Review: CATS at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

With new interpretations, there’s always the possibility that unfamiliar patrons will instantly take a show to their hearts (and tell all their chums). Equally, there’s a strong possibility that those who fondly remember the original will instinctively take a dislike to it (and they too, are likely to tell all their friends).

Thankfully, I wasn’t a particular fan of the original show despite greatly admiring Gillian Lynne’s extraordinarily energised, stylised and balletic choreography, which transcended the often mind-numbing music used to accompany T.S. Eliot’s bouncy anapaestic tetrameter verses. I accept I was in the minority then, given that the show ran for aeons in London, on Broadway, and around the world but it meant I had a largely open mind when viewing Open Air’s new iteration of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famous feline creation.

To start, Rachael Wooding who was scheduled to play Grizabella was indisposed and so her understudy Taziva-Faye Katsande (who usually plays the minor part of Tantomile) stepped into some mighty shoes, albeit she was markedly too young to physically embody the part convincingly. To her credit, and with the weight of having to deliver climactic showstopper “Memory” resting on her shoulders, the young performer gave a good account of herself, and the sound guys took no chances, massively over amplifying and reverb-ing her radio mic sufficient to vibrate our seats. Rather predictably, the effort garnered a standing ovation — partly for the belting vocals and perhaps partly as a generous dose of well deserved encouragement and appreciation for what must have been a nerve-wracking experience for the young performer.

As for McOnie’s choreography, it’s resoundingly his own — underpinning the requisite character work inherent in CATS with strong ballet-based movement. His Brigadoon on this same stage, may have suited a more free flowing balletic romanticism but here, the herding of cats requires an altogether different approach. In the main it worked well but in some sections the troupe looked under-rehearsed and perhaps possessed a more ramshackle line than the average sure-footed felines. That said, there was plenty to like and the series of characters managed to convey their cat personalities well on Sami Fendall’s set which is dominated by an upright, rust-effect skeletal circle, suggesting something industrial beneath the moonlight and amidst the venue’s woodland setting. As a consequence it looks better as the daylight dims particularly over the course of the second half.

From a performance perspective it’s simply a sequence of rather daft songs sung by anthropomorphised cats who’ve assembled to witness Old Deuteronomy (Melanie La Barrie) choose a cat worthy to be reborn. Notable contributions were made by Rum Tum Tugger (Jaydon Vijn) who may just be a little too much in love with himself to be likeable, irrepressible Skimbleshanks the railway cat (Matthew Caputo) and cheekily delightful cat burglars Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer (Danny Nattrass and Briana Craig). Jennyanydots the Gumbie Cat and Bustopher Jones were always furball-inducing parts but Charlotte Riby and Elliot Broadfoot do their best to imbue personality while still managing to irritate. Elsewhere, it was good to see Gary Wilmot on stage as Gus the Theatre Cat. The old-pro still found time during the swordplay staging of Growltiger’s Last Stand to wink and wave to his set designer daughter Georgia, who from her third row seat, was clearly delighted. Otherwise Munkustrap (Jack Wilcox) successfully anchored onstage proceedings enabling Alonzo (Fin Adams) and Victoria (Hannah Joseph) to shine. He also facilitates the lead-up to the production’s two showiest (though not necessarily most successful moments), namely the magical Mister Mistoffelees number which here is performed as some sort of standalone break-dance-come-body-pop moment (by Jet Yau), and the fight sequence with demonic bad boy Macavity (Diante Lodge) which brought the stage literally alight with gas flames and a phosphorus waft.

For the main part, it was fun. But I can’t see any likelihood of this Jellicle troupe transferring to a West End cattery any time soon.

CATS plays 2 hours and 15 minutes with interval and continues at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre until 19th September.

Cats Tickets