CATS: The Jellicles Have A Ball

*Media Invite*

Jellicle Cats come out tonight
Jellicle Cats come one come all:
The Jellicle Moon is shining bright —
Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball.

And what a ball we had, when the Jellicles came to town early this week with the opening of CATS, one of the world’s most long-running and beloved musicals.

I have a soft spot for CATS as it was the very first musical I ever caught live on stage, way back in 1993 when it first came to Singapore. My sister and I caught it together then so it seemed apt that we catch it together again this time round. We were both excited. While it has been a good 20 years since either of us watched the musical, it made such a strong impression on both of us that we were both eager to see how time and maturity have changed our perception of the show.

I recall having only a vague understanding of the story, and indeed, this probably because CATS has just the thinnest of storylines. It tells the tale of a tribe of cats, the Jellicles, on the night of their annual Jellicle Ball where a Jellicle choice must be made to decide which cat would ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn. One by one the cats come out to present their stories to appeal to Old Deuteronomy to pick them for this new lease of life before a choice is unanimously made. CATS is unusual in that there is no dialogue. Instead, the whole musical carried on the strength of the great choreography, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s wonderfully diverse musical score and the beautiful lyrical quality of T.S Eliot’s poems from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the latter of which forms the basis for the entire show.

The catty characters take centrestage and I believe everyone has their favourite! While I remembered only Grizabella the Glamour Cat and her unforgettable song Memory from our first encounter with the musical years ago, my sister has fond memories of the magical Mr Mistoffelees. These two character continued to captivate us in this current run of CATS, but we both agreed that the cat that made the biggest impression was the flamboyant Rum Tum Tugger. Earl Gregory who played the role in this run had great stage presence and oozed charisma that, with his flashy moves, made him quite the crowd favourite. I also enjoyed Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, played by Brent Osbourne and Dominique Hamilton respectively, who with their acrobatic acts, were a lot of fun to watch.

 

Aside from what was happening on stage, CATS is also notable for breaking the fourth wall and having the cats come into the audience. In fact, it is our interaction with one of the cats that remains the singular memory that both my sister and I carry with us from the 1993 production. The cats skulking around the audience, stretching over and asking for their heads and backs to be scratched is one of the highlights of the theatre experience. Do watch out as they may take you by surprise, like the girl seated in the aisle a seat away from me who screamed when a stealthy cat popped up next to her during the intermission!

All in all, CATS is a high energy visual spectacular full of toe-tapping moments which offers a theatre experience like no other. Don’t miss the opportunity to see for yourself why it remains one of the most enduring and beloved musicals of all time!

CATS Ticketing and Show Information

Season: 9 January to 1 February 2015
Venue: Mastercard Theatres, Marina Bay Sands
Performance Times: Tuesday to Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 1pm & 6pm
Ticket Prices: $65 through to $195
Booking Through Internet: Marina Bay Sands Ticketing or Sistic
Booking By Phone: +65 6688 8826