How hard would CATS be?

please, please, please if you're gonna do it RENT your sets and costumes, otherwise, just don't...

Updated On: 9/14/05 at 03:48 PM

Ditto everything FOAnatic says...personally I like Cats (even though I know it's not the most popular show) - back in it's day, when I first saw it, there was really nothing else like it. And as a dancer, I enjoy watching the choreography.

You are going to need some very strong dancers with a solid core ballet background. The acting is important - each cat has a personality (even the ones in the "chorus") that needs to be mastered to keep in character. Watching some of thse performers *is* like watching my two cats at home (they like watching this DVD by the way!).

As far as singing - it's not the most difficult. If you have a solid group of musical theatre performers, they should be able to sing this score just fine.

Try to watch the DVD with Elaine Paige as Grizabella - this is actually a pretty good recording of a stage show - it's grainy, but there's not a lot of close ups, so you can actually *see* the staging, the sets and the dancing.

Costumes and makeup are key, but are certinaly doable with a good craftsman at the helm.

I think the sets could be tricky to build. I agree, rent them if you can.

Good luck, and let us know if your group decides to do it!

EDIT: Also, saw hydraulics and it made me think - if I recall, there are some light pyrotechnics (mostly in magic tricks) in this show? You may need to adjust staging for certian scenes depending on building codes.

Overall probably quite a challenge to put on, but I don't think it's impossible!

Updated On: 9/14/05 at 03:57 PM

I too have been in this show before back in the mid-late 90's and it is an extremely difficult show to do. While vocally the parts aren't terribly hard you try dancing your butt off and trying to sing it all at the same time. You will need "The CATS Chorus" which are offstage/pit singers to help fill the sound of the show.

This is another show that frightens me that community theatres are attempting to do. The production cost is very high not to mention the talent that you need to do this show and do it well. I honestly would recommend that your community theatre think of doing another show.

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What is frightening is that people here think that the only way to put on a show is to replicate the Broadway production. I've seen this in threads about shows high schools should and shouldn't do, etc. Set wise, it needs to look like a junkyard. That shouldn't be too difficult, but it won't be cheap. Contrary to poular belief, one does not need hydraulics simply because the Broadway and London productions used hydraulics. An imaginative director should be able to stage anything on a modest budget. The concern I would have is the dancing, though you can't possibly do a worse job than Gillian Lynne, who is the Bristish equivalent to Wayne Cliento (ok, she's not THAT bad, but still).

There is...its the only Lloyd Webber show that was filmed as a replication of the stage production (albeit with some trims in the dance sequences). They used the UK tour set, so that should give you an idea of what it looked like.

hehe. that's a good episode...

"What is frightening is that people here think that the only way to put on a show is to replicate the Broadway production."

Ditto. I couldn't agree more. Well said.

I think this is a great production for community theatres to do, and I'd love to see high schools do it in a slightly abridged edition, perhaps removing some of the lengthier dance sections if necessary.

Ditto, Fosse76!

High Schools and colleges for decades now have been doing "My Fair Lady." But I'm sure people in their day said, "Wait, you can't do that show, because the costumes and sets are too expensive," or "You can't do Sweeney Todd unless you have a iron foundry brought in and assembled."

There are other ways to make these shows work. As with any play in any theatre, you have to have a talented cast, creative team and crew. The rest (to get corny for a moment) is the "magic."

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Unless the score is transposed. Argue though you may, composers, to this day, allow works to transposed for a particular performer. It's the whole package. It can't be just about the singing. An altered note here or there doesn;t change the show, the character, or the meaning. I get irritated by complaints in Phantom the the e flat (or whatever that note is) is lowered in the film, when I don't see how that matters. It's not like it was lowered into a baritone range. Personally, I like Madonna in Evita, and I can't stand Patti LuPone's high screeching on the OBC. Just because a score is altered doesn't make the performer less capable of doing the role. (Just explaining my view). CATS is hardly anything to complain about for altering the ranges, as long as it sounds good.

I agree again, Fosse76. I think songs should be tailored to a performer to show him/her in the best possible way, just like a costume is. It's like expecting a tall actress replacing a short one to fit into all the clothes with no alterations. It ain't gonna happen much.

They need to be right for the part, but "right for the part" (to me) doesn't hinge on whether or not they can hit the same high C or not... any more than whether or not they can wear the same belt size. There's more to a character than that.

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Updated On: 9/14/05 at 09:15 PM

THANKS for all of your input.....not sure if we will do it or not now, but your comments will help in the decision making process and make for lively discussion and discourse.

I have the show on VHS and it is a beautiful piece. The dancing is very difficult, and the people need to be well trained. I'll defiantely double the part about the mannerisms. They must be CATS! The set is very detailed, but can easier be built together, it's basically a junk yard. I think when I get out of class I'm gonna watch CATS. Hope this helped.

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