It is testament to the original team’s collective creative genius that, over 30 years after it was first seen at the New London Theatre, CATS is basically still the same show that it always was. There was little need for Andrew Lloyd Webber to add new songs, Gillian Lynne’s superb choreography has stood the test of time and the poems of T S Eliot, played out on the stage, are just as mesmerising in 21st Century Eastbourne as they were when they were written – in short, as a show, it ain’t broke and doesn’t need fixing.
That familiarity is exactly what the opening night audience is looking for and, as the lights dim and the live music fills the auditorium, the audience settle back in their seats, as if to greet old friends and, one by one, those old friends appear.
Cats with incredible names like Munkustrap (Callum Train), Admetus (Cameron Ball), Bombalurina (Charlene Ford) and Carbucketty (Jack Allen) appear from all over the stage, and auditorium, and, as their numbers swell to over two dozen, they launch into Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats and display their energetic dance moves and almost impossibly tight choreography (and costumes!) for all to see.
As part of this song the entire plot of the show is explained, and it goes something like this – once a year a cat is chosen by their leader to head off to “cat heaven” and to be reborn into a new life – simple as that. Over the next two and a half hours, in a series of wonderfully varied pieces we get to meet about a dozen of those cats and we learn a little more about each of them.
Jennyanydots (Abigail Jaye) appears to be one of those cats who just laze around all day but, while the family are asleep, she teaches the mice to sew and crochet and the cockroaches to tap-dance whereas Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser (Benjamin Yates and Dawn Williams) are the kind of cats who could easily destroy your house and then just look at each other when you try and find out who was to blame.
The pace of the show is relentless and, with several members of the cast playing multiple parts, must be very taxing on the actors – but they don’t show it. They run, dance, leap and interact with the audience with incredible enthusiasm from start to finish and really bring the performance alive.
Of course, when one talks of CATS, there is one main musical number (although the refrain crops up throughout the show) and, as act two draws to a close, Sophia Ragavelas takes centre stage as Grizabella the Glamour Cat to deliver a faultless and very emotional rendition of Memory.
Other highlights that deserve special mention in this production are Filippo Strocchi as the hip swivelling hunk that is the Rum Tum Tugger, the really touching number by Gus the Theatre Cat (Paul F Monaghan), the terrifyingly terrific Macavity the Mystery Cat played by Cameron Ball and, to top it all, the marvellous magical Mr Mistoffelees – a tour de force by royal ballet trained dancer Joseph Poulton.
Despite its age, CATS has lost none of its strength. It’s still a powerhouse of skill, energy and drive, filled with fantastic tunes and tremendous dance numbers and, as the packed first night audience left, we were all wondering how soon our “old friends” would return, and hoping that we won’t have to wait too long.
***** Five stars