Millennial Notes

Andrew Lloyd Webber Creates a Thrilling & Distinct World

by Ian Waters  

The lights dim. The stage seems darker than before the show started. From the shadows, amber eyes begin to gleam, probing us as we enter this foreign world. Watching Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats,” based on T.S. Eliot’s book of poetry is like stepping into a fairy ring of European folklore. It is a magical place unbound by human rules.

The show “Cats” is based on the concept that once a year a group of cats gather under a special moon to dance and sing, to see who will be picked to go to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new “jellicle” life.

John Napier’s mesmerizing scenery breathes life. The captivating moon stands out in a backdrop of shining stars, overlooking the junkyard set where the cats play. Throughout the songs, countless pieces of junk taken from the heap are integrated musical numbers, such as a broken-down clock that shows the passage of time in “The Old Gumbie Cat.”

Natasha Katz’s lighting design evokes a beautiful and surreal world. Vibrant, colorful lights flood the stage, adding mysticism to the cats’ foreign world. But the lighting never feels excessive—every choice is deliberate and exciting. “Cats” pays attention to artistic details.

The majority of the songs come verbatim from Eliot’s poems in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, overlaid with live orchestra. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber uses his genius to create synthetic melodies, adding an eerie mystery to the score.

All the marvelous cats onstage chant the second song “The Naming of Cats,” together like a ritual. The effect is religious and cult-like, conveying that “a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.” Every cat knows this, and we are invited to know the secret, too.

The music is eclectic, each song advertises why a specific cat deserves to be picked for the Heaviside Layer. Each song feels distinctive, cleverly displaying the cat’s personality. Their styles range from dance-hall music  for  “The Old Gumbie Cat” to rock’n’roll for  “The Rum Tum Tugger.”

Suddenly, the color drains from the lights, as Grizabella (Tayler Harris) walks onto stage. Her gray coat matches the tones of the junkyard, and her make-up is tear stained.  Despite her desperate attempts, the cats won’t allow her to join them. Her iconic ballad “Memories” leaves us pitying her as Harris wails a beautiful lament for her isolation.

In contrast, the outrageous Rum Tum Tugger (Travis Anderson) enters with a swagger, a slick and confident cat. With every hip sway, and meow, his song portrays his punkish attitude in Anderson’s alluring voice.

Andy Blankenbuehler’s choreography feels very cat-like, with each footstep gentle and graceful. The actors perform with inhuman smoothness, with beautiful leaps, backflips, and lifts.

Before the curtain comes down, the company asks us to reflect on what we’ve learned about cats. We think and chew over what we learned about their mystical little world. At my end at least, while I’ve always been a cat lover, I’m now definitely a “Cats” lover.

“Cats” by Andrew Lloyd Weber, directed by Trevor Nunn & Chrissie Cartwright, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler & Gillian Lynne, scenic and costume design by John Napier, lighting design by Natasha Katz, sound design by Mick Potter, by BroadwaySF, at Golden Gate Theatre, San Francisco. Info: BroadwaySF.com – to June 5, 2022.

Cast: Vinny Andaloro, Travis Anderson, Chelsea Nicole Mitchell, Lexy Bittner, Taylor James Rosenburg, Lauren Louis, Tayler Harris, Kayli Jamison, Michelle E. Carter,

Paul Giarratano, Max Craven, Nick Davis, John Anker Bow, Aiden Pressel, Dominic Fortunato, Allison Lian, Brianna Kim, Christopher Salvaggio, Alexia Waites,

Sean McManus, Indalecio de Jesús Valentín, Hyla Mayrose Perillo, Gracie Anderson, Megan Arseneau, Carolyn Bacon, Kelliann Decarlo, Connor Orion Bermingham, Kieran Macdonald, Tony Mowatt, Brian Craig Nelson, José Raúl Mangual, and Elana Valastro.

Banner photo: Indalecio De Jesús Valentín as Old Deuteronomy and the company of the 2022 national tour of “CATS.” Photos: Matthew Murphy, Murphymade