Cats the Musical Review

I went to the London Palladium last week with my Mum and saw Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of Cats! I was so super excited for this, not only because I am obsessed, but because I've not been to the west end for a long while now. Mentally slapping the back of my hand.

Let's start off by saying I was amazed at how much this revival was like the original. Unfortunately I never saw the first stage production, but I most definitely did worship the video tape I had of the performance. Ah those were the days - went you had to rewind the entire tape to watch it from the beginning. I loved everything from the costumes to the characters, my favourites being Rum Tum Tugger, Mr Mistoffelees and Grizabella.

Ah yes, Grizabella, who is of course currently being performed by Nicole Scherzinger. Before reading the programme and seeing her experience, I had no idea that she had performed prior to this production. She was actually trained in Musical Theatre, back in Ohio, and has been in a number of performances. It comes as no surprise when I say that she was absolutely incredible. She has one of those voices that pulls you in, and just at the peak of the song, her voice fills every part of the theatre, leaving goosebumps in it's place. She sung Memory with such pain, a pain that isn't successfully conveyed through video, that my heart broke for her and admittedly, I did shed a tear.

For anyone who hasn't seen Cats, there's very little storyline and no real 'main' characters, making it an ensemble production. The gist is - all the cats come together once a year for the Jellicle Ball, which ends in one chosen cat being reborn into a new life. Throughout the play we meet many different cats, each explaining their story and their lives before Old Deuteronomy makes his decision at the end.
The ensemble were fabulous. They did exactly what an ensemble should do, move as one. What I mean by that, isn't that they were always in sync, but that they were focused and completely aware of each other, nobody outshining another and no one being the weakest link. Of course, you would expect no less in a production directed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
All I can say is bravo to the costume and make up team. Every single cat on that stage looked bloody fantastic, and I recognised every one of them from the original. I cannot express how happy I was when I realised that it was all exactly the same. But better.

I do have one bone to pick unfortunately. Rum Tum Tugger, the provocative, sexy and charming cat that gets all the female felines swooning, was transformed into the common chav. With bling hanging from his neck, a snapback twisted backwards, and trainers on his feet - he was a far cry from the handsome rebel of the original portrayal. As if that wasn't enough, his song was rapped. Rapped.The character was transformed from the suave gentleman that has had his fair share of ladies, to a young boy who, had he been human, would have undoubtedly had acne. Call me traditional, but I hate it when ideas of appealing to a 'younger audience' automatically end with that image.

Aside from that, an overall great production. What would have been 5 stars, I've had to bring down to 4. Damn you, Rum Tum Tugger. Although Nicole Scherzinger is soon to leave the role, they will be replacing her with Kerry Ellis and have released more dates. I would definitely suggest going to see it! I have no idea how long they plan to keep it in the west end, so see it while it's there!

I also posted a much much shorter review on my Youtube channel: