Cats: the Musical [London]







Cats time!
When I was down in London visiting my sister, one of the reasons I went was so that she could take me out for my 21st (a couple of months early).
We actually both had the same idea. I asked if we could go see Cats and she replied that she was already going to take me as a surprise. As it turns out, she was really sick with the flu so she couldn't come in the end, so it was just Matt and I. Even though it would have been better having my sister there as well, it was still absolutely amazing.

I've wanted to see Cats ever since I was little. I don't actually remember exactly how I found out about it, but I think that my Grandma gave me a video of the original play cause I remember watching it loads in my room in Belgium when I was little.
I loved everything about it. The music, the dancing, the costumes. I remember really wishing that I could sing and dance like them. Unfortunately that didn't happen but I did end up seeing it 10 years after originally seeing it on video, so that was definitely a dream come true.

For those of you who don't know, Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Elliot. Although it might not seem like there is much of a storyline to it because its just a lot of songs about different cats (Matt definitely didn't see any storyline), it actually tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as 'the Jellicle choice' and decide which cat will ascend to the Heavenside Layer and come back to a new life.
To be honest, reading that description, it doesn't sound that interesting.... but I can assure you that its amazing! It doesn't really matter if you don't get whats going on because the songs are so good that you'll be entertained just sat there listening to them and watching them dance. Although don't just take my word for it! Its won numerous awards, its the 3rd longest running show in Broadway history, its been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages, so clearly it must be pretty good.
So good in fact that they brought it back, albeit with some slight changes. More on that later....

Out of all of the songs - 27 in fact - I have a few favourites. Macavity: The Mystery Cat, Mr. Mistoffelees, The Rum Tum Tugger and, of course, Memory. Even if you haven't heard of the musical or any of the other songs, you've probably heard Memory. It's been performed by Elaine Page and Barbra Streisand and was a top 10 hit in the UK in 1981. Its a beautiful song and is really sad and emotive and I'm not gonna lie, I welled up when I heard it live. Kerry Ellis plays Grizabella, the cat who sings Memory, and her voice is absolutely amazing. The combination of her voice and that song is just asking for people to cry their eyes out.
Apart from Memory, my other favourite songs are all really upbeat, dancy numbers that just make you want to smile. For example, The Rum Tum Tugger. However, the only thing wrong with the entire play was that song. That was one of my favourite songs and I was so looking forward to hearing it live but for some reason, one of the changes they made to the play was to change that song into a rap song. It was a horrible decision to be honest and I was so disappointed that I didn't get to hear the original version. When the actor started rapping I was so confused and had no idea what was going on and it was actually kind of cringe worthy.
However, out of a 2 and a half hour play, if the only thing wrong with it was that one song then its still obviously a pretty amazing play. I definitely reccomend you go see it. You can get tickets for only £20! Its definitely worth the money, even the more expensive tickets. The songs are amazing, the dancing is amazing (I could actually see loads of yoga moves in the dancing) and its a great night out.

Let me know if anyone has seen it and what you thought of it! Did you like the change of Rum Tum Tugger into a rap song?

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