Date: Fri 15-Dec-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Illustration: C

Quick Words:

Theatre-Cats-Webber-Hicks

Full Text:

(rev of "Cats" at Shubert, 12/15/95)

Theatre Review-

Shubert's Offering Is The Cat's Meow

(with photo)

By Shannon Hicks

NEW HAVEN - Before Andrew Lloyd Webber put his music to it and turned Cats

into a seven-time Tony Award-winning musical, "Old Possum's Book of Practical

Cats" (1939) was one of T.S. Eliot's least-known works. A work of poetry, it

received even less notoriety than Eliot's lesser-received novels.

It isn't hard to understand the lack of interest - the poem individualizes a

group of cats who have gathered for an annual celebration, The Jellicle Ball.

The collection gives each cat a personality and background, but does not

develop much of a plot line. Here are the cats, these are their names and

stories, that is the point of the collection of poems.

Yet, once Webber broke the bonds of the traditional boy meets girl/loses

girl/wins girl back form of musical stage, "Old Possum's Book" became Cats ,

which has become one of the world's most successful stage productions of all

times. The combination of Webber's upbeat score and Eliot's poetic lyrics have

captured the attention of all ages, making Cats a multi-generational success.

The nationally-touring company has returned to the Shubert Theatre in New

Haven, where it played to sold-out houses in 1990. A two-week holiday

engagement of Cats opened December 12. The production continues through

December 24.

The action of Cats takes place in a junkyard, where cats have gathered for

their annual celebration, The Jellicle Ball. Nearly two dozen cats are out for

the party/story telling, and for two hours the actors and actresses on stage

make their audience believe, night after night, they are indeed watching cats,

not humans, prance, leap and play for a few hours in their hidden playground.

In the junkyard, cats not only speak English (funny how they yowl and sing,

yet not one of them ever says "Meow"), they also dance and put on

fully-costumed productions for each other.

While a plot is nearly nonexistent, the costumes and make-up work that have

become so intrinsic to Cats is displayed magnificently by the current company

in New Haven. Sandra Hanlon-Cressler leads the wardrobe division of the

production, and each costume is letter perfect, right down to the last

whisker. Make-up application varies from 20 to 90 minutes, and the detailing

by Nanci Powell, as well as hair stylist Robert Cybula and his crew, comes

through on each animal.

Cars, tires, discarded ovens and bottles have all been created at three and a

half times their normal size, putting the actors in correct proportion to

assume the roles of cats. Cats follows these animals through the hours of

sundown to sunrise, sharing memories and telling tales, role-playing as dogs

or watching out for rats. It isn't a difficult story to follow, as there isn't

really a story to look for.

Instead, Cats allows an imaginative audience of any age a night out for some

fun. Cats is America's No. 1 musical - it has been since its debut nearly a

decade ago at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. Most of the poems

comprising Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Cats" were set to music, complete and

in their originally published form, and with minor revisions and additions by

Trevor Nunn, the play is very easy to understand for theatre novices and

aficionados alike.

The talented, professional company in New Haven is what makes it an easy two

hours to watch.