'Cats': The paws that refresh
MANILA, Philippines - In 2000, my first foray into theater was marked by the role that catapulted Lea Salonga to stardom. In 2008, I entered CCP with a newfound love for Broadway and watched her headline Cinderella. Last weekend, I watched Cats not just as a fan of musicals but as a reviewer. It would be ridiculous to call Lea’s growth as a performer a metamorphosis — because she has always been at the top of her game — so that is a term I would rather reserve for myself. Having been a child then, I had been the farthest thing from the target audience as possible. I went home understanding absolutely nothing about Miss Saigon, but somehow, I loved it all just the same. And now that I’ve fulfilled my obligation (privilege!) of waxing poetic about Ms. Salonga, I must admit that although she was a definite stand-out, she wasn’t the only one deserving of thunderous cheers.
The first thing I realized about Cats is that it is fully dedicated to being an ensemble piece. You like all or nothing, and if I said that Lea was the only good part in it, I would be a) outright lying and b) branded an overly nationalistic fool. Every actor is a triple threat, making the entire production nothing short of a spectacle. Filled to the brim with acrobatic moves, group dances and glory notes being done all at once, the play avoids being a sloppy mishmash of talents and instead rises as a strategic permutation of varying degrees of flair, thanks to director and choreographer Jo-Anne Robinson.
The second lesson I learned was that trying to watch Cats on DVD (a recording of a live performance) is a bad idea — it’s nothing compared to watching it live. A few years ago, I had attempted this and the results had been dismal at best: a bunch of people jumping around on stage singing about “jellies” for ten minutes bored me to tears, and the arbitrary close-ups, the slow panning from one side to another, convinced me that Cats was quite possibly my least favorite big musical ever.
I had thus walked into the CCP theater hoping to change my mind. Needless to say, even the TV commercials currently advertising the show do nothing to capture the amazement felt when seeing it with your own eyes. The set itself consists of a massive junkyard that even spills past the stage and into the audience. It is backgrounded by a shining moon and the most lifelike twinkling stars you will ever see, and has endless nooks and crannies from which various cats spring in and out of. That is probably why closeups are unnecessary: so much is going on at each moment that it’s difficult to focus on just one thing. Having good view of the entire stage (and I do hope yours was/is unobstructed, unlike mine) is the ideal way of watching it.
Lesson three: even though Cats is all for unanimity and amicable celebrations, you’re allowed, and perhaps even encouraged, to pick a favorite. The plot centers around the Jellicle tribe as a whole and is based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats — with its verses having been made over as lyrics. By the end of the night, Old Deuteronomy (who is frail and mangy and vanishes from time to time like the average housecat), played by John Ellis, must pick a cat that will be reborn into a new life on the Heavyside Layer. That is why the play is primarily made up of character introductions — and lengthy ones at that. There is a whole lot of exposition on why each cat has a certain name, et cetera, and inevitably, some stories end up more interesting than others. Understandably, your attention may stray for only a moment and you will snap back into focus to see a river dance going on without knowing how things came to that. A good friend of mine quipped that short catnaps are forgivable in a recurring setup. Just don’t expect these minutes of tediousness to last long, because they are quickly balanced out by moments so powerful you are pulled right back in.
My favorite character triggered much enthusiasm from the crowd: John O’Hara’s Rum Tum Tugger, and his song of the same name, was a high-energy number that made everyone wonder why glam rock went out of style. Adults thought he captured Bowie’s madcap incomprehensibility. Us young ‘uns called him Adam Lambert-ish — that is high praise, mind you.
Lea Salonga’s Grizabella was clad in the skin-tight cat suit of a true Jellicle cat, showing off black glittering heels and the voice of an unapologetic Tony winner. Her 12 minutes on stage were enough to send the entire auditorium into a frenzy each time she appeared: people gasped, sighed, and shuddered. A gentleman beside me even placed a hand on his heart, declaring Memory his anthem for the night. Furthermore, Lea was not the lone Filipino contributor of the night. Another crowd-pleaser was Pete Lacaba’s “Salinawit” lines that were included in the play, set to an unforgettable tune and sung by an unexpected cast member.
It is all or nothing, as I mentioned earlier. It was impossible to pick the latter when I walked out of the theater with a sense of fulfillment at having added an impressive production to my musical repertoire. I walked past some kids (and hopefully future theatre enthusiasts) and they were a smiling bunch. Maybe it was their first musical, and like I had been, they were confused but entertained all the same. And maybe this was my 21st first production or whatever number (I have lost count of how many plays I’ve watched), but I have a feeling that I’ll still remember it even after my 100th. It may not be my favorite musical, and Phantom of the Opera will always be my number-one Webber work. But I certainly have no qualms about seeing it thrive in theaters that are as completely packed as they have been since 1982, and will continue to be between “now and forever,” indeed.
Cats: Now and Forever runs at CCP until Aug. 22, 2010. Tickets are available at all TicketWorld outlets. To book, call +532 891 9999 or visit TicketWorld’s website www.ticketworld.com.ph.
