Quote:
Originally Posted by SelwynMcGinty
@ Beckford - I just have to ask, how did Cats wind up on your Honorables? Not trying to be snarky, just sincere curiosity.
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I'm pretty sure this is more than you asked for - but since you asked ...
As far as stage musicals go, my allegiance is to the old style that peaked in the 50’s and continued to dominate through most of the 60’s. With gloriously melodic Tin Pan Alley type scores from the likes of Rodgers & Hammerstein, Irving Berlin, Lerner & Loewe, Frank Loesser and their admirable 60’s successors i.e. Jerry Herman and Kander & Ebb. The excitement of Kander & Ebb’s “Cabaret”, “Gypsy”(Jule Styne), “Fiorello!”(Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick), ”Flower Drum Song”(Rodgers & Hammerstein) and Jerry Herman’s “Dear World” (which I especially revere) are all preserved on wonderful original cast albums that I’ve never stopped loving. After that, Broadway shows tended to lose me. Didn’t really care for the pseudo operatic bombast of the Webber style extravaganzas, where almost every song had to be an anthem. And – with a few exceptions like “Godspell, the rock (and later hip-hop) musicals held little appeal for me. Only Stephen Sondheim blazed a path forward that - while honoring the old musical traditions - also took them forward in new and exciting ways. Shows like “Follies” (I was lucky enough to see the original New York production), “A Little Night Music” and “Into the Woods” brought new levels of emotional and intellectual maturity to the field – not to mention a host of glorious melodies and lyrics. But it seems Sondheim was an irreplaceable force. No one I know has emerged as any kind of successor to him. Nor does the public seem to be demanding one. Juke box musicals, Disney regurgitations and concoctions like “Hamilton” rule the day now.
Anyway, all that’s just prelude to saying that Webber’s stage musical “Cats” never ever called out to me as something I’d want to see. I know I felt bombarded in those days by TV and awards show excerpts; people talked about it constantly - but none of what they said made me the least bit interested in seeing the thing. I’m sure the fact that “Cats” became such an inescapable part of the zeitgeist stiffened my resolve to avoid it. It didn’t help that I’m not a fan of actors in animal costumes. Don’t even like Muppets. The profusion of Muppety creatures in the Star Wars universe has certainly helped stoke my permanent aversion to that franchise.
Anyway, “Cats” ruled in the 80’s – and never quite went away. But picture makers waited too long trying to figure out how to bring the thing to the screen. By 2019, audiences no longer clamored for a “Cats” movie. When it finally unspooled, though, “Cats” suddenly became a part of the zeitgeist again – but for all the wrong reasons. Audience and critical reaction were both savage. People everywhere instantly hated the movie. Armed with a battery of pre-prepared cat related putdowns, writers of all sorts eviscerated the thing (quite often, I suspect, without actually seeing it). When the internet chimed in, hating “Cats” morphed into a kind of flash mob thing. “The worst movie ever made”, “A cat-astrophe”. The movie was lynched in the press – and in living room conversations everywhere. But – other than some hate-watchers – few people seemed to actually attend the movie. Box-office grosses were pathetic. And anyone involved seemed to feel they should just forget about having been part of it and try to will the damn thing off their resumes.
It was while all this was raging that I decided, rather than just assuming I’d loathe it, I should actually buy a ticket before it was chased yowling out of theaters once and for all.
So I went to see “Cats”. And – within minutes -found myself completely under its spell. The gorgeous forced perspective sets immediately put me in mind of those early 50’s movie musicals (especially the MGM ones) that are such a treasured part of my DNA. Wonderful, rich colors – none of that steely grey look that’s taken over these days. The set design incorporated all kinds of details I like; there's a wonderful old timey sheen over everything (it seems to be set in the 20’s or 30’s) - with lots of ancient Egyptian feline images incorporated into the art direction. And the much maligned cat costumes - that I fully expected to creep me out - seemed quite perfect to me. I still don’t quite understand how that happened.
The score turned out to be much more appealing than I’d expected – and beautifully orchestrated. Furthermore, the film grabbed me emotionally from the get go. An innocent kitten, tied up in a sack, is abandoned in the night in a garbage strewn alley (by a partially seen but obviously affluent lady who then speeds off – oblivious - in a fancy car). A piece of sentimental manipulation for sure – but it had me instantaneously invested and sympathetic. While the as yet unseen abandonee kicks away frantically inside the bag, stray cats slowly emerge out of the shadows to investigate. That’s how the adventure begins. And I found myself gripped by a sense of not just interest but real urgency for the rest of the movie.
Two things quickly emerged as major factors in the piece’s appeal for me. The dancing – which hardly ever stops - was absolutely fabulous. So many wonderful dancers all working together in what seemed like spontaneous synchronicity but was obviously the result of meticulous planning and practice. Even the slow numbers exude a kind of exhilarating melancholy. The “Jellicle” number inside the theater set is one of the most beautifully choreographed sequences I’ve ever seen – and I’ve gone to a lot of musicals.
Also making this “Cats” memorable for me was the casting. Most of it’s perfect. And that starts with movie newcomer Francesca Hayward in the key role of Victoria, the abandoned kitten. Not only is she beautiful but she absolutely radiates vulnerability and charm. Hayward’s a prominent name in the ballet world – and every move she makes in the film is a thing of beauty. Her acting’s also lovely. And she sings too. For her work here Hayward deserved some of the same kind of lasting acclaim Moira Shearer received for “The Red Shoes”. But the stars were aligned against this version of “Cats” - and it wasn’t fated to happen. Another well known figure from ballet, Robbie Fairchild, also appears with considerable distinction in the movie. He’s a marvelous triple threat performer. I already knew him from his starring role in the terrific stage version of “An American in Paris” (which I’m happy to say I own on Blu-ray). This guy can do anything – and do it superbly. All plainly evident in his work in “Cats”.
There are great contributions from others as well. Taylor Swift – in a one scene specialty number as a glamor girl cat – channels Nicole Kidman quite expertly - and makes her moment a bull’s-eye. Idris Elba’s makes for an agile and accomplished villain. I’m not normally a James Corden fan but the guy carries off his fat cat part with comic aplomb.
I don’t consider Jennifer Hudson much of an actress or a personality. But here at least she manages to convey a certain amount of emotion via facial expressions. Good for her. Unfortunately she has what’s potentially the show’s most dramatic role and doesn’t do all that much with it. Plus she gets to sing its most famous song “Memory”. Performers like Betty Buckley have chilled spines singing that song. Hudson gives it the old college try but her version never seems to work up much steam.
Rebel Wilson is the only one who really muffs her part. Over-emphatic and show-offy, she never once seems to fit into the ensemble. And her solo production number (which involves dancing cockroaches) just comes off as unpleasant. Judi Dench and Ian McKellen, on the other hand - with their endlessly expressive faces and seasoned dramatic expertise are quite wonderful. I’d have given McKellen a supporting Oscar nomination for his turn as Gus the Theater Cat. Heartbreakingly good.
And -like Francesca Hayward - Laurie Davidson, who plays Mr. Mistoffelees displays his heart in his face. I can’t imagine a more endearing incarnation of the character. And Australian all-rounder Steven McCrea, a really prodigious tapper, stops the show in his wonderful number as Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat. That whole sequence – rivetingly staged and photographed - also put me in mind of the old MGM musical in its heyday.
Though I’ve watched and thoroughly enjoyed the movie several times I still have no intention of ever seeing “Cats on stage. Millions seemed to have found the motion picture version absurd. But I know I was emotionally on board throughout. Sometimes I get the feeling they made this movie just for yours truly. If so, it wasn’t a very sound commercial decision. But boy did it work for me.
P.S. Since this movie made such a pleasurable connection in my mind with old MGM musicals of the early 50’s I found myself fantasizing.
If this musical had existed in those days and if Metro had decided to film the thing, what a wealth of available talent there was when it came to casting. Leslie Caron had the perfect endearing gamine quality for Victoria. Vera-Ellen would have fit the part too. And both were glorious dancers. Dolores Gray and Janis Paige each could have aced Bombalurina, the sassy glamor cat Taylor Swift played in the 21st century version.
How about Stubby Kaye as chubby cat Bustopher? Marge & Gower Champion were born to play the two mischievous burglar cats – they’d have been so wonderful. And I’d have loved to see either Ronald Colman or Robert Donat as Gus the Theater Cat. Magic couldn’t have helped but happen.
And there were so many wonderful male dancers at MGM in those days, all of whom could have fit perfectly into a 50’s “Cats” - Donald O’Connor, Dan Dailey, Tommy Rall, Bobby Van, Russ Tamblyn. Or MGM could have borrowed the great Gene Nelson. Or spotlighted some of the sensational dancing talents that never got the onscreen chance they deserved – guys like Dante DiPaolo or Richard Allan.
And of course for the role of Grizabella MGM would simply have had to mend fences and invite Judy Garland back. Who else could have played the part as powerfully or as poignantly? Who else but Judy could have hit the song “Memory” out of the park and over the rainbow?
So that’s it. I love the movie “Cats”. Unapologetically.
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