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

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?

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

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

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

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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.