[NEohioPAL] Review of Mercury Summer Stock's "Cats"

[Bob Abelman]

Pet peeves run rampant in Mercury's 'Cats' 

 

Bob Abelman

News-Herald, Chagrin Valley Times, Solon Times,

The Morning Journal, Geauga Times Courier

Member, American Theatre Critics Association 

 

This review will appear in the Times papers on 6/29/12

 

 

When it comes to the musical "Cats," there are nearly as many nay-sayers as there are ardent admirers, which is odd for a show that is the second longest-running production in the history of  Broadway (after "The Phantom of the Opera") and a perennial favorite on tour.    

 

"Cats" devotees explain their fervor by pointing out the show's seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.  They call attention to its impressive literary pedigree-the whimsical verse of poet T.S. Eliot-and marvel at the uniqueness of the work itself, which is a dialogue-free, dance-driven composite of intricate Andrew Lloyd Webber musical compositions.

 

The most diehard fans melt at the thought of Broadway legend Betty Buckley belting out the show's standard bearer for heart-wrenching ballads, "Memory."   They mew in unison in D-flat major at its dramatic climax.

 

Detractors support their position by simply stating that "Cats". is a play about cats.  They have a point.  

 

The play offers a seemingly endless series of vaguely linked vignettes that introduce and showcase various felines during a moonlit, midnight get-together.  Donning fur-lined leotards, performers prowl and preen while calling each other precious cat names like Rum Tum Tugger and Mungojerrie.  The story, the music and the highly stylized dancing, the nonbelievers are quick to note, are mind-numbing and-if not for intermission-maddening. 

 

Although "Cats" is a show that rubs its audience one of two ways, the Mercury Summer Stock production of it under Pierre-Jacques Brault's direction and choreography offers much that groupees and grousers can agree upon.

 

Apparent to all is the abundance of talent that fills the stage.  Each performer embodies a distinctive cat persona and executes the show's intriguing combination of ballet and modern dance with incredible precision, purpose and passion.  The rented costumes add an air of professionalism that aficionados will appreciate, but they lack the sexiness necessary to captivate the less enthusiastic and-ones in attendance. 

 

Standout dancers include Kaitlyn Dessoffy, Stephen Robert Carder, Taylor Nichole Bryan, Jake Washabaugh, Brittany Basenback, and Nora Cully.  Their movements are mesmerizing and the many ensemble dance numbers in which they are featured are thoroughly entertaining. 

 

There's some good acting turned in as well, particularly by Brian Marshall and Angela Bruzina in the tender scene entitled "Gus: The Theatre Cat" where lyrics take precedent over dance.   

 

Less impressive is the singing in this show.  Several pit singers are able to aid the on-stage performers who are sucking wind from dancing up a storm, but solo performers are on their own and several are less than stellar.  Kelly Monaghan's "Memory" is a solid and poignant effort, but does not inspire the goose bumps expected from that song.  Kelvette Beacham, a female playing the cat patriarch Old Deuteronomy, does not have the proper stage presence or voice for that role.   

 

To the singers' credit, they do not get the support they need from a superb but under staffed orchestra under Eddie Carney's musical direction.  There are too few instruments to do justice to the score and fill the stage with sound.   

 

Brault's decision to set the action in a children's playroom rather than the original junk yard is likely to be called into question by devotees and detractors alike.  Those in the know will notice the lack of dramatic tension and the diminished sense of the spectacular this creates.  Others will simply wonder what all those feral cats are doing in such a domestic setting.  Rob Peck's lighting design is effective and impressive, but the playroom is a distraction nonetheless.  

 

Though flawed, this MSS production has plenty going for it for those who love cats, choreography and Andrew Lloyd Webber.  For others, someone is bound to do a production of "Sylvia" sooner or later.   

 

"Cats" continues through June 30 at Regina Auditorium on the Notre Dame College campus, South Euclid.  For tickets, $15 to $18, call 216-771-5862 or visit http://mercurysummerstock.ticketleap.com.

 
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