1/19/02
Since the new Cats tour stubbornly refuses to come to Virginia, I must needs go to it. Thankfully I have kind and hospitable friends in some choice cities so I will get to see the show a couple times. My first chance came when the tour was at the “Fabulous” Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Ga. Mom, Dad, and I bussed down to spend the weekend with my dear friend Alice and her family. On Saturday evening all six of us, Alice, David, their daughter Amanda, my parents, and I drove into Atlanta to see the show.
The Fox Theatre is absolutely gorgeous inside. Like Richmond’s Landmark Theatre (AKA the Mosque) it has an Arabian flavour to the décor, plus it gives the impression of being in the courtyard of a medieval castle. On the way in I unexpectedly met Reeza, whom I had last seen at the Cats fan reunion party last August. We chatted a bit and I asked if she’d found the stage door. She had, but this was her second or third time seeing the show at this theatre. We promised to meet there after the show then went to find our seats. Alice and I had ordered our tickets separately; she and her family were in row Q while my parents and I were in row CC on the outer aisle.
There were a few swing announcements before the show. Ronnie Nelson, normally Alonzo, was playing Munkustrap so Karl Warden was Alonzo. Also Susanna Hirst was Rumpelteazer and Erin Braithwaite was Cassandra. Warren Freeman was Skimbleshanks; he’s not a swing but a recent addition to the cast and his name is not yet in the program. Now I must say thank you to David Blonn (Pouncival) for giving me the names since the announcer read them off too fast for me to write them down. Thanx, Dave!
And so it begins. Mom and I were sitting next to each other and whispered comments throughout. Bear in mind that this was only her second time seeing the live show, the first time being nearly three years ago. When the stairway to heaven thingy came down during the overture and started to rise again she asked, “Is that the Heaviside Layer Cake?”
I was listening with only half an ear and just told her what it was. About ten seconds later it sank in and I gave her a poke. “Heaviside Layer cake!” I snarled in disdain. She just laughed, quite pleased with herself.
I must note this at the beginning, though I didn’t fully realize it myself until later. The tour has no Coricopat and Tantomile. Therefore their lines and other parts were given as appropriate to the other Cats. Ronnie Nelson as Munkustrap made a great first impression. Even my mother, who is a professional musician and somewhat picky, said, “Ooh, he’s got a nice voice,” after he sang his first line. Actually there were not many singers who didn’t have nice voices. The only one I can remember who made a bad first impression was Sillabub. But in her case I think she may have had a cold or something; you could hear her struggling, poor dear.
For the most part the show resembled Broadway, so I’ll mainly be detailing differences and highlights. For instance, in Jellicles Songs M&R took over the lines and parts usually done by C&T. I found myself watching Alonzo a lot. (What a surprise.) He had the same costume more or less as on Broadway making him easy to track (you know I’ve memorized every inch of that pattern), but the makeup was distinctly different. The base colours were a little more than half yellow and the rest brown instead of mostly brown. I rather like it that way, though I prefer the other.
For Naming they gathered into a cluster similar to the one on the video. They didn’t come down from the stage until late in the recitation. Indeed, I wasn’t sure if they would at all. And they only crept up to about the seventh row before retreating again. Ah well, I thought, no kitty contact tonight.
Here’s something to ponder: there were people still just arriving this late in the performance, and more who got up and left, never to return. Seemed like quite a lot actually. What gives? Is this something that always happens in any performance and I was just noticing it because I was sitting farther back than usual and on an outer aisle? It was very irritating; I simply can’t believe that every one of those persons had a sudden family emergency. Perhaps I am being petty, but if I’m going to pay to see a show I’m certainly going to make an effort to get there on time and I’m going to sit through the whole thing whether I like it or not. (Classic example, Rocky Horror Picture Show.) I wish some people would show the same courtesy. Phew! I feel better now. :~)
Shylo Smith was remarkably limber as Victoria; I’ve seen only one better and that was the inestimable Phyllida Crowley-Smith. I was a little startled, though, when Mistoff came out for Invitation and someone started singing, but it wasn’t him. Then I noticed Munkustrap standing back on the tire; he was singing. I think the part may be just a little low for Ronnie, though; it really is a part for a baritone with a good-sized range.
Ronnie continued his lovely singing in Gumbie Cat. As well as a gorgeous voice he also has a great diction, all in all a perfect Munkustrap. Pity he’s normally playing Alonzo. Because, I think, of people getting up and leaving I missed Jenny’s entrance, but she came from stage right where the stove is. She was the cutest thing with a little bobble on her cap that wagged back and forth as she waddled across the stage. She had a nice strong voice, too, which we would hear more of later. The Beetle’s Tattoo went as usual, and it was here that I noticed how particularly tall Ronnie is. (Have I ever mentioned that tall men turn me on? Probably because I’m a bit tall myself.) At the end of the song he picked up Jenny’s coat and went to put it on her shoulders, but she ran to the other side of the stage to bow. Similar, yes, to what Jeffry and Sharon did on Broadway, but in this case Jenny didn’t look like she was doing it on purpose. He caught up with her as she bowed low and dropped the coat on her just as Tugger’s music started, covering her completely. It was amusing to watch her flounder for a minute underneath it.
Tugger leaped out onto the tire with a loud “Meow!” Stan Stanley impressed both my mother and I with his good voice and diction, a combination that a Tugger often lacks. But he was done wrong by the printers, unfortunately, for in the cast list in the Fox Theatre stagebill he appeared this way: Rum Tum—Tuggerstan Stanley. (Ooh, bad one!) The dancing in this number was particularly light and energetic. When time to choose his victi—er, partner, he strutted nonchalantly down and took the hand of a lady in the second row aisle seat. After a short conversation she stood up and did a little dance with him. When she sat down again he encouraged us to applaud her, then returned to the stage where he showed that he was every bit as good a dancer as he was a singer. He really made a meal of the abou-ou-ou’s, the girl Cats squealing in delight. But to my surprise neither Teazer nor any one of the others went totally nuts at the end. I felt the lack of it. During the free-for-all that followed Tugger was at the edge of the stage, flirting with various girls in the first few rows. Then Grizabella appeared and the mood swiftly changed.
This number had very little different from other shows. Gretchen Goldsworthy as Grizabella had a very beautiful, strong voice, but she had a tendency toward the occasional impromptu glissando, which I found irritating.
William Hartery was adorable as Bustopher, waddling across the stage in a way that almost seemed to tangle him at the ankles. Julie Garnye did beautifully as Jenny, the matronly Cat with a schoolgirl crush. The first row of seats has several feet between it and the stage, so when Bustopher threw his flower he had to give it a good hard toss. And the intended recipient caught it one-handed; I think she was expecting it. Then they brought him back to the top hat and Skimble gave a little wiggle of his rump as he dusted it off with his tail. As on Broadway BJ sat down on the word “it” and all the Cats did a little lift, though not so pronounced. Later the male Cats were lining up to receive Bustopher, one paw on the hip and the other extended. As usual there was dissension in the ranks. Plato kept swinging his arm out to knock Alonzo’s down, at which Alonzo would swing his arm down and around, and back into place. But they straightened up and behaved as Bustopher walked by. He passed over everyone and acknowledged Pouncival at the end, causing that kitten to swoon back against Tumblebrutus. Then BJ prepared to take his leave, kissing Jenny’s hand. She moaned loudly and sagged into Jellylorum’s arms.
A siren was heard and Bustopher hustled off the stage while the other Cats tensed. At Demeter’s cry of “Macavity!” they all scattered, with Munkustrap and Alonzo the last ones off. Then we heard a cute little snicker and out popped the terrible twosome. Mungo jumped down from the car while Teazer slid down on her backside, letting out a “Wheeeee!” that ended in a giggle. Bryce Bermingham and Susanna Hirst were quite cute as M&R. Unfortunately somewhere along the line it was decided to trim the show to fit two hours, and this song was one of the casualties. The two middle stanzas got chopped out, much like in the video except that there was no bad editing job. They moved smoothly through; only someone familiar with the show would notice. At the fall of the Ming vase Teazer said, “Uh oh!” then they both burst out laughing. Not too repentant, are they? Voice-wise they were very good, especially Bryce who had a remarkably strong voice for a small guy. (And boundless energy, too!) He did, however, have a tendency to go flat periodically, though that may have been due to fatigue as it was happening near the end of the song.
Old Deuteronomy went as usual, though Cassandra sang, “I believe it is Old Deuteronomy,” since C&T weren’t there. Ronnie and Stan blended beautifully on their duet. Mother and I were in ecstasies!
Now here was a moment I had been anticipating. I had noticed in the stagebill that the Alonzo actor was also billed as “Rumpus”, so I wondered if they would do P&P even though I’d heard it had been cut. I was skeptical because Alonzo was still on the stage as Munk began, “Jellicle cats meet once a year…” Then the fanfare began, so I thought maybe it would happen after all. But the music was interrupted by a crash of glass and Demeter’s cry of “Macavity!” Oh, bummer.
The Cats all fled from the stage, leaving Munk and Old D alone. Slowly they crept back and Song of the Jellicles began. I was waiting to hear Alonzo and Karl Warden didn’t disappoint me. He had a lovely deep voice and a sexy walk. Another one with a nice and deep voice was Dave Blonn, whom I pointed out to Mom when he gave his line. Munk, Lonz, and Plato strode purposely forward on “Jellicle cats develop slowly,” and Tumble was just behind them, mockingly imitating them. The line “Jellicle cats are white and black,” normally delivered by C&T, in their absence was given by Victoria and Mistoffelees. Very fitting. The rest of the recitation went much the same as Broadway.
So far I had been impressed (or not) by the singing; now it was time to enjoy the dancing. Alonzo was a favourite, naturally. He didn’t seem to have quite the sheer joy of dancing that I was used to seeing from another Alonzo, but he was still very enjoyable to watch. Also Everett Taylor as Plato, who filled out his lycra costume nicely. The kittens, Pounce, Tumble, and Mungo were all cute and light-hearted. And McCree O’Kelley (interesting name) as Mistoffelees, while not as elegant and controlled as Jacob Brent (THE Mistoffelees as far as I’m concerned), was still impressive. He was a delight to watch largely because of his adorable kitten-like face and his playful antics and mannerisms. The rest of the Ball was largely the same as on Broadway.
Memory, and then intermission. I had cookies for the cast and after some indecision I gave them to a liveried usher (or “the man in the monkey suit” as a less garishly dressed usher described him) and asked that he get them to the cast. I’m not sure he ever did, though; Dave Blonn said he never got a sniff of them.
When I came back to my seat a young lady was asking Mom some questions about the show. Mainly she wanted to be able to identify some of the characters; she was much impressed by Victoria and Mistoffelees. She had never seen the show before and only knew the song Macavity. (Not Memory?) I explained the minimal plot to her and how Macavity fit into it. She seemed eager to see for herself. Then at her friend’s insistence she went out for a smoke…and never came back. Well, whaddaya think about that?
Intermission ended and the Cats started coming back onstage. I didn’t get to see and kitty antics, though, because people were still coming back to their seats well into Moments. Grrrrr! Jarrett Ali Boyd as Old D (hey, a Virginia native!) had a beautifully rich tenor voice that was a pleasure to listen to. Sillabub was still going flat, though. Actually, every now and then her voice would suddenly come through clear and on key, so she may have been either fatigued or sick or both.
Gus as an intro to Growltiger was just fine. Wendi Bergamini as Jellylorum sounded like she was forcing her voice a little, but she improved as the song continued. William Hartery as Gus was all ham! But our enjoyment was somewhat marred by the thought that the first-timer would come back and block our view during Growltiger. Which she didn’t, so much the better for her.
Then came Growltiger, the favourite song of both my mother and I. This being a tour show with a movable set, a curtain came down to hide the transformation. Gus did his own transfiguration from the shaky old Cat to the brawny pirate then turned and gave us his best piratical laugh. The curtain lifted to show the crew, Munk, Lonz, Tugger, Skimble, and Mistoff busily swabbing the deck. The song went beautifully, with Mr. Hartery hamming it for all he was worth. I noticed that Alonzo got an extra line in the third verse. “They would fortify the hen house, lock up the silly goose,” normally sung by all of the crew was sung by him alone. Hey, Alonzo needs all the solo lines he can get! The blocking and antics for this song were remarkably similar to Broadway, but I believe Suzanne Viverito, formerly the dance captain for Broadway Cats, had a hand in the staging so that would explain it. When Griddlebone came on there was much pushing and shoving by the crew to be first in line to greet her. She swept haughtily past them, only to swoon into their arms when faced with Growltiger. Then they were ushered off under the scrim curtain, all except Munkustrap who stayed as night watch and promptly fell asleep. The Lovers’ Last Duet was divine; Hartery’s and Bergamini’s voices complemented each other perfectly. And there was much fussing between the two divas. Growltiger’s scream when Griddlebone scratches him is one of Mom’s favourite parts and he let out a good one. Then the Siamese came out and shooed Munkustrap belowdecks. Bryce was cute as Genghis, but he sounded like he couldn’t decide on an accent. He started as Fu Man Chu then gradually changed to a New York gangster. The fight was much abbreviated. Just a few clashes of the sword before Growltiger knocked Genghis down and laughed in triumph. But when he turned back Genghis had jumped up and was aiming his sword at Growltiger’s groin. The pirate Cat backed away sniveling, and impaled his rump on someone’s toasting fork. It was pretty much over then, though Growltiger did make one attempt to retake the ship. But ultimately he was forced off. He held his nose as he jumped, even though there was no splash to justify it. The rest of the number went much as usual.
Skimble was wonderful. He had the most beautiful baritone voice I have ever heard from a Railway Cat. The choreography was the same as on Broadway, but there were subtle differences. Like Mungo and Pounce were having a little scrap during the train-riding scene until Skimble came over and made them behave. The makeshift train was less elaborate than on Broadway, and the umbrella had a couple big rips in it. It ended more or less as it did on Broadway.
When Macavity came out for the kidnapping Mom leaned over and whispered, “Look at the size of them thighs!” They were rather impressive I must admit. :~). Demeter’s opening dance was shadowed by Alonzo as on Broadway. Both she and Bomba had such lovely voices I was beginning to wonder where Troika had found them all.
The fake Old D shuffled out and everyone was fooled except Demeter. (Come on, folks, these are cats. If she can tell he’s not right by smell, surely the others can, too. And if it’s not his smell, what is it? Speculations?) Given another look at Macavity I came to the conclusion that the costume must be padded; I didn’t think any dancer would be that big. (Everett, if you happen to be reading this, please don’t take offense!) The fight was similar to Broadway, though of course, the lift/spin was replaced with a simple spin away. How disappointing.
After Macavity shorted the lights Tugger came on recommending they ask Mistoffelees for help. Which they did, of course. Mistoff was very good, though I thought he was a little stiff on his jetes. He got in about 24-25 turns. Cassandra was his lovely assistant, and she didn’t seem at all reluctant. Old D was conjured up exactly as expected, ho hum. I think maybe I’ve seen this show too many times. (Is’t possible?)
Now I must say that Katie Ann Wanner as Sillabub sounded much better on her Daylight solo and during Memory. She has a very pretty voice when it comes through. Grizabella also has a lovely voice, but she was getting a little too schmaltzy for my taste.
Then it was up, up, up, up to the Heaviside Layer on a flying saucer. I can’t help but think that effect takes away from the moment. Then we had Ad-dressing, during which we got to hear more of Jarrett’s beautiful voice, then off for bows. I noticed that Plato and Alonzo, both tall men, were having a competition to see who could walk on his hands the longest. What a load of show-offs! And after the bows Tugger and Bomba were the last ones off and they did the little bit from Tour IV where Bomba pushed him down and stepped over him to leave the stage. Hee hee, perfect ending!
With the show over we met Alice and her family in the foyer. Little Amanda was half asleep so her father took her home and Dad went with them. Mom, Alice, and I went out and met Reeza at the stage door. The outside temperature was in the low 20s (F) with a vicious wind, plus we had to get back to the parking garage before it closed at eleven, so we didn’t stay long.
We did talk a little with David and Bryce. I told David that I would see the show again in Baltimore in April.
“Ah yes, Baltimore,” he said. “By then we’ll have had a break and we’ll be crawling around on all fours because we’re supposed to be cats, not because we can’t walk.”
Shortly thereafter I said goodbye to Reeza and her friends, and we returned to Alice’s house. On the ride home Alice told me that Amanda had taken her grey tabby beanie baby kitty (which she has re-named Munkustrap) with her, and whenever Munkustrap did anything on the stage she held up the beanie kitty so he could see what his namesake was doing. Awwwww!
Prior to going to the show I had been telling Alice about some other performances I’ve seen and some of the divas therein. Amanda, a very inquisitive child, asked what a diva is and we told her. The next morning over breakfast I asked her if she had enjoyed the show. She said she did, and then a very concerned look came over her face. “But did you see any divas last night?” she asked.
With a barely repressed giggle I told her no, that everyone had done a good job. This was Amanda’s first time ever seeing the show live, so thank you, guys, for helping to make it so memorable.