Cats (Ultimate Edition) (DVD)

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Advantages:	Recorded for posterity, great performances, access to the show at all times .
Disadvantages:	No atmosphere, might stop people going to see live theatre .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Most of you will be aware of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. He has written many great musicals that have played in London’s West End and Broadway (including: ‘Joseph’, ‘Evita’, ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, ‘Starlight Express’, ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’, ‘Sunset Boulevard’, ‘Whistle Down The Wind’ and others.) Many of them are still running years after they opened and there are productions in other countries such as Germany as well.

If you are a fan of musicals then you will no doubt have your favourite Lloyd Webber show and/or song. Even if you are not familiar with musicals, you will no doubt recognise many of his more famous songs, the most famous being ‘Memory’ which is from this musical, ‘Cats’. Theatre snobs accuse him of dumbing-down musical theatre, but love him or loath him, you have to recognise that he has turned the genre around and made Britain a real force in the musical theatre industry and provided many jobs for those of us in it.

‘Cats’ is an unusual concept for a musical. It is based on T.S Eliot’s book of poems, ‘Old Possum’s Book Of Practical Cats’ (a favourite book of mine from when I was a child, I used to spend hours in the library reading this and enjoying the pictures!). There is no real plot as such – just a collection of introductions to many different cats that all have their own characters and history, the question is, “ Which old cat will be chosen?” Chosen for what we don’t exactly know, but once you are chosen you go to the ‘heavyside layer’ and presumable you are re-born so that you can become that cat you used to be (if anyone has a clearer understanding of this please let me know!)

All the actors in the cast play a cat, they are clothed in skin-tight (oo-er!) lycra that is patterned to resemble the particular type of cat they are playing (i.e. tabby or siamese). The make up they wear on their face fits in with the costume and really is very effective in making them look as cat-like as possible. They also wear wigs that blend in with the whole image too. When watching the show in the theatre you really do forget you are watching actors, they are so convincing! Many, many hours of rehearsals are taken up with workshops, to develop the actors ability to copy the way a cat moves and acts. Most of the performers are dancers, as this show is very much dance-orientated. Dancers are more aware of what their bodies are doing, so they are able to convince us they are really cats, it sounds strange I know, but it really does work.
There is no dialogue in the show; it is performed entirely in song. The music is mostly up-beat with only a few slower songs, so it is ideal for whole families to watch, as children should not get bored.
The choreography is spectacular, with many of the performers leaping about the stage and doing acrobatics. It makes you exhausted just watching them!
Cats is THE show to aim for, for most dancers. It demands very strong stamina and dance technique from them and is extremely hard work.

‘Cats’ is the longest running musical in the history of West End and Broadway theatre. So when Andrew Lloyd Webbers company (The Really Useful Group) decided to film his musicals, it was inevitable they would choose this one as the first.

Filmed in 1998 – ‘Cats the video’ is a strange thing. Just as Shakespeare’s plays were never intended to be studied (they were written to be performed and enjoyed by the audience, not trawled over by English students), ‘Cats the musical’ is a theatrical ‘experience’ that really need to be experienced as a live show, not on your TV in your living room.

I saw the show in London’s West End, approx 4 years ago. I was lucky to sit right at the front of the auditorium next to the stage. The theatre has been re-designed so that you sit ‘around’ the stage (the stage is semi-circular) and this really makes you feel part of the action. There are various ‘openings’ where the cast (who are all cats, more about that later!) can crawl out of and frighten you to death! If you are planning to see the show in London, I recommend you sit as close to the front as you can afford, it makes the show just that extra bit special.

Back to the video – the musical is filmed in a theatre, but with no audience, so you do not get any atmosphere of a live show, and that is something that I feel lets it down a great deal. What is good however, is that the camera can get real close-ups on the actors faces at specific times, so it adds to the drama and it is easier to follow the story.

Most of the cast will be unfamiliar to those of you that are not ardent musicals fans, but I am sure you will have heard of Elaine Paige, and here she re-creates her role of Grizabella the Glamour Cat. Grizabella is the role that sings the famous song ‘Memory’ (that Elaine Paige is so well-known for singing) and Elaine’s performance reminds us why she has been so successful in musicals. She has a powerful and dramatic voice that lends itself so well to this emotional song. Elaine was not the first choice for the role in the original production. Judi Dench was cast as Grizabella, but during rehearsals she injured her ankle and her understudy, Elaine Paige, had to take over from her. Isn’t that a great story? She quickly became a star after that and Memory became a hit song.
Another cast member is Rosemarie Ford, you may remember her as being a Generation Game host a few years ago. Rosemarie had a good career in musicals before working on TV, and it’s great to see her strutting her stuff again! (Did you know that current Generation Game hostess Melanie Stace, also worked in musicals before joining the show, another piece of useless info for you!)

All of the video cast have appeared in the stage version of Cats at some time, it seems they have chosen their ‘dream cast’ to perform in the video and it shows. Some very good performances here.

Lloyd Webber has plans to film all of his musicals to video eventually. We have already had Cats, Joseph and Jesus Christ Superstar released, with Starlight Express being the next to be filmed. Obviously this is making a great deal of money for the company, but I do wonder if it is a good idea or not. Will it stop people going to the theatres to watch these shows, or will it encourage them to see more?
I think the best way to view these videos is to see the shows first in the theatre, and then buy the video to remind you of the show if you enjoyed it. However, I do understand that theatre trips are very expensive and also difficult for people that do not live near London, so I expect it is fulfilling a need for those of you that love musicals but cannot visit too often.

The video is 1hr 56mins long and a certificate E (exempt from classification) suitable for all the family with no bad language. Although tiny children may find a few scenes a little frightening.

Although the video was released a few years ago now, it is still available in places such as Woolworths. I have seen it at discount price recently of approx £5.00.
Online:
www.amazon.co.uk have it for £14.99 plus £2.75 for UK postage
www.blackstar.co.uk have it for £16.29 plus £1.70 for UK postage
The film is also available on DVD and there is a video version that includes a 'making of' documentary that is included on the DVD.

There is also a website dedicated to the video ; www.catsvideo.com

I’d love to hear your comments on this and any other Lloyd Webber videos.