I'm going to miss 'Cats'.

January 17, 2002 11:50 AM

I'm going to miss 'Cats'. This writer isn't though.
posted by feelinglistless (12 comments total)

I work for a (non-profit) theater, and though we occasionally dust off a few 'signature' shows, for festivals and things, most shows get held over for a week at most. One of the interesting/frustrating things about the theater is that good shows come and go. There are some performances that I got to see that lots of other people didn't, and vice versa. There is, i think, a freshness to this. You can't rent the DVD some time down the road. Theater is an event, something that happens, that you have to go catch. So things like Cats, Rent and the Lion King kind of kill that, making 42nd street look like a mall full of movies that everybody has already seen. And I agree with the writer that a blockbuster atmosphere has been bad for the theater. That said, I hate "Art" and I never did see "Cats."
posted by dina at 12:04 PM on January 17, 2002

"Cats" has had a very healthy lifespan, both in London, in New York, in various touring companies, and productions all over the world. Before it closed in NYC, it had spent most production weeks running at half capacity. I was informed by someone who worked at the Winter Garden (where the show was running in New York) that the luster had long worn off on the show but composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, producer Cameron Mackintosh and others were determined to see it surpass the then-current longest running show in Broadway history, A Chorus Line, which could arguably be considered a superior show. I don't know if there is any truth to what I was told, and honestly, I don't know one person who actually enjoyed Cats, but I know they must be out there. Never fear, there will be umpteen local productions to satisfy the most rabid "Cats" fans and it has been preserved on video and dvd. Regardless of one's feelings about the show, in a world where live theatre is becoming more and more a dying art form, "Cats" has found its way into pop culture and will stay there - now and forever.
posted by CreequeAlley at 12:19 PM on January 17, 2002

"I also played Rum Tum Tugger in the Springfield production of 'Cats'."
posted by Harry Hopkins' Hat at 12:28 PM on January 17, 2002

"I loved it. It was much better than Cats. I'm going to see it again and again..."
posted by ColdChef at 12:36 PM on January 17, 2002

I don't know if there is any truth to what I was told, and honestly, I don't know one person who actually enjoyed Cats, but I know they must be out there.

Ah, never underestimate the passion of the serious Cats fans, as witnessed by this board. It isn't quite clear how old some of these people are...

The NY production of Cats had been losing money for years by the time it closed, but the London production was profitable as late as last year; the tourist crunch appears to have, well, euthanized it.

I'm a 1776 fan, myself.
posted by thomas j wise at 2:25 PM on January 17, 2002

"Saltpeter..." "Pins..."
posted by ColdChef at 2:50 PM on January 17, 2002

When Cats closed in New York (some friends hosted a "Winter Garden Liberation"-themed cocktail party to mark the occasion), we ended up with Mamma Mia in its place.

ABBA. On Broadway.

It's enough to make a fella miss Skimbleshanks.
posted by bradlands at 2:58 PM on January 17, 2002

"Saltpeter..." "Pins..."

For God's sake, John, sit down!
posted by thomas j wise at 3:00 PM on January 17, 2002

One of the lovely side effects to 'Cats' on Broadway was in the sitcom Caroline in the City, and her neighbour Annie who apparently had a part in the show -- the moment she finally appeared in costume was one of the highlights of watching TV during my student years...
posted by feelinglistless at 3:30 PM on January 17, 2002

You can't rent the DVD some time down the road.

Actually...
posted by feelinglistless at 3:33 PM on January 17, 2002

"Not everyone in New York would pay to see Andrew Lloyd Webber
May his trousers fall down as he bows to the queen and the crown
I don't know what tune that the orchestra played
But it went by me sickly and sentimental..."

- Crowded House, "Chocolate Cake"
posted by insomnia_lj at 9:18 PM on January 17, 2002

I'm probably a real bastard for not bothering to read any comments, nor the article. I'm acting on impulse when I say that my grandmother and I watched Cats and both of us hated it. I'm gen Y and she was 82. She died the next day. No point, I guess.
posted by Modem Ovary at 6:57 PM on January 18, 2002