[NEohioPAL] Cats In Cleveland

[Kory OnTheRadio]

*Cats In Cleveland*


By: Kory


Having seen two of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic musicals (*Evita *and *The*
*Phantom Of The Opera*) on their national tours I was excited to add
*Cats*to my ‘collection.’ The show opened in 1981 on London’s West End
followed by
New York in 1982 and is the second longest running show in Broadway history
behind Webber’s *The* *Phantom Of The Opera*.


As I walked into the crowded Palace theatre I immediately noticed the
beautiful set. The moon hung low in the sky, above what appeared to be a
stylized trash heap and there were large ‘Christmas’ lights strung from the
stage to the balcony creating a loop over the orchestra seats. I was not
familiar with the music of *Cats* (with the exception of “*Memory*”) and
only knew the staging based on a few snapshots and promotional videos I’d
seen over the years. As the lights came up on Act 1 I had no idea what to
expect.


The sets, music, lighting, costumes and effects were really impressive and I
was immediately drawn into the show, which was just as visually stunning as
I had hoped. The lighting in particular was a huge plus along with the
incredible backstage orchestra conducted by J. Michael Duff. All of the
stage lighting was well hidden and the ‘Christmas’ lights created a
surprisingly immersive atmosphere.


A lot of touring musicals are trying to cut budgets during these rough
economic times. Some shows cut the orchestra down, some ‘re-imagine’ (read:
minimize) the sets.* Cats* (produced by Cats-Eye LLC) keeps it’s budget
manageable by casting all non-union actors. The actors are still paid a
competitive salary, per diem, housing allowance and health insurance but
without the increased cost of union, or “Equity” actors. For the audience, I
think it’s a fair trade off to leave the sets and production value intact.


Despite being a non-Equity cast I was thoroughly impressed by their work.
The average theatre fan would notice no difference in quality, I certainly
didn’t. Everyone on stage was fantastic but a few of my favorite performers
were Matthew Taylor (*Rum Tum Tugger*), Bronson N. Murphy (*Asparagus,
Bustopher Jones, Growltiger*), Kristen Quartarone (*Rumpelteazer*), Will
Porter (*Genghis, Mungojerrie*) and Kathryn Holtcamp (*Grizabella*).


Act one drags on in a few spots but, if you can get through intermission act
two is waiting to blow your mind! “*Gus: The Theatre Cat”*, “*Growltiger’s
Last Stand”, *“*Mr. Mistoffelees”* and “*Memory*” will be stuck in your head
for days to come. *Cats* is in it’s 30th year and still plays as well as it
did opening night on London’s West End. The Palace Theatre at Playhouse
Square is a beautiful venue for a musical of this scale and if you can make
it to downtown Cleveland this weekend, *Cats* is the show to see!

*
*

*Cats* runs through January 23rd at The Palace Theatre in Playhouse Square.
For tickets and information head to playhousesquare.org or call
216-241-6000.


See the original post at:
http://q104.radio.com/2011/01/22/cats-in-cleveland/



Kory can be heard weekday afternoons 3pm-7pm on Cleveland’s Q104. Please
send questions or comments to kory at q104.com

 *The views and opinions of the writer are his alone and do not necessarily
reflect the view and opinions of CBS Radio, Q104, it’s staff, management or
advertisers.*
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