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"Tempress" Chastity Moore in Cats (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman) |
I expected splendor and spectacle at Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a boisterous reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical, now set in the world of 1980s ballroom culture. What surprised me was how moving this show was in its quieter moments. Whichever you prefer, this is a welcome Broadway revival that may have you rethinking your opinion about the often maligned British composer's place in the Broadway pantheon.
Seeking to create as immersive an experience as possible, directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch and choreographers Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons stretch a runway out into the first few rows of the orchestra and place seats on the stage as an array of lavishly decked-out dancers vogue, competing for prizes in a competiton that originated in the Black and Latino LGBTQ communities of the 1970s and '80s.
It's a surprisingly good fit for the material, which was adapted from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and usually features fur-clad performers purring and prancing around the stage. In this version, we're treated to Qween Jean's gorgeous costumes, a mixture of couture and street fashion, which make such great eye candy that they disguise the show's weaker songs.
Among the standout performers are Sydney James Harcourt, who displays nearly all of his physical assets as the frisky "curious cat" Rum Tum Tugger. Eighty-year-old Broadway legend Andre De Shields commands the stage as Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the felines, and Ken Ard, an original Cats cast member from 1982, returns to Broadway as the evening's DJ.
Veterans of the ballroom scene are also part of the cast. Junior LaBeija delivers a poignant portrayal of the titular character in the touching song "Gus the Theatre Cat," about a trouper looking back on his glory days. And "Tempress" Chastity Moore tackles the iconic role of Grizabella, the "glamour cat" who is no longer a part of the scene. Introduced as a street lady pushing around a shopping cart with her belongings, which include a tarnished trophy, she's a broken soul redeemed when she sings Lloyd Webber's haunting ballad "Memory."
Even more so than last year's Tony-winning revival of Sunset Boulevard, Cats: The Jellicle Ball casts Lloyd Webber's work in a brilliant new light, and you may never think of the show in the same way again.
