Cats begins with the Jellicle cats assembling in the street. Old Deuteronomy, the patriarch of the Jellicles, will decide which among them will ascend into the Heaviside Layer to start a new life. Throughout the show, the different cats are introduced through song and dance numbers: there’s the wild Rum Tum Tugger, the clever Skimbleshanks, the washed-up Grizabella. Each of the cats has a distinct personality, and a social hierarchy plainly exists within the Jellicle tribe.
Despite the contempt and shunning of her tribal members, Grizabella never gives up on herself, and in the end she is rewarded for it. Although there is virtually no dialogue outside of the songs, Cats manages to masterfully deal with the preservation of dignity in the face of harsh judgment. Cats emphasizes believing in oneself and learning to appreciate others’ quirks.
The second-longest running musical on Broadway, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats is based off T.S. Eliot’s collection of poems, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Almost all of the songs in the show are set to Eliot’s verses.
This Mainstage production is CMT’s second production of the show. One beautiful aspect of Cats is that there isn’t just 1 star — 16 cats are featured in their own numbers. There’s plenty of stage-time for everyone, as most of the cast is on stage for the majority of the show.
Performances:
- Fri., May 9, 2014 @ 7pm
- Sat., May 10, 2014 @ 2pm, 7pm
- Sun., May 11, 2014 @ 1pm & 6pm
- Thurs., May 15, 2014 @ 7pm
- Fri., May 16, 2014 @ 7pm
- Sat., May 17, 2014 @ 2pm & 7pm
- Sun., May 18, 2014 @ 1pm