FEBRUARY 14, 2001 (by Triskell)
go to Cast List February 14, 2002
February 14, 2002 (evening)
STALLS, O 9,10
Back at CATS for Valentine’s Day... This will be another show of my talent for keeping my observations short and to the point *ahem*
I had heard a few different accounts of and opinions about the new cast and was really looking forward to seeing it. Only seeing CATS once didn’t make it
any easier to take in everything and everybody, but I valiantly tried ;D.
One thing - I thought that all of the “newbies” were very good indeed, they all impressed me - what I esp. like is the fact that the interpretations are so totally
different now that I can see the characters from different angles.
I’ll be talking about each actor individually rather than listing the songs - for the main reason that I really tried to keep focused on the new performers and
those that I particularly like ;D.
I had the pleasure of seeing the sexiest Alonzo that ever graced the stage *ahem* Clinton is just marvellous - in each and every role. What a hunk! *coughs*
He has a sort of lazy sensuality that he plays down most of the time (making him all the more compelling ;D) and his voice as he comes out for ‘Song of the
Jellicles’ and ‘Jellicle Songs’ is enough to stun me.
Clinton was calm and kept mostly in the background of course, draping himself across the stage strategically and in effortlessly graceful sprawls though. It was
hard to *miss* that. And, as I might have mentioned before he’s one hell of a dancer, I love watching him during the group dance sequence in ‘RTT’ especially
and during the ‘Ball’ (where my eyes were mostly travelling from him to Adme to Munku and back again, throwing in the occasional glance at Misto ;D).
He was so sweet during ‘Growltiger’ - biggest Siamese (by a head and a half ;D), towering and still managing to fit in somehow - he also did the
‘Mating Dance’ with Vicky, trademark smirk on his face, though he wasn’t grinning as much as I remember of him. To say I go crazy over this Al would be
an understatement. *faints*
Peter Polycarpou is, imo, an excellent choice for his roles. His voice isn’t as good as Gareth Snook’s or Peter Bishop’s if you ask me, but his acting captured
and convinced me, esp. during ‘Gus’. I was awed by his mimics and gestures - perfect interpretation. And a fab Growl ;D - running around while the crew
sang, shouting hoarse insults (? I didn’t quite catch the words…) and stabbing the air viciously. A really funny Bustopher as well, though Peter Bishop remains
my fave still with his “sunlight” line and “Fore” *giggles*
During ‘Growltiger’, Munku tried to hide himself under the leopard rug (didn’t quite work, he’s much too tall, his legs were pretty much visible ;D). Skimble
sang about the “canary”, Growl’s hand closing across his windpipe, then Victor got hit in the stomach and the tabby kneed in the groin, while Misto remained
in the background. Peter P. was hardest on Tug though - he held his sabre to his throat while he sang, then stepped hard on his toes and pushed him aside
none too gently as he lay writhing on the ground.
Alexis Owen Hobbs as Bomba wasn’t quite for me. I liked her smile and cheerfulness, but I found her voice was a tad too high and I missed the intonation
that I’ve heard before from Helen Baker, Candice Evans and Julie Barnes. But Alexis is a grand dancer, her talent especially shines out during the ‘Ball’
whereas she didn’t quite manage to convince me during ‘Macavity’. Probably because she didn’t take the spotlight, leaving it to Demi instead - as if the
two had switched roles somehow.
She’s very laid back and quiet, more so than Julie Barnes without that cool aloofness to account for it. In fact, she seemed fairly playful to me, almost kittenish.
She also lacks, imo, a certain finesse in terms of cat-ness (not really a word I know ;D), although her movements are, at all times, effortlessly smooth and
flowing.
For ‘Naming’ we had Carby beside us, Jye has a nice rendition, trying to emphasize the words. Really cute ;D. And Kate as Rumple was at the foot of the
stairs, giving an adorable performance, mostly balancing on one foot and looking sweet and mischievous at the same time, her eyes roaming over the rows.
Carby was, as I’ve observed to be classified into the “cute and clueless” mimics section - Jye has a quirky, roguish grin, the next moment he’ll seem to chew
on something and his whole expression changes to “I’ve no idea what’s going on, please help”. So sweet ;D - I esp. noticed him during ‘Adressing’. And as
Skimble was asked to talk about the sleeping car, he mimicked a few thrusts at Cassie whose hand he was holding - she didn’t seem in the least amused,
however. In fact, her face was aghast and disgusted and she scowled wildly at him ;D.
Summer is a marvellous Cassandra, poised, the picture of elegance and very compelling. Her air of mystery is complimented by her poses which are flawless,
accurate and beautiful, just like her voice.
My fave thundercloud was on! *grins* Oliver’s such a cool Cori and so charmingly bad-tempered, great as always, esp. as Ghenghis of course. You gotta
love that lisp of his ;D. He also played Rumpus Cat during ‘Pekes’, he seemed a little clueless at times, but his grin was infectious, he seemed to enjoy goofing
around immensely. I guess I’ve found the perfect Rumpus now…
And Demeter *bows to the genial Barbara King*. She is a marvel - I’m particularly fond of her rendition of ‘Glamour Cat’, it’s just so fascinatingly haunting
and strong, mellow and melodious. During ‘Mac’ she stole the limelight, moving as if she owned the stage - beguiling and sensual. What I’ve noticed before
but probably not mentioned yet - her intonation of “Macavity’s not there!”, drawing out the last bit of “Macavity” as she draws back across the stage - lovely
complementation of the choreography.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to see Julie Carlton as Electra, but the next best lady - Emma Woods - in her swing costume. It’s always grand to see her and she’s
such a lovable, bubbly kitten, a little wild but with a certain maturity about her, unlike Julie’s thoughtful calmness that masks a decided mischievous naughtiness.
And Etcy - I was hoping for Sarah-Jane, but she was still off - so I had “Angel Voice” aka Rebecca Louis, which was fantastic ;D. I would have recognised
her voice alone as she sang “Are you keen to be seen…” into Tug’s microphone - heart wrenchingly beautiful rendition *wow* She also is a very cute,
spirited kitten, hopping about (in particular during the tap sequence in ‘Gumbie’), though she’s not as hyper as Sarah-Jane, more concentrated and a little
reserved.
Louisa Shaw was one of the new performers I took especial note of - her voice and her “Sono Cui” can’t compare to Rebecca Lock’s imo, her interpretation
stood out, however. She’s a fun Griddle, quite flirty and playful, and impressed by Growl, though *very* annoyed at his ignoring her most of the time ;D.
What I really enjoyed was that both she and Peter P. were actually drawing the rest of the cast into ‘Gus’ by turning around to them, indicating points, rather
than strictly playing to the audience. Louisa is a convincing actress, her mimics are fantastic, very pronounced and she manages to convey the meaning of her
words with her body language.
What I love is the way she delivers her lines, just like Peter P. she’s making me feel she *is* the character rather than simply *playing* it.
Caroline Bagnall is a sweet, adorable Jemi, I very much enjoyed listening to her, lovely voice. I didn’t watch her that much I must confess, but I watched her
during her solos and thought she was great indeed.
Susie Fenwick reminds me of Emma Woods’ interpretation of Jenny. I love it. She’s so funny and motherly and fantastic during ‘Gumbie’ - her shouting and
clear cut orders are way cool. She seems to get on pretty well with Ross, she and Skimble were together quite a lot, holding hands even as they promenaded
about *grins* Adorable couple those two ;D.
Kenny managed to leave me in stunned awe yet again as Adme/Maccy. Another superb performance to add to the long list of marvellous ones ;D. The
‘Mac fight’ was very much toned down, for Munku’s sake apparently - since the tabby wasn’t flung across the stage, just pushed a little.
Another change here - as Maccy lay on his back, Electra made a beautiful cartwheel across his prone body, before Billy (Stori James) jumped onto
Kenny’s shoulders instead of Clinton. I do like the ladies taking a more active part in the fight ;D.
Adrian rocks as MJ (in case I haven’t said so before…), he worked splendidly with Kate - those two are just so adorable together! Their loot having
been taken away, one bag fell onto Tug’s pipe and Jerrie got it, getting into a fight with Rumple over it as they sat on the car hood.
Kate was pulling at the bag while Adrian held on tightly and they didn’t cease their bickering even when RTT came out to sing his stanza in ‘Old D’ and
both their eyes were glued to him. Finally, Mungo stuffed his “treasure” under his shirt and kept fending off Teazer as they went towards Deut.
They wound about Munk’s legs a little, then Skimble came over, scolding them and taking the bag from Jerrie. Rumple wasn’t going to let go so easily of
the loot though, and Ross had to repeatedly push her away none too gently to be able to throw the bag offstage. *grins*
Another adorable thing was when they were in the end position for ‘MJ & RT’, with Teaze propped up on Mungo’s thigh - she pouted a kiss at him and
he grinned *so cute* They were the last to be called for the ‘Credits’ and did their double cartwheels across the stage. The audience being lame they didn’t
get all the applause they deserved… *grumbling*
After the ‘Curtain Call’, Adrian grabbed Kate round the waist, letting himself roll onto his back and pulling her with him. They lay there, legs and arms in the
air, till they started laughing and fell apart, nuzzling briefly; Jerrie proceeded to annoy Grizabella by swatting at her shoe, and Chrissie reciprocated by
hitting him with the border of her coat *laughs*
A short note on Ross (Skimble) and Helen H. (Tantomile) - they were marvellous as always. Since Cori had left her all alone to announce Old D was
near I got to hear Tant’s voice in all it’s beauty. Wow. That sure is something to cherish. And Skimble was his energetic, cheery, huggable self - I adore that
wide grin of his so much! Especially enjoyed seeing him beam at the people in front of him during ‘Naming’.
Junix Inocian is a lovely Deut, very much the grandpa and quite cuddly - he seems fairly small though not at all fragile, more robust, like a shaggy teddy bear.
I wasn’t at all impressed by his voice, imo it was far too high and shrill for the role - sue me *shrugs*.
“Gimme an R, gimme an R, gimme a T! RTT!” *hides* I admit to being a little hyped up over the one and only, the Tugger aka John P. Even my Mum
(who was forced to endure my happy grin all through the afternoon and evening ;D) thought he was great, performance and voice, even though to her
he’ll always be “the guy with the mane” *grins*.
John seemed a bit hoarse, which did nothing to dampen his spirits, nor did the lack of makeup (he did have a brownish base and some blackish brown
smeared around his mouth, making him look as if he were sporting a beard…someone was late *winks*) make a difference. I think he might just as well
walk out in jeans and a T-shirt and have the audience at his feet…
He was, as usual, playing the bad boy - furthering the image by hitting Quaxo on the head - and hard - after he had called him a “terrible bore” *tsk* ;D.
As Jemi sang ‘Daylight’, Tug flung himself invitingly onto his back, spreading his limbs - Etcy tried to not look, she only laid her hands onto his chest and
watched Jemima singing. I almost thought she seemed to sit guard over him *argh* When John sat up again, Rebecca leaned against his shoulder and he
hugged her close… *so adorable*
Tug later on showed his mischievous streak again - he got bored while Misto was in the process of conjuring back Old D, so he twirled his lock as usual,
though much harder - so hard in fact, that he lifted his wig half off his head *grins* nice hair colour, bleached? *grins*
The audience being especially lame, John ended up screaming his “Give it up!” after the conjuring turns, though it didn’t do that much good *tsk* Tug was
mostly flirting with El and Etcy during the number, they were smiling most of the time at him (so he was flaunting himself at them every opportunity he had ;D).
As Misto danced with Griz after the ‘Curtain Call’, John was making faces, finally calling Ben to him, gesturing wildly with his arms and hopping about in what
I thought was a very ill impression of Misto’s jumps during his number, shaking his head, in his usual “What do you think you’re doing?” dancing about like that
(only that he usually makes fun of Misto’s dancing with Griz).
John then went to Chrissie, taking her hand and charmingly kissing it, leading her off the stage in style, Ben coming after, performing two wonderful high jumps
that somehow reminded me of those the dancing Misto in Budapest makes during the ‘Ball’.
I gotta say that I noticed neither Victor nor Billy overly much *hides*, though from what I saw they were doing fab jobs. Sorrell Thomas is an adorable
Vicky. Her dancing during the invitation seemed a bit forced, as if she weren’t up to par. Nevertheless, she was a darling kitten - came up our aisle just before
the ‘Credits’, smiling radiantly at us. Her cat moves make me think a little of Sarah-Jane’s Etcy.
And now for the two performers I was most interested in (cause I had heard most about them ;D) - Jack Rebaldi and Ben Tyrell.
Jack is a great Munku overall, better than Kenny even (*gasps* I never thought I’d be saying that ;D) - though he does have a tendency to raise his voice
(shouting almost) and does not intone ‘Invitation’ with as much feeling and as soft-spoken as Kenny. (I know I’m picky ;D)
However, his movements were amazing - fluid, catlike, entrancing - I’ve never seen any grace like his. What left me swooning was his gliding about on stage
as Deut called Vicky and Jemi out from hiding before the ‘Ball’. His interpretation is wonderful too - he’s confident without putting himself forward, very
gentlemanly, protective and kind.
I love his voice too, a little deeper than Kenny’s, but with the same mellow touch that I like so much ;D. Jack used an adorable accent for ‘Pekes’, though
I wasn’t as impressed with this particular song as I was with the rest of his performance. And as I mentioned, the catfight was excessively toned down.
Ben is a marvellous dancer, he esp. shone in the first Act and during the ‘Ball’, very energetic and fluid in his execution of the moves (the way he lifts his
leg parallel to his body you might think it wasn’t anything at all *ouch* ;D). He and Jye worked together flawlessly in their dance sequences too.
Ben has a cute grin and, as far as I could make out, a very nicely applied makeup that compliments his face - though I couldn’t say if he tried to play an
adult cat or a kitten or a teen-cat. His hopping run seems to indicate a kitten, but as he kept so much at the sidelines and seemed to melt into the shadows it’s
kinda hard to tell.
I must confess that I don’t much like his singing voice, it’s very high and a bit on the shrill side, much like Junix’, his intonation was much better though.
What I missed, esp. during ‘Mr. Misto’ was the sparkle Jacob brought to it.
Ben was stoutly concentrating on dancing, I had the feeling that he tired during the second part of his solo - his conjuring turns were nice, then he became a
little, well...sloppy, most noticeably his jumps. And he made his split jump off the uppermost step, not the tire itself - Cori and Victor lifted him up.
To me it seemed as if Ben were more intent on the technical side of his performance, not on immersing himself in the actual role he was playing. *shrugs*
Just me. I’m a sucker for details in every and all things I supppose ;D.
At the ‘Curtain Call’, Misto and Cassie danced a Rumba - perfectly executed, a study in poise ;D - then they stood together and Summer surprised everyone,
including Ben, by throwing her leg up vertically (so she stood as if in a split) and letting her upper body drop to the ground at the same time, so that she hung
suspended and held up only by Misto’s arm around her waist. *Wow* I mumbled something to that effect as well, Mum thought I’d lost it *grins*