Cats Revival??

I know most people on this board despise the musical Cats. However, it is personally one of my all time favorite shows. It's a a show imo thats so thoroughly unique and creative. It's definitely not a Sondheim gem but in it's own way it's an innovative masterpiece. It broke the mold of B'way muiscals. There never was anything remotely like Cats before it opened and there hasn't beeen anything remotely like it since. Most likely there will not be anything like it in the future. It was completley original and brilliant. It's now exactly 12 years since it's closed and I'm dreaming of a fabulous full scale faithful to the original revival. When do you think will ever see a major b'way revival of Cats? I know many of you would be quite content if it never made it's way back to broadway. There has to be some other cats lovers out there. Thoughts, please?? They would have to dismantle the theater as they did at the Winter Garden to transform it into a junk yard. There arent many theaters on b'way that this can be done. They might have to actually use the Winter Garden again. Are there any ohther theaters which can remove the prosecium? This is also a huge undertaking to alter a theater for a revival, since revivals usually last 2 years maximum.

Updated On: 9/11/12 at 09:26 AM

What do tell was that?

I love Andrew Lloyd Webber and I love felines, but Cats is seriously just godawful IMO.

---

I love cats.

As much as I love the show, and would love to see it again, I just don't think there is a market for it at this time.

Back then, when it opened, it was something new and different. but that was the 'new at the time' so it was sort of a big deal and eventually through it's long life became an 'institution' You went to NYC and you saw cats.

I just don't think a revival would have the same meaning in these times. Also would you re-do it? Personally set and costume wise I think the original production was perfect.

Look what happened with Les Mis in 2006. If you brought back cats today in it's original form (IMO it's best form) it wont last more than a couple of years, therefor its not worth spending the money on.

---

I have a better idea. Have Sondheim write a musical version of Best of Show: COLLIES.

I think "Cats" would be great at the Delacorte in Central Park. Especially with a giant moon hanging in the sky.

A full-scale revival (gutting a theatre) would be too expensive now. My guess is that some innovative creative team will come along and reinvent it conceptually with new sets and costumes. That's when we'll see a revival.

I remember reading an interview about a dozen years go with Baz Lurhmann where is said (and I'm somewhat paraphrasing) that if you have a simple plot, you can add a complex creative style to it and tell it in an unusual way. If you have a complicated story with a lot of information to absorb, it's almost best to do the opposite with the production and present it in a very simple way.

I don't think the rules are quite a solid as that, but he has a point. With his own "Moulin Rouge!" the plot was very basic. A simple love story with a tragic ending. He told it in a complex, layered way with great style.

I think Cats lends itself to that approach as well (not necessarily with Baz's own style, but certainly innovative and even complicated). And with the right creative visionary, it could be another big hit.

By the way, count me as one who loved the original production (I saw it with the full OBC about two months after it opened). I realized how unique it was then. And the cast was unbeatable.

I will say this, however ... it wasn't necessarily "original," with one exception. Shows like that are rarely done on Broadway with that kind of budget and scale. But they are done all the time in small regional and experimental theatres around the globe.

The uniqueness of "Cats" was seeing "experimental theatre" sold to mass audiences on such a huge commercial level.

---

NO!! Please, let sleeping cats lie! Leave this alone. I like the songs-but the staging, not so much.

I would imagine that if there was a full-scale, big budget revival that there would be new orchestrations.

I took my 7 yr old granddaughter to see a summer stock production of the show this year and she was so bored that we left during intermission. We went for an early supper and I asked her why she hated the show. Her response was: "WEST SIDE STORY and THE FANTASTICKS have good music and interesting stories. This show is just stupid."

I fully agreed with her.

---

Pre-schoolers

---

Loved Cats then and still love it. Over the course of its lengthy run I probably went a dozen times with family, friends and dates. It was flashy with all the dancing and not overly complicated. It could be as much or as little as you wanted it to be whether you tried to analyze what they were all doing or just enjoy it as a review. I find it unfortunate that people are so harsh on it because they HAVE to have a plot. Enjoy it for what it is and if you still don't like it - that's fine too.

I don't see it coming around any time soon though. If it did I agree with others that it would be expensive and short lived. Might be interesting in the park though as mentioned.

It's already been done in outdoor spaces, Jordan, in cities with summers just as bad, if not worse, than NYC in terms of temperature and humidity. The Muny in St. Louis springs to mind.

Maybe they can do an adult version in Vegas with just body paint and no body suits, lol.

---