Cats Previews- Page 7

[Justin D]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 6:44pm

I wonder if we will get a new recording of the show, since the last official english one was the Australian one way back when. I for one would love one, but I have doubts they will bother.

But if they did, being that these days you don't have to worry about fitting everything on a record, they can do the whole show, extended dance breaks and all, especially if its distributed digitally

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 6:46pm

Ok, lucked into a ticket for tonight. I'll report back! 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 8:00pm

But if they did, being that these days you don't have to worry about fitting everything on a record, they can do the whole show, extended dance breaks and all, especially if its distributed digitally

My only wish is that they record Old Gumbie Cat with the sounds of the tap shoes. It's a tap number, I want to hear it.

[morosco]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 9:00pm

I just read on another board that this production only has 13 pieces in the pit compared to the original's 25.

 

Sorry folks, count me out.

[Justin D]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 9:07pm

TheatreFan4 said: "But if they did, being that these days you don't have to worry about fitting everything on a record, they can do the whole show, extended dance breaks and all, especially if its distributed digitally

My only wish is that they record Old Gumbie Cat with the sounds of the tap shoes. It's a tap number, I want to hear it.

 

"

Yea some of the recordings I have from abroad  (the live ones anyway) you can hear the taptap tapping, what also confounds me too is that almost every one has different music for that dance break.

The other little bits I'd appreciate including would be things like the full "Moments of Happiness" with the full Memory bit. But will miss Growltiger of course.

Would be nice too I guess to have an english Peakes & Pollicles recording without that harsh Aussie accent (baaaaak baaaaaak baaaaak etc)

 

[Justin D]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 9:09pm

also, set wise, someone posted curtain call vid on instagram and you can see the new lights they use that are LED inside the bulbs so they can be any colour you want which looks cool in the vid

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 11:50pm

Got home from tonight's performance just a bit ago. You guys, I unabashedly loved it. I have a bit of history with the show, many of my friends and I have been in productions in the past and had great experiences each time- though I wouldn't say many of us thought the piece was particularly well-done, just fun and memorable to be in.

 

But seeing it tonight on Broadway, with this exceptionally talented cast, I was just transported. It really does succeed in creating an otherworldly mood and places a bit of a spell on you.

 

The staging and choreography is pretty much all-around electric. Tons of the moments we know and love, but many exciting and fresh ones that use Mr. Blankenbuehler's sensibility to their advantage. The Ball is thrilling, and there is this lighting/choreography moment in Mistoffelees that is spine-tingling. He also was able to bring an tension and modernity to the Macavity fight, which has always been a bit ludicrous.

 

Is Bustopher Jones still pretty much a snore? Yes. Does the Pekes and Pollickes reimagined moment really work? Not really (in my opinion). But besides that, it really did feel fresh, kinetic, and inventive to me.

 

The cast is giving it their all and their enthusiasm, energy, and considerable skill really elevate the show to the great heights it reaches. LeProtto especially deserves mention for bringing a uniqueness to his fun characterization of Mungojerrie. Christine Cornish Smith is also really dazzling as Bombaluria. But overall, everyone is just dancing their ass off and it is dazzling.

 

Miss Lewis is green and it shows, but she looks stunning and the earnestness in her performance is commendable. And when she rips into "TOUCH MEEEE"- it's just one of those moments, and it thrills. 

 

Can't wait to give it a second look a bit into its run. I hope for its success, and congrats to all involved. 

 

 

[metropolis10111]

Posted: 7/16/16 at 11:59pm

I'm just excited that this thread is even here. As one that has ever recording of the show ever done. It was my childhood theatrical love and I still think it's a very meaningful work with view through the right lens. Just had to say that I'm excited that others feel that was as well. 

[Whateverjsays]

Posted: 7/17/16 at 12:02am

sing_dance_love said: "Got home from tonight's performance just a bit ago. You guys, I unabashedly loved it. I have a bit of history with the show, many of my friends and I have been in productions in the past and had great experiences each time- though I wouldn't say many of us thought the piece was particularly well-done, just fun and memorable to be in.

 

But seeing it tonight on Broadway, with this exceptionally talented cast, I was just transported. It really does succeed in creating an otherworldly mood and places a bit of a spell on you.

 

The staging and choreography is pretty much all-around electric. Tons of the moments we know and love, but many exciting and fresh ones that use Mr. Blankenbuehler's sensibility to their advantage. The Ball is thrilling, and there is this lighting/choreography moment in Mistoffelees that is spine-tingling. He also was able to bring an tension and modernity to the Macavity fight, which has always been a bit ludicrous.

 

Is Bustopher Jones still pretty much a snore? Yes. Does the Pekes and Pollickes reimagined moment really work? Not really (in my opinion). But besides that, it really did feel fresh, kinetic, and inventive to me.

 

The cast is giving it their all and their enthusiasm, energy, and considerable skill really elevate the show to the great heights it reaches. LeProtto especially deserves mention for bringing a uniqueness to his fun characterization of Mungojerrie. Christine Cornish Smith is also really dazzling as Bombaluria. But overall, everyone is just dancing their ass off and it is dazzling.

 

Miss Lewis is green and it shows, but she looks stunning and the earnestness in her performance is commendable. And when she rips into "TOUCH MEEEE"- it's just one of those moments, and it thrills. 

 

Can't wait to give it a second look a bit into its run. I hope for its success, and congrats to all involved. 

 
Do you know if Leona did the stage door? Someone posted that on opening night she only greeted a few people near the door and tucked away from the crowd. I've been dying to hear her sing Memory. 
 

 

"

 

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 7/17/16 at 12:17am

I didn't stay for the stage door, unfortunately, so not sure if or when she came out.

[ggersten]

Posted: 7/17/16 at 1:17am

How many have entered the MyCatsMemory contest for tickets to opening night?  I did.  With a photo of me holding up my then five year old daughter to the marquee.  She had watched the VHS tape so darn often - and the darn tape had kids dressing up and when she asked to go to see the show on broadway, I stupidly thought "well, Cats is forever" so agreed.  About two or three weeks later, Cats announced it was closing in June.  So, for the first time ever, I bought full price tickets in advance and we flew to New York (me, spouse, grandma and daughter) and I won eternal parent brownie points.  

Reading the stories on Facebook, however, show how many kids grew up with and got hooked by that VHS - and how many wanted to be the white cat- Victoria!  

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 7/17/16 at 2:11am

Could anyone elaborate on how the show SOUNDS? I am very very very disheartened to hear there is no live brass in this production, the brass in the original charts give it such a great flavour to offset the synthiness. Surely they could have afforded one trumpet?? A French horn?

As for the "it doesn't have a plot" argument, oh come on. To me it's more like HAIR than A Chorus Line, it's like a be-in of these funky cats just hanging out and showing off. Even in a bad community theatre setting I've found it at least enjoyable for the music and singing and dancing.

Where the social commentary is concerned, I agree with whoever said that ALW and co. weren't really paying any attention to that when writing it because as the show is that comes through as an afterthought. I understand that was the intention of the Eliot poems and obviously it is carried through in some of them but the vignettes chosen don't seem to create much of an overarching commentary to me. It can't necessarily be automatically grandfathered in from the source material.

What do I know though?

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 7/17/16 at 8:20am

Everytime I spot the words "reduced orchestrations" etc. my blood boils for some reason, LOL. Did Leona's salary cost them an arm and a leg? LOL

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 7/18/16 at 11:39am

snippet of Leona's Memory from Opening Night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vc1J4hx2Tk

video of her performing in ostume:

https://twitter.com/MatMac77/status/753721488197517317

video of her in rehearsal hitting the high "touch me"

https://twitter.com/MatMac77/status/753709160735338496

 

 

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 7/18/16 at 12:55pm

morosco wrote: "I just read on another board that this production only has 13 pieces in the pit compared to the original's 25. Sorry folks, count me out."

That thinking could possibly have you missing most musical revivals from now on. It's interesting to note that, adjusted for inflation, Broadway prices in the 1980s were still much cheaper than today's prices...yet we continue to get scaled down orchestrations, sets and casts. I just Googled an article from 2003 bemoaning the fact that Broadway's pit orchestras were down to 18 or 19 players as opposed to the 30 piece ensembles of earlier times. According to something I've found on Wikipedia (I know, not always correct), the original number of musicians required for the original productions of the following shows was:

BYE BYE BIRDIE  25

WEST SIDE STORY  31

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA  27

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR 21

A NEW BRAIN  5

Apparently, the most recent Broadway revival of FOLLIES had 28 musicians in the pit. I read once that the original production had 47, but I find that hard to believe.

I remember the grandeur of the FOLLIES Loveland sequence in the original production. There are very few photographs that do it justice; sadly. Loveland, in the last revival looked like an expensive high school production by comparison (the set design). Finally, and I've mentioned this before in an unrelated post, the original production of ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY had jaw-dropping sets. At one point, it looked like Imogene Coca was going to plow into the audience on the front of a locomotive engine during the "She's a Nut" number. Recent revival looked great...but again, no comparison.

I'm sure others can point out marked differences from the production values of original Broadway musicals and plays compared to their revivals. I don't pretend to know the behind-the-curtain economics, but if (adjusted for inflation) we're paying far greater prices for smaller and smaller productions...well, it's really too bad I guess. Can't wait to see the physical look of the upcoming HELLO, DOLLY! production.

Updated On: 7/18/16 at 12:55 PM

[Smaxie]

Posted: 7/18/16 at 3:09pm

The original Follies did not have 47 players. (Maybe that many were used for the Follies in Concert recording with the NY Philharmonic?) In the theatre, I believe Follies was scored for 28, as with the recent revival.  I don't know if it holds the record, but the original Carousel had the largest orchestra that I know of, with 39.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 7/18/16 at 3:18pm

Thanks for that Smaxie...as I said, I couldn't believe the 47 pieces either.

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 7/18/16 at 4:03pm

Enjoyed the "Memory" clips obviously she doesn't have the same unique hook in her voice as say a Betty Buckley but she certainly didn't sound bad.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 7/20/16 at 7:24pm

http://www.catsthemusical.com/broadway has been updated with cast/creative

[RW3]

Posted: 7/20/16 at 7:27pm

jacobsnchz14 said: "http://www.catsthemusical.com/broadway has been updated with cast/creative

Oh my god. Praise the Lord. 

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 7/20/16 at 11:23pm

Just saw tonight's preview. I will preface my post by admitting that I have never been, and never will be, a huge Cats fan. I like the show just fine and think that the score has some great gems, but overall I have never been over the moon when I have seen it performed regionally and then professionally on tour.


With that being said, I was of course not surprised to end up liking this production just fine, but not loving it. The new choreography is exhilarating, and I loved the new orchestrations. Everything about this production is top notch from the physical elements (great set and lighting) to the cast (phenomenal leads and ensemble). The set extends out into the audience, and I would say about 1/2 of the house beyond the stage is black and covered with set pieces. That being said,  the end scene with the ascent of the tire was vastly underwhelming.
 

As others have mentioned, there is a new song for Gus the Theatre Cat. The song is a hot mess and a disservice to the show in my opinion. I have seen local productions where his production number was cut altogether, and I vastly preferred him not having a production number.
 

Overall this was a mixed bag for me. Didn't love it, but I definitely didn't hate it. I was sitting in the second to last row of the mezzanine in the center, and the view was just fine. I would definitely recommend the mezzanine for this one. All in all, this was a fun and nostalgic night at the theatre, but nothing to write home about.

Updated On: 11/4/16 at 11:23 PM

[NewsiesForever]

Posted: 7/21/16 at 1:06am

Can I ask a big favor from someone going to see CATS in the coming weeks, would someone please be willing to get me a cast signed playbill? I would be happy to pay for shipping and handling. I was just betrayed and majorly let down by a very close friend-who I have ended our friendship, lets just say he took advantage of my friendship, and my money that I put away to go see CATS on Broadway. And now...I do not know when I am going to be able to go to New York.  Given that my graduation from Law School is in the coming Spring, I am hoping to go then. But I am asking a big favor, a huge favor from someone who has just been hurt and betrayed. A cast signed playbill from CATS is all I am asking for. 

PLEASE PM me and I would be forever grateful. 

[My Oh My]

Posted: 7/21/16 at 5:44am

A Playbill is one thing but cast signed? That's not a big favor, that's a HUGE favor, lol. What you plan to do with it? Cherish it? Frame it? Sell it on eBay? Hehe.

Good luck with that.

[Diva_Dom]

Posted: 7/21/16 at 8:35am

This has been asked, but I was wondering if anyone knew if Leona has been stagedooring? I'm going tonight, and would love to meet her 

[Buffalo Bill]

Posted: 7/21/16 at 10:07am

Hey NewsiesForever, 

I am sorry to hear of your trouble at home!

 I can get you a playbill for the show, possibly signed by a few of the cast members. 

I am the Concessions Manager at The Simon and we are having a great time with the amazing cast and crew of CATS.

So, I'll send the playbill in regular post if you want. 

Just come to the show in the Spring and say hi! 

PM me with your home address and I'll send it along. 

--Buffalo Bill