Is Wicked the New Cats?

Discuss.

Thank you, whoever-you-are, yes, I am.

Do you not see the parallels?

It looks like Wicked will last nearly forever, just as Cats did, for one thing.

The Producers did not have the teenage girl demographic.

Wicked is just going to burn out sooner than Cats did.

Updated On: 4/22/07 at 06:07 PM

Wicked has a plot and is just a little bit smarter than Cats, which probably isn't working in its favor in regards to keeping it open as long as Cats. The non-English speaking tourists kept Cats open. I read this in the a book somewhere. Its name escapes me, but it was brilliant- Cats was the show for the tired Japanese businessman.

sing? who said anything about singing? don't they just scream on pitch? (i use the term "on pitch" loosely)

One of my pet peeves (forgive the pun) is when people say that Cats does not have a plot.

It indeed does- It's thin, but it's there.

Munkustrap states the plot AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW in the "Invitation to the Jellicle Ball". Maybe you just weren't paying attention.

Munkstrap:
Jellicle cats meet once a year
at the Jellicle Ball where we all Rejoice
And the jellicle leader will soon appear
and make what is known as the Jellicle Choice
when Old Deuteronomy just before dawn
(with a silence you feel you can cut with a knife)
Announces the Cat who can now be reborn
And come back, to a different Jellicle Life
For waiting up there is the Heavyside Layer
with wonders one Jellicle only will see
And Jellicles ask, because Jellicles dare
Who will it be? Who will it be?

And then, they go into all of the individual numbers that showcase each Cat who has a chance to be chosen. (The Old Gumbie Cat, Rum Tum Tugger, Skimbleshanks, etc.)

At the end of the show, Grizabella is chosen, and she goes to the Heavyside Layer.

The plot is thin, and a little strange, but it's certainly there. I'm not saying that the Cat's plot is better than Wicked's, but Cats had an artistic flair that was unlike any show on Broadway at the time.

It is solely a dance show (i'm stating the obvious I know), but as they say: Dance is the Universal Language, which is why Tourists from all over the country who did not understand English (but wanted the experience of a Broadway show), would shell out Top Dollar for a ticket. Which in turn, kept the show running for many, many, years.

This is why I would have to say that Wicked is not the new Cats.

Mr Roxy, Expose yourself to as much theater as you can, and you will then be aware of why Cats will remain one of the most successful Broadway Shows in Musical Theater History.

CATS was sucessful because it was a show you didn't have to follow to closely or speak English to enjoy. It was a perfect tourist show. That's why it succeded. (This isn't a knock at the show, I like it.)

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jv92- I have the book too, it is incredible. It's called Broadway Musicals: The 101 greatest shows of all time. They also said this:
"Postmenopausal Matinee Lady A: Have you seen CATS?
Lady B: No...
Lady A: Well, I'll tell you what happens. There's a bunch of cats, and one of them is real sick adn tired. So, they put on a show to cheer her up. Then, they put her on a tire and shoot her through a roof."

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Updated On: 4/22/07 at 07:51 PM

I believe so. people that don't know the slightest thing about musical theatre know Wicked. I really do believe it will go down in history along with Oklahoma, Showboat, A Chorus Line, Cats, Phantom, etc.

I actually find Cats charming and a bit of an unfair target but:

"One of my pet peeves (forgive the pun) is when people say that Cats does not have a plot.

It indeed does- It's thin, but it's there. "

True but I think more to the point is it doesn't matter if or that it has such a feeble plot--the plot that is there is one that I'd say 80% (serious) of those who see it are clueless about. Even my mom who liked it cuz of the dancing but is hardly a theatre newbie didn't catch on to ANY of the plot...

Lizzy where do you live? In Montreal and Vancouver Wicked isn't a name of a musical people recognize the way they do Oklahoma, or now Chicago or whatever--AT ALL. It's just not a known show to non theatre people whatsoever.

Wicked is WAY better than Cats. Sorry, but I hated everything about Cats. If there is a plot to Cats, which I obviously did not follow, what is the central dramatic question in CATS? And what is the question that hangs on the end of Act 1 that will make me want to go back and see what happens?