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| re: Andrew Lloyd Webber reviews the CATS movie | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:23 pm EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Andrew Lloyd Webber reviews the CATS movie - Chromolume 02:20 am EDT 08/07/20 | |
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| "In fact. If it can be enjoyed at all, it is as a dance piece, punctuated with a few nice but disconnected songs." "Which is ironic, because I've always thought of Cats as a big song cycle that got grossly overproduced/overstaged. ;-)" I don't think those two views oppose each other. Maybe CATS would have been better as a song cycle, without all that dance. But once it was planned to be put on stage as a full show, it was decided -- probably correctly -- that lots of dancing was needed to fill in and give the audience something to look at, aside from the makeup, the costumes, and the set. |
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| the dancing isn't random... it's a about Cats | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 10:54 pm EDT 08/10/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Andrew Lloyd Webber reviews the CATS movie - Michael_Portantiere 12:23 pm EDT 08/10/20 | |
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| It seems inherent to the concept to have a lot of feline-based dancing and movement. I can't imagine this as a song cycle, it's like a dark children's musical and vaudeville show, it's not written as something that can stand on its own with just music and lyrics, it doesn't tell a story or have relatable characters drawn out in lyrics, etc. It seems like the show is basically what it should be, the elements that could most successfully changed are the actual choreo, and the design of the costumes and sets etc. I can see it being reconceived with a different directorial vision (i long to see that actually), but I can't see it as a song cycle. |
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| re: the dancing isn't random... it's a about Cats | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:10 am EDT 08/11/20 | |
| In reply to: the dancing isn't random... it's a about Cats - Chazwaza 10:54 pm EDT 08/10/20 | |
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| I understand your points, and personally, I agree that the show would not work as a song cycle, but I don't that's because it doesn't tell a story. I am only vaguely familiar with the form, but I don't think it's necessary for a song cycle to tell any kind of traditional story with any kind of linear plot. And, whether or not you think the songs in CATS are successful, I think they are intended to illuminate the various characters, and the characters are intended to be relatable to human beings even though they are cats. | |
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| re: the dancing isn't random... it's a about Cats | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:37 am EDT 08/15/20 | |
| In reply to: re: the dancing isn't random... it's a about Cats - Michael_Portantiere 11:10 am EDT 08/11/20 | |
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| Yes but the songs are not actually telling us almost anything and the lyrics don't build to more or illuminating anything very interesting about the cat it's talking about. Unlike Songs for a New World or Last Five Years etc. I think Cats would be painfully boring with just actors singing the songs straight and with no visual storytelling. |
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| re: the dancing isn't random... it's a about Cats | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:10 am EDT 08/15/20 | |
| In reply to: re: the dancing isn't random... it's a about Cats - Chazwaza 01:37 am EDT 08/15/20 | |
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| "Yes but the songs are not actually telling us almost anything and the lyrics don't build to more or illuminating anything very interesting about the cat it's talking about." I completely agree, I was just talking about the intent of the songs, which doesn't mean they're successful in their intent :-) "I think Cats would be painfully boring with just actors singing the songs straight and with no visual storytelling." Agree 100 percent. |
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