Review: (Toronto) Cats

Martin Samuel (photo by Rachel McCaig)

What is a Jellicle Cat?

CATS can’t answer that question, but it’s still good fun.

by Dave Ross

I’ve never seen CATS. I’ve known it was out there, and I’ve known it was wildly popular. As a child, we had a recording (on vinyl, no less) of the original cast recording… and I could never get through it. Truthfully, I was scared of the album art. I never seemed to connect with the material. As an adult, I’ve been curious as to its popularity – where does it come from? Finally, 21 years into my exposure to musicals, I finally had the chance to see this show, and I still can’t answer my question. 

While I’m not a fan of much of the material, this cast gives everything they have to their performances. Ma-Anne Dionisio (Grizabella) nailed me to my seat during her performance of Memory, and Jay T. Schramek does a most energetic and entertaining Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat. Indeed, the entire ensemble is highly-polished, and exceptionally talented. With just one or two exceptions, not a note was missed, a particular challenge while performing Gino Berti’s demanding and energetic choreography.

Review: (Calgary) Cats

Director Jacques Lemay giving notes backstage before the opening of Cats

(photo via Theatre Calgary Twitter feed)

The Mystery of Cats

A perennial takes Theatre Calgary's audience by storm

by Ryan Hurl

The Mystery of Cats in our collective imagination dates back to the pharaohs. Wherever man has gone, with our domineering quests for luxury, a cat has never been far behind. 

Unlike dogs - who bound into our lives becoming substitutes for love, affection, and character definition - cats have a more symbiotic relationship with their human kin, leaving a burning mystery in man's ego: How can we "own" this feline pet, yet never truly know it's inner workings - and worse yet, not be able to command and dominate this shifty beast. It was a particularly haunting question in the booming capitalistic empire that was the 80's, when ownership and luxury was the name of the game. But maybe not much has changed - perhaps one of the reasons why the Cats came back?