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I loved Cats

Posted by:	DistantDrumming 05:23 pm EST 11/23/14
In reply to:	CATS - Why? - MarkBearSF 04:24 pm EST 11/23/14

and I'm not apologizing for it either. I'm not referring to this taped production, but to the night in the theatre I had many years ago. Look, I'm not a dummy, if Sondheim, ALW and I were on a sinking boat and I could only save one, I'd save Sondheim. In fact, Cats is really the only ALW show I genuinely like. I think there are many pretty melodies in much of his other work, but he nearly always works with lyricists and librettist who simply don't know how to build character or dramatic tension or, frankly, tell a compelling story. But, Cats was always free of that constraint. It didn't have the self-importance of Evita, Superstar or Phantom. It just embraced what it was - an evening of song and dance about a bunch of cats. Do I think it's a great dramatic work? No, of course not. But was I transported by the song and dance? Was it full of theatrical imagination - even if it was just on the surface and - and didn't, not even in "Memory", shine a light on an inner truth or reveal something new? Yeah, I had a damn good time.

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Thread:	re: I loved Cats - Shutterbug 06:19 pm EST 11/23/14 (1) grizabella - jero 11:13 am EST 11/24/14

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