CATS

dmwnc1959 said: "Is it still playing starting tonight on the Shows Must Go On channel?"

No. This weekend's stream is the Lloyd Webber 50th birthday celebration, live from Royal Albert Hall in 1998. It features tons of megastars and the greatest songs from his shows and compositions up to that point.

I was able to put up two tabs - one for the Cats streaming and one for ALW's "live" commentary - not too bad on the coordination. I wonder if they will leave up ALW's commentary on YouTube when Cats comes down.

Some notes on his commentary - some of which was new to me.

1. The Americans wanted Michael Bennett to re-choreograph the show for Broadway. Bennet came to London, watched the show and told ALW, et al that he wouldn't change the choreo (maybe a small bit here and there) and wrote a lovely letter of congratulation to Gillian Lynne. And the American producers wouldn't believe that Bennett had written the note!

2. ALW says a British author could not/would not have written the Eliot poems - at least in the way they were written

3. Eliot wrote Skimbleshanks to a 1930s song - and ALW thinks he knows which one - but he wouldn't disclose it! ALW's music is different.

4. John Mills did his scene in one take.

5. Others here knew - I did not - that Stoppard had written a screen treatment.

6. ALW dedicated this showing to his cat Mika that just died. I think he really loved that cat.

7. Mr. Mistoffeles was the first poem set to music.

8. I don't think ALW liked the Hooper film...…

9. I really enjoyed ALW singing along at the end.

2. ALW says a British author could not/would not have written the Eliot poems - at least in the way they were written

Please, the cats in Eliot's poems are clear archetypes of the British working and lower class. Nobody would have known Eliot wasn't born in England just by reading the poems.

blaxx said: "
2. ALW says a British author could not/would not have written the Eliot poems - at least in the way they were written

Please, the cats in Eliot's poems are clear archetypes of the British working and lower class. Nobody would have known Eliot wasn't born in England just by reading the poems."

Except for people who were maybe born in and lived in England, especially at the time of publication.

blaxx said: "Fosse76 said: "blaxx said: "
2. ALW says a British author could not/would not have written the Eliot poems - at least in the way they were written

Please, the cats in Eliot's poems are clear archetypes of the British working and lower class. Nobody would have known Eliot wasn't born in England just by reading the poems."

Except for people who were maybe born in and lived in England, especially at the time of publication."

They may have known Eliot was American-born; by the time of publication he had lived in England long enough to write with that cultural influence.

Those are pure breed British cats. To say no British poet could have written the piece is short sighted."

There are many foreigners who could write similar archetypes about Americans, but then miss out on nuances that an American would notice. Most foreign nationals never get a full grip on colloquialisms.

Updated On: 5/16/20 at 06:36 PM