I was not a fan of the original Broadway production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats. The premise was silly, the plot (what little there was) was hard to follow, and the choreography, for me, was just a series of jazzercise gyrations. However, the score is first-rate, and is a staple on my Broadway radio station, SoundsofBroadway.com.
The cast of Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.
Fast forward to Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a reconceptualization of the long running musical that opened this week at the Broadhurst Theater. The show, which had a successful production downtown last year, has emerged as a high-energy, homage to the culture of vogueing and Ballroom that Betty Buckley (the original Grizabella) describes as a “fantastically costumed, ritualistic form of pageantry…[celebrated] by the Black and Latino LGBTQ communities.” Directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch working with choreographers Omari Wiles & Arturo Lyons’ dynamic and thrilling dance numbers have, effectively, rewritten an iconic, more traditional, musical and transformed it into a hip, contemporary theatrical tour de force. While forging into the present, the creative teams also honors the past as with the inclusion of Junior Labeija (Gus, an elderly theater cat), a pioneer within the Ballroom culture.
The show, for individuals not familiar with the musical, it is based on T. S. Eliot’s 1939 poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. The poet is credited with lyrics and book and was posthumously awarded two Tony Awards. The plot, as stated in Wikipedia, tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle choice" by deciding which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. In the original production, cats would be introduced, sing a song, preen, and perform high-energy production numbers amidst a performance space cluttered with garbage. In Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the vibe is of a drag show. Scenic Designer Rachel Hauck’s flashy nightclub setting, with on-stage seating and runway, provide the space for actors/actresses to strut their stuff and engage in dance-off competitions. Adam Honoré’s pulsating disco-era Lighting Design, and Kai Harada’s throbbing Sound Design, complete this reimagined work.
Leiomy, Kya Azeen and Dava Huesca in Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber songs, with updated rhythms and beats by Trevor Shaun Holder and Music Director William Waldrop, maintain their tuneful nature and reflect a number genres such as rock, opera, and music hall. The catchy melodies are a perfect fit for Eliot’s whimsical lyrics. The main issue with the vocals of the mostly sung-through show is, too often than not, the lyrics are hard to understand.
The diverse cast is led by the lively, 80-year-old Andre de Shields as Old Deuteronomy. Decked out in fashionable garb, with a wild, flowing grey mane, he is the beloved overseer of the pageantry. The other cast members, spirited and enthusiastic, with muscular and athletic dance moves, keep the show going at a feverish pitch.
Cats: The Jellice Ball, playing at the Broadhurst Theater on Broadway.
