Oh dear, wasn't it a treat to see CATS again -- and with such a grand cast too! *happy* It was worth the trouble of going up to Edinburgh for sure...
I'll try to go through the show song by song and add appropriate references.
Ouverture:
Lovely... just hearing the music start up had me getting all antsy. The orchestra was doing a great job and they also added different instruments
and interpretations of the music. They had drums, especially during the Jellicle Ball and also for the Macavity fight. Especially in the latter, the
drumbeats went through and through, echoing really, which infused the atmosphere with a sense of dread and anticipation. For the Ballad of
Billy McCaw they brought on a harp at the beginning, which was gorgeous. But I'll come to that a bit later. It also should be mentioned that the
theatre was very nice itself -- gorgeous red plush seats and decorations, darkish and stylish. What I thought was a bit strange, was that they
advertised (like cinema commercials) on a screen in the middle of the safety curtain. I've never seen that in a theatre before and I consider it
to be a little out of place.
Jellicle Songs:
The set they used was, according to Carryl the video set. It was lovely to have the oven and the bedstand, even though the latter wasn't used
all that often I think.
It was quite obvious that the proscenium stage didn't lend itself to the feeling of being *inside* the Jellicle's junkyard, but the cast's enthusiasm
made up for the loss in proximity. We sat in the Circle for the matinee and then in the Stalls in the evening.
The cast came out with flashing cats' eyes in the auditorium and the circle for the Ouverture and the Naming, all other "interaction" was limited
to coming out of doors at both sides of the stage into the Stalls area and leaving the stage going past the seats to the right-hand exit.
Billy was the kitty on the trapeze, Tugger pushed him; and wasn't Billy ever tumbling about, he hung head downward, just his legs twined about
the trapeze. I think he had a safety line attached to a belt round his waist though (not entirely sure). There was no Electra *sobs* and no Etcetera
at this production, nor did we have Victor and George.
Naming & Invitation:
The naming was very nice in that the cast was very much in tune with each other and they spoke every line in synch, no matter where in the
auditorium they were. I appreciate that a lot; in the evening, we had Admetus behind us, saying his lines into the face of a girl who was
squealing and hiding at her boyfriend's shoulder. Sure, the guy was tall, but he was sitting in front of her and I'd have drooled rather than
squealed in fright if he'd had his full attention on me. The backview we got from where we sat was very nice though ;).
Munkustrap preened on the mention of his name, and he patted Quaxo's head as well. I think Admetus also acknowledge his name, Alonzo
most certainly did.
Victoria was certainly very graceful in her dance, and flawless too in the execution. Fluidity in every movement and an effortless flow of her
gestures. Quaxo then came out and I was surprised to find that he did not have a French accent at all.
Then Munkustrap talked -- the man has a beautiful, rich voice and is a very good singer (apart from the higher notes, especially the "sits in the
SUN" in Old Deuteronomy made that clear); I must say that I did not like his intonation of the lines as much as Kenny Linden's though. He was
more of an authority figure than a storyteller imo, an interpretation which he carried out wonderfully throughout the show. One thing I particularly
enjoyed was the incredulous intonation of "What's a Jellicle Cat?". I've never heard it spoken quite like this, as if the whole cast were totally
shocked that people (the unnamed 'man' actually) had never heard of the Jellicles.
Gumbie Cat:
I really enjoyed Munku's voice, and also the adorable way that Adme tried to catch his leg (or tail) as he moved around in a circle. Quite sweet
was the way that Munku sat down on the tire beside the queens after the first stanza and nuzzled with Demi, leaning his head against her
chest as she scratched his head *sigh*. Demi was incredible, btw. I'll come to it again later, though.
Now, seeing Barbara King again as Jenny was very nice, she made for a funny, young, and cute Jenny, with a natural authority. Cockroach
one was Carbucketty I think, and boy, was he cute ;). The rest of the 'roaches came out of the oven, along with some steam and lit with a
red light. Very nice. Great tapdancing, with Munku standing on the tire, directing the movements as if he were a conductor. I think he was
more or less directing the way the kittens used their cutlery than the way they tap-danced though. Quaxo was very cute in this number as well,
especially as he looked at the female kittens sewing and then rolled his head as they rolled up their work and threw it away. A bit of a
busy-body he was too, reminded me of Stuttgart, quite sweet.
Tugger:
Now, after the first (very interesting sounding) "Meow", Rumpleteazer was the one to call "Tugger". The tom himself appeared then and I must
confess he managed to take me captive at once. Very much the rock'n'roll type of guy, with an absolutely stunning voice; very sexy, very funny.
Instead of Etcy, he bucked his hips at Cassie, then fed her the mouse.
Quaxo came on to say his line, Tugger gave him a look, grabbed his face, and kissed him on the lips. Quaxo was obviously not pleased, he
kept glaring as he left, wiping his mouth *grins*. Bomba was very enticing in this, got a clap to her behind and returned the favour as she came
back to Tug.
What I loved was the obvious enthusiasm of the female kittens not for his hips, but rather for his crotch. Cassie was quite obviously drooling
and she wasn't the only one ;). The hip-swinging at the end was adorable, especially when Rumple started squealing, reaching her hand out
as if to touch that particular part of Tugger's body and then had his tail stuffed into her mouth. Poor Tug seemed a tad annoyed at the attention.
The dancing after was lovely, as always, Tug jumped from tire to carboot and there met Jenny, who danced with him, rubbing against his side.
Certainly a new interpretation ;).
Grizabella, the Glamour Cat:
I liked the tribe's reaction. There wasn't so much hissing as bodily reaction, i.e. turning away, physically shunning her. Adme and Billy set
Carby up to scratching Griz, huddling together as he inched forward. Munkus did hiss at Carby then, swiping both at him and the other two
kittens. Cassie turned away from Griz and went to Alonzo's side, who turned in front of her, spreading his arms out protectively (not that it
would've been necessary, Cassie wasn't in the least afraid, but I guess he was being manly ;)).
Demi was wonderful, gorgeously singing the song, very haunting, very engaging. Bomba's voice in this song was a bit tinny imo. I did like the
clipped ending of "Glamour Cat", which was also evident in the music and gave more of an edge to the sense of Griz being outcast. Demi
slipped to the edge of the stage after Griz, watching her amble down alongside the seats in the auditorium to the door; Demi then continued
to sit at the edge of the stage, purposefully ignoring Bustopher as she contemplated what had just passed with Griz.
Bustopher:
Very jovial Bustopher, and a lovely time to watch Skimble being all bustling about. Billy waved at Carby, and the two rolled in front of Bustopher,
then Skimble scolded them, Coricopat glared, and Jenny scolded Carby because he was right next to her. Poor kitty didn't have to feel
miserable long, Bustopher was up and about, after almost falling off the hat with a giggle, and Carby was trying to catch the white spats
with great enthusiasm.
In the meantime, Adme had pulled the hat to the side, sat down on it, and patted his lap. Billy jumped up and they rocked to and fro a bit, before
Billy was brushed off, pulled up by his tail, clapped on his behind and put in the tom's lineup by Adme. Skimble stood there as well, obviously
very proud that Bustopher saluted him. I think this Skimble was hero-worshipping the brummel of cats quite a bit.
I very much liked Bustopher's voice by the way, really rich and low; a controlled and trained voice (must check if the guy's an opera singer) ;).
Quaxo was really adorable too, gesturing about and chatting with Adme.
Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer:
To sum it up: WOW. Those two are the best! Beautiful work on the accents, energetic dancing and lots of stamina. Jerrie was incredibly
mischievous, a bit macho, and cute, with a lopsided grin to match; Rumple was self-assured and cheeky; together, they were incredible. I've
seldom been so impressed by the duo before. There were two passages where the music was a tad slower and had a different rhythm ("when
the area window was found ajar", "when the family assembled").
When the rest of the cats appeared to confront them, Rumple slipped past their legs, meeting Jerrie up on the boot. The loot was flung
unceremoniously across the scenery on stage left.
Old Deuteronomy:
On the music cue, Tanto and Cori came forward, as Quaxo said his line, with Tanto kneeling and putting her hands on Cori's back; a very nice
position. By the way, Kate Tydman was a lovely Tanto, completely in synch with her twin.
I really liked the way Munku and Tugger interpreted the song as well as their antagonism. It was Tugger who came forward and held out his
hand for a knuckle-knocking (very manly). When Quaxo brought Old D back, he went on the stage before him, totally overcome with happiness,
bustling around as if he couldn't believe the old guy was coming. He also indicated for the kittens to hug Deut as he came on stage. Then he
ran to Tugger standing on the pipe, half turned away, showing him that D was there. Tugger waved him off, then turned and lifted his fist in a
greeting that was mirrored by Deut. I particularly enjoyed this view of Tugger; he was cool and aloof, but more in a prankster sort of way, he
did seem to have a lot of respect for his elders and the other members of the tribe.
Pekes & Pollicles:
Again, though Munku had a wonderful voice, I liked Kenny Linden's storytelling better. The one thing I adored though, was how he said "were
so much afraid (with a high-pitched voice and shaking) that they started to call up the fire brigade".
Rumple and Carby were the peke and the pollicle facing each other off, and Rumple hit Carby on the head for barking out of line. Gus was so
adorable putting on his boxes, btw! I didn't pay him that much attention, but when I saw him, he was always fooling about, enjoying himself
immensely.
Munk turning his “round” was only interrupted by Tugger imitating him, then walking off, whistling and twirling his tail. He later came on with his
bagpipes (in the matinee he even wore a blue !kilt! with it).
Munku was definitely not happy with everyone's barking, in fact he was quite exasperated with everyone, and Jerrie was taking a deep breath
before letting out a series of high=pitched poodle like barks. So sweet!
Really cute was the way Rumpus came on -- everyone sang "Rumpus Caaaat" turning towards the spot behind Old D on the tire. They stopped
singing, dejected as Rumpus didn't appear, then took up on "Caaaat" when he did turn up ;). Very amusing touch! Munkus also did a great job
with the 'introduction' of Rumpus, being at once very annoyed and showing off. Cute. Also, on "fearsome", Rumpus let his wig stand on end,
getting a glare he smoothed his hair again, waiting for Munkus to intone "hairier", before letting it stand up. That's the first time I've seen the
lines be interpreted this way, very nice indeed.
Jellicle Ball:
Munku as tabby knight par excellence *rrrrrr*. Such a gorgeous piece of tabby ;). I loved the Song Of The Jellicles, as usual, very nicely
interpreted and the Ball itself -- wonderful. The cast was enjoying themselves, they were energetic, passionate, and just plain stunning. Carby
and Quaxo danced very well together, completely in synch and Quaxo's pirouettes were beautifully carried out.
At the matinee, Adme took over Tugger’s solo at the ball, unfortunately, the other guys decided to leave him to himself completely -- not that
I minded ;D. Also, Skimble was being very mischievous, as he doubled for Teazer during the partner dance sequence. While Tugger and the
others had their queens to shimmy with, Jerrie (with a huge grin) danced along with the tall orange tabby; he only chickened out with a laughing
fit just before the lift.
As Adme and Vicky came to the middle of the stage, Tugs lay down behind them, Bomba laying her upper body on his lower legs, then letting
herself slide down to a handstand with his legs supporting her, before she slid down between his spread legs. Very fluid, very acrobatic. They
then had a nice little chat, with Tugger patthing Bomba's back ;).
After everyone had settled down, Griz appeared at the Balcony above stage right; the drum beat, Quaxo flashed the lights, and everyone got up,
looking at Griz as they began dancing again. And wow, what an energy they had! I have seldom seen such a good cast and that's saying
something.
Memory:
I liked how Jemima peeked from behind Skimble's body at Griz, even when he had pulled her away twice -- he did it without hissing and without
too much force though.
At the matinee we had Chrissie Hammond, who gave her, imo, best performance so far. In the evening, Chevaun was on; while very good, I
didn't like her voice as much as it's higher than Chrissie's. I also thought she over-acted the part, stumbling across the stage. She was the
picture of the old, dilapidated cat, but I prefer Chrissie's dignified, almost haughty version of the outcast I must say.
Moments of Happiness:
In the evening, we were treated to Skimble stretching (aka showing off) just behind us -- at first he bent backwards (ouch), then he went into a
split. I admit I was mesmerized; he obviously enjoyed all women's rapt attention ;).
Deuteronomy had a lovely voice, he didn't sing this particular song as high as others I've heard, which I appreciated; he also used his own
intonation.
Gus:
Jelly was sweet, with a nice voice and I loved listening to Gus, though I must admit I didn't pay the two of them as much attention as I usually do.
I was watching Tugger and Bomba lying together, cozily cuddled up around each other *grin*; Rumple, Jerry and Vicky were settled near Old D,
and the twins were up on the boot. At the matinee, I had a good view of Billy and Adme, sitting behind Deut on the tire. Billy was draped across
Adme's shoulders, then cuddled to his side, stroking his arm and whispering to him *dies from cuteness*. Then Billy got up and left Adme,
instead joining the twins on the carboot, draping himself across Cori's legs. Adme joined them soon after, also lying down near Cori to be
scratched, while Tanto scratched Billy's chest (I term this the beginning of a kitty orgy -- my thoughts are, as always, in the gutter).
Gus' bloodcurling scream was a sweet "meow" (which made me want to rush on stage and hug him), then one of my favourite parts of the show
began. The pirates were grand! The steering wheel was fastening in the tire, a sail hung down behind them, and Quaxo was polishing
Growltiger's sword. Munkustrap dropped behind the steering wheel when Growl announced he was "on the loose" and Quaxo had to coax
him out from behind it. Growl didn't beat up his crew as fiercely as I've seen others do, even though Munkus had to fall to his knees and
squeal "Mummy!" *giggle*.
No "Sono Cui" *sobs*, but Griddle was a cute, capricious lady, letting herself be "manhandled" from one pirate to the other, bestowing a kiss
on Skimble and flirting with him as Growl made his advances.
She at first refused to lie down on the bed (some sort of huge pillow thing in violet), but then did, and the "duet" started. Actually, in this show,
they had Billy McCaw, which I prefer to the aria, but it didn't fit into the context of the text that came before it as well as the aria had done.
Growl started out by "playing" Griddle like a harp (with matching harp music), i.e. he "pulled her strings" at her shoulder, hip, thigh, and then
pummelled her ankles lightly. He sang the Ballad beautifully, with Griddle becoming "Lily", the barmaid, but only being able to get one stanza
in herself, because Growl kept stealing her limelight.
The last refrain they sang sitting on the bed together, with the rest of the crew around them, singing along, the Siamese behind them, swaying
along. Siamese Billy even used his costume to wipe the tears from his eyes. The jovial atmosphere was interrupted by Ghenghis' entrance
though ;).
Griddle's squeal as she ran away from the Siamese was short and sweet, but not very convincing imo. I also found that Growl, though he had
a brilliant voice, didn't infuse the Ballad and subsequent lines with as much feeling as Peter Bishop did. I missed the incredulous, questioning
"the plank?" most of all, and the death squeal wasn't quite convincing either. All in all, I loved the piece though, and I thought Gus was especially
good in the aftermath of the Pirates, when he began crying.
Skimbleshanks:
Quaxo had to climb onto the bedstead to wake up Skimble who was perched there. A very young railway cat, very energetic, and very
handsome (me, biased? ;D). He also had a lovely voice and was an excellent dancer. Jenny and Quaxo sat on the boot together, playing around; it was
obvious everyone enjoyed the song thoroughly (so did I). A fresh, new way of looking at Skimble, his character, and his song.
Macavity:
Quite interestingly, Demi only recognised Mac at the first scare, at the second, the whole tribe said his name. Additionally, there was the feeling
that most queens actually *knew* Mac one way or the other. Apart from Jelly, all queens were dancing, Jenny was up on on the tire, doing most
of the choreography, apart from the hip swinging, as she was sitting during that part.
The Deuteronomy kidnapping was done without words, which I liked very much, even though it would've been nice to hear Adme's voice ;).
Demi was fabulous. By far one of the best interpretations of the character I've seen so far; she wasn't freaked out by Mac, even the kidnapping
attempt had less of that "I'm going to get you back again, my dear" flavour. As Carryl pointed out, Mac was a ladies' man and just took Demi
because she was there ;). I liked the way that she had a good relationship with Munku and with the others, being a bit unsure about Grizabella,
but other than that not in the least skittish or kittenish, rather mature and self-assured.
Her dancing and singing ability were very impressive too. Bomba was good, I also liked her voice for this song, her demeanour was a bit
haughty and she didn't dance so much as moved about; the economy of fluid movements was something I didn't like all that much, though it
did fit her interpretation of the character.
Macavity fight:
Tanto, being all alone since Cori had gone off to be a Macavity impersonator, was on the sidelines and keeping away from Mac/Deuteromy
even before Demi realised it was a disguise Mac was using to get at the tribe. After Mac was unmasked, he hit Bomba (there were no male
kittens at the stage at that point I think, so the two cats Mac was hitting at as he slid to the front of the stage were Boma and, I believe Jenny
or Jelly). Munk came up and guided a crawling Bomba away before taking Mac on himself.
The fight itself, as I said before, was beautifully underlined with drums and both Munku and Mac did a great job on it, although it seemed less
passionate and dangerous than some of the fights I've seen. I loved the way Munku and Mac were acting their injuries, esp the tabby knight.
Billy hit at Mac, did a cartwheel, then Alonzo was there, and then the queens got up and hissed at Mac, effectively trapping him in a circle.
Mac then stumbled onto the car boot and, in the most impressive display I've seen to date, set off sparks with each of the cables on either
side of him, before bringing them together for an impressive bang. Just wow! ;)
The Munk/Demi in the spotlight scene was *very* nice. Not quite the Gone With The Wind approach Kenny Linden had, but with Demi
bringing up her leg and Munkus trailing his hand down it (very reminiscent of Adme and Vicky during the Ball I might add) it was certainly
very ... clear as to what their relationship was ;).
Mr Mistoffelees:
Tugger was as sexy as he should be, as cool, and as compelling; did I mention he had a gorgeous voice? ;) Misto came down, letting go of
his rope about 2 metres from the ground and drifting to the floor in style, holding on with only one hand. He shooed everyone off, before
his "Presto", making sure he had enough space ;). He did a very good job of dancing the number, every movement executed and it was a
joy to watch his enjoyment of the role. The split jumps at the end were a bit sloppy (the last jump even more so), I have to say, but his
pirouettes certainly didn't lack for either style or flawless execution.
Before Tugger sang his second stanza, Misto had to quiet down the audience, indicating that Tugger wanted to sing; cute.
He jumped up on the carboot, made a somersault down, grabbing the red blanket in the process -- very impressive indeed. After having
decided he wanted Cassie to assist him, he threw the blanket across Billy and Carby who were sitting together and pulled it off them as
he walked toward the pipe.
After having gotten Old D back (letting Vicky blow on his hands after two tries had produced no results), he stood off, blanket in hand, blowing
on it softly (like a cowboy would blow the smoke off his gun), then turned around and jumped into Deut's arms. Assisting Cassie onto the stage,
he made sure she got ample applause from the audience, which I thought was sweet.
Concentrating on the kitties running into the auditorium I failed to see the rest of his jumps, though those that I did see were very well executed.
At the end, he blew out the light, once with a kiss, once as one would blow out a candle.
Memory:
Jemima had a nice voice, but I must admit I don't usually pay her much attention *hides*. Deut was beleaguered by everyone to indicate his
choice and he pointed to Griz who was shuffling on stage. She was spurned, as always, I found it particularly interesting that Gus seated
himself at Deut's feet, as did Vicky.
I loved Chrissie's memory, she did scream the "touch me", but with the music on a crescendo that was necessary to be heard; her last note
was deep this time, making for a beautiful version of the song, what with her smokey voice. Lovely.
Journey to the Heaviside Layer:
I love the song, though I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, except that Demi bent backwards as the tire rose, which reminded me
dreadfully of limbo dancing. And Adme was taking care of Billy crawling at his feet. I also noticed that Billy and Carby quite often looked out for
each other; neither seemed to be "older", it depended on the situation who hugged whom protectively it seemed.
Addressing:
General cuteness abounded, with beautiful background singing from Old D. I love the guy's voice, it's not too deep, but mellow and very
enjoyable.
To conclude, one brilliant production, with an exceptionally good cast. Certainly better than the last London cast imo (I did like some members of the last London cast, though not all, and I most certainly didn't think them as good as a team). The tour did have the advantage of the cast travelling together, and one could see they were very familiar with each other in the way they interacted.
Carryl and I went to the stage door and though I'm a chicken we got to talk to same cast members, including Munkustrap and Skimble *grins*. Also saw Kate and Barbara, as well as Tommi Sliiden in a blue kilt (yes, the blue kilt that Tugger had worn at the matinee!). And we heard that the cast, apart from it being their last day (since they were either off the tour or on holiday or both) had been partying till 3am the night before. That they managed two energetic shows in one day after *that*, certainly is something to admire ;D.