre since the end of 2009 has sustained a run of more than six months. It seems silly to decry a production as being a waste of space when it very well may be the Simon's first occupant since the closing of Hairspray to keep the lights on for a substantial amount of time."

 

But All the Way and The Illusionists both recouped at the Neil Simon despite short runs.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 1/23/16 at 2:27pm

Borstalboy said: "People are going to look at this show in the same spirit as they look at the hairstyle they had in their senior high glamour shot."

 

No. not really. Only you will.

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/24/16 at 8:05pm

It sounds like we're getting a cheap touring version, so, while I think there might be some hype for the first couple of months, I don't think it's going to be the "experience" that the original once was. Much like this new Les Miz. There were no "wow" moments in the revival. 

[c0113g3b0y]

Posted: 1/24/16 at 8:16pm

RippedMan said: "It sounds like we're getting a cheap touring version, so, while I think there might be some hype for the first couple of months, I don't think it's going to be the "experience" that the original once was. Much like this new Les Miz. There were no "wow" moments in the revival. 

 

"

you think MIss Saigon will be in the same vein (cheap revival) lol?

[binau]

Posted: 1/24/16 at 8:31pm

"Could a more age-appropriate Marin Mazzie handle it? "

 

Yes absolutely (assuming her health is in good order).

Updated On: 1/24/16 at 08:31 PM