#they showed the gumbie cat tap break too

[chaoticninjar]

Maybe this is common knowledge but here’s the cut 2nd verse of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer from the 98 film

I believe it was literally put it one of the interviews they did (hence jo gibb’s voiceover) and I have no idea why

[sigmastolen]

the oven did open! just the once, for gus to enter as rumpus cat. no rope for misto to descend, quelle triste, but he was so sparkly which was great :3 tayler harris and cameron schutza both have humongous voices, which was awesome -- schutza has mao in nixon listed in his bio, which i'd actually love to hear. his vocal power really transformed "the ad-dressing of cats," which i usually find to be a snooze. allyson duarte (edit;; or i guess it might have been rachael haber) also sounded great in "gus the theatre cat." i know i complained about how partnered the dancing is, but a lot of the "paired" (though not necessarily coupled) cats have some very cute moments throughout the show -- coricopat and tantomile, jerrie and teazer, jenny and skimble, demeter and bombalurina, demeter and munkustrap, tugger and misto. (mostly i loved how snuggly jerrie and teazer were whenever they were just sitting around during someone else's songs, they're just each other's most important person ajsjfkska) i got a seat in the mezzanine so i could see the entire stage, but i ended up wishing i was closer, to see more detail of body language and expression. ah, well.

the band sounded great! having grown up on the 98 film, which actually has a full orchestra, it was wild looking in the program and seeing how small it was, and hearing synth where i wasn't anticipating it. for example, there was no brass! all those iconic trumpet fanfares? synth! the raunchy "macavity" brasses? synth! (raunchy "macavity" saxophones are all real though as well as honky-tonk clarinet.) there was some bassoon that was obviously synth to my ear but i could swear the english horn for grizabella was real (and quite good) even though there's no eh listed for either reed player in the program and tbh it's quite a specialized instrument for a musical theatre reed player to do that well -- i wonder if they used a recorded track for it somehow. i did feel like sometimes things were too fast-- not tempi exactly, but like phrases didn't have a chance to end and breathe properly before the next thing started.

i did have a few favorite dancers tonight! coricopat, tantomile, mungojerrie, rumpleteazer, bombalurina, cassandra, mistoffelees, and obviously victoria all gave really strong performances. the white cat solo at the beginning maybe made me emotional. the macavity fight was very exciting to see in person, as well as the gumby cat tap break, but this version of the mistoffelees solo doesn't do it for me even though ibn snell did a great job. hank santos was a wonderful ham in his songs and at the end of the bows, lingering onstage and prompting us for more applause well after the rest of the cast had left (and also well after audience members started to stand up and leave which was awkward.) i guess the thing is, i am most invested in the dancing in this show, and i am specifically invested in the gillian lynne version, and so blankenbuehler never had a chance in my heart.

yeah i still hate this choreography sorry to andy blankenbuehler

[falasta]

Vienna curtain Call footage and show notes from April 9

Notes are chaotic and probably out of order. Also there is more you-know-what about you-know-who 😌

There was a child a few seats over and the Cats were SUPER CUTE with them!!

Tonight we have!

Alex Snova as Alonzo

Lucius Wolter as Old D

Anneke Brunekreeft as Bombalurina

Nathan Luke as Coricopat

Susannah Murphy as Electra

Riccardo Sinisi as Admetus/Macavity

Tommie Luyben as Mungojerrie

Vicky Riddoch as Rumpelteazer

Jan-Eike Majert as Skimbleshanks

I was SO SAD during this show because I knew it would be the Very Last (spoiler: it wasn’t. But I didn’t know that!!)

(I was also sad because I was on the other side of the stage from elegantly lounging staring into your soul with his pretty eyes Alexanderstrap. XD )

The guy sitting next to me was SO not happy to be there. It looked like he had been dragged to the show by his very enthusiastic girlfriend, who was decked out to the nines in glitter and sparkles with cat ears and SHE was obviously super excited to me there. Mr. Wet Blanket kept looking at his watch and didn’t clap or react to anything. So I had to be extra enthusiastic to make up for it. Fortunately there was a child a few seats over and it is always so lovely to watch how the performers interact with children.

Today we have Sinisi!Admetus! He decided to hang out on the ladder on my side for Naming of Cats so for @cryptidvoidwritings I stared HIM Down. And Got a Hiss and Paw Bat for it! 😋 (Spicy boy!)

I would just like to register my appreciation for the little swaying bit that Munkustrap does while singing Gumbi. Thank you. (Also his beautiful little leg lifts--excuse me delicate leggies, per @whitmerule 😌)

Also the world’s most adorable little toe tap in the back with Mistoffelees.

Oh my GOD watching Munkustrap during Tugger is hysterical. I really like the way they play the friendly relationship between Munk and Tugger in Vienna! There may be eyerolls, but they are exasperated or affectionate—not hostile. Munkustrap is really concerned about getting everyone out of the way for Tugger’s number! Bomba in particular gets shooed away (Munk probably considers her an enabler).

BUT once he’s out of the way and on the tire he goes with it. When Admetus takes a break from making Heart Eyes at Tugger he goes to hang out by Munk and Munk repeatedly needs to push his leg down because Admetus is blocking his view and preventing him from crawling forward on the tire.

OH and Bill Bailey gets a little overwhelmed by everything and requires Munkustrap cuddles. When he gets a little antsy Munkustrap covers his eyes 🥺

(The fact that this was Alex and Matt just made it that much funnier)

But the time Tugger is done everyone—Misto and Munkustrap and all—are bopping right along and Munkustrap 100% starts swinging his hips too and Everyone’s having a grand time until who is that weird cat?

The Vienna Cats do NOT like Grizabella. Lots of hissing. Skimble guides Jemima out of the way and Jemima spends the rest of the number making 🥺 eyes at him. (Anastasia Bertinshaw is 100% a Cryptid Jemima)

All the other kittens get snatched out of the way pretty aggressively. Carbucketty is once again tossed to the wolves by his fellow toms and scratches Grizabella pretty much out of fear. Munkustrap rears up and hisses at them AND Grizabella, and everyone cowers.

The STARE DOWN between Grizabella and Munk during “Remark the Cat” gave me chills. Munkustrap practically had Murder in his eyes and deliberately towers over her.

Demeter tries to reach out to Grizabella several times during the show and each time Munkustrap stops her.

Anneke is a warm and sensual Bombalurina—I really liked her.

Alas I do not get a chance to get nudged by Bustopher’s Spoon this time around but I do get a front row seat to the Adorableness that is Carbucketty and Bill Bailey pouncing on Bustopher’s fuzzy Spats. Jenny loses it when she gets the rose 😊

Every single pair I have watched as Jerrie and Teazer are fantastic and these two are no exception!

Vicky Riddoch and Tommie Luyben have definitely more of a “twins” vibe than the more “gazing into each other’s eyes” vibes than Jo Lucy and Jan-Eike were giving off. They are cuddly and adorable.

When Tugger appears Munk runs up to the tire to greet him—and shushes Jerrie and Teazer who thought it was time to do the Tugger Number—because Tugger is Doing a Serious for once and this is Important!

Once again I just love how the performers handle this moment—there is no Munkustrap eyeroll—only a sudden headtilt and surprised sideglance before the dawning realization on Munkustrap face that yes! This is Tugger! And Yes! He is not here to cause chaos but to be supportive and genuine. It’s lovely.

Lucius Wolter as Old D takes his time while entering to nod and wave with dignity at the audience. It’s sweet.

Munkustrap is once again smiling so proudly at his line of Pollicles doing their March and gesturing to Old D. “Dad! Dad look! Dad look at what I did! Aren’t they great!”

I have a note here that says: “Got a LOOK from Auler during P&P” so I’m going to presume that’s a thing that happened  XD

Jellicle Ball is gorgeous and amazing and I never ever want to stop watching it.

After intermission the cats begin to come back on stage and Aulerstrap starts creeping elegantly past me to his place in Moments of Happiness. And as he is moving he sees me looking at him (probably with desperate, puppy dog look) and holds my eyes with his (lovely, gentle, smiling, enigmatic, soft eyed direct) gaze and gives me a meow!! 😭😭😭😭😭

Raffish Crew time!

I wonder who is in charge of vacuuming that stage and how many little white fluffs they find from Griddlebone’s costume?

Oh my GOD the guy next to me actually starts checking his watch when it’s time for Skimble and what can I do except try and be extra enthusiastic to make up for him? (Honestly how is anyone in the audience not bopping their heads and going “Woo woo!” during Skimble?) There’s a part in Skimble where the kittens are on the ground basically doing “The Hundred” from Pilates I never noticed that before XD

Tugger gets to help Old D follow the Train!

Also Aulerstrap runs past Mr. “What time is this show over” to get his wheel and sees me and gives me a Paw and a Big Grin!

Munkustrap is SO happy during Skimble and make the Big Wheel go Super Fast!

(Seriously this makes me almost cry-in a happy way—because during so much of this show you can see hints of Kitten!Munkustrap. Imagine how excited and adorable he must have been at Jellicle Balls when he was younger, and how incredibly important all these fun activities and stories are to him now)

Sinisi!Macavity is SUPER intense. Very much feeling himself (it is Sinisi after all), but very quick moving and feral. A really excellent Macavity.

(Let me watch the Mistoffelees number forever and ever please it is so much fun and so gorgeous)

All the cats really want to be Misto’s assistant EXCEPT Cassandra,  but Tugger doesn’t let her escape. Under the blanket she goes!

(Munkustrap excitedly points to Victoria, who is sitting below him, and has to console her when she isn’t picked)

When Misto blows out the spotlight all the stars on the ceiling roll back as well. It’s so beautiful.

This time I have a view of the Old D group during Memory, and watching Munkustrap’s face journey is one of my favorite parts of the show. Victoria stares right at Grizabella the whole time, and the kittens turn first. Everyone welcomes Grizabella back, Munk goes to Old D to confirm the choice, and Up, Up, Up to the Heavyside layer they go—with Old D enveloping Grizabella in his arms and Munkustrap leading the cats in a whole body bow to her.

[star-felled]

Cats 2019, but I try fixing the horrible script

Victoria in bag yeah whatever been there done that

Jellicles are and Jellicles do Je

Maybe the Jellicles introduce more of themselves and Misto's like "yeah that's my name lol but I'm also called Quaxo" segwaying into The Naming of Jellicles, OR cut out the song to make room for Pekes and Pollicles. Depends on how much runtime you're willing to have

Have Macavity watching but like not super obvious. He's watching from a distance instead of blatantly talking to Vic this time

Demeter can be worried about trusting Vic but if Munk trusts her then Dem trusts her

Misto's like "oh yeah almost time for the ball" Vic is like "wtf" and Munk explains and leads her to Jenny

NO EATING COCKROACHES

Tugger's still there, Jenny's like "how tf did you get inside my house. stop terrorizing the mice"

Tugger goes and does his song or whatever, Vic's expression is like "wtf is up with him" but Misto just shakes his head and calls him a bore

Tugger go "here Vic lemme show you how to have fun" and Vic lets herself go loose!! (and unfortunately joins Tug's fanclub)

Misto's like "UGH FUCK NO TUGGER NOT ANOTHER KIT (lovingly)" but everything's cancelled by Griz showing up

They do the Griz thing

Maybe Vic tries to touch Griz when Munk gently pulls Vic back, then she asks why Griz isn't cool anymore, but gets interrupted bc NO MORE "WENT WITH MACAVITY" HALF-ASSED EXPLANATION

A local building alarm goes off and Dem's like "MACAVITY" and Vic is like "WHO" and gets dragged off (spoiler alert it wasn't actually Macavity)

When they think they're a safe distance away they start Bustopher Jones but better

Maybe it could be like "ok we get you kits are scared but Jones is a respectful mature man he would take care of you" ((I oh-so desperately want Misto to excitedly agree bc uncle Bustopher hcs are the cutest))

LET MISTO FOLLOW THE MAN AROUND GODDAMMIT

When the rest of the cats are distracted Vic slinks off and meets Jerrie and Teazer. they cause chaos and honestly good on them

I like to think that, instead of the whole Vic getting stuck on bedpost thing, the twins try to bring her through the window but when they land they're caught and get reprimanded by Munk

Misto goes up to Vic like "that was fucking stupid of you now let's go meet ol doot"

Vic is like "uh okay (I've learned not to question things at this point)" and follows them, when she sees Deut she gets that fatherly vibe from him and starts to understand why they trust him

Deut goes "ohoho who do we have here" and when everyone excitedly introduces her he'd like,,, nuzzle her and go "welcome to the clan"

She's mystified and immediately trusts this man with her life cuz who wouldn't

Victoria watches Pekes and Pollicles performance bc it's a bop

Maybe bonding moment between Vic and Deut after the show where he's like "theyre a mess but they try and I love them for it"?

Tugger's like "DAADDDDD CAN WE START YET" and they start dancing,, Vic is all awed and then Deut goes "c'mon you're one of them now" and nudges her forward so she can join

It's a blast but in the middle of it Vic notices Griz in the background, so when everyone else goes to sleep she sneaks off Yet Again, this time Jemima following her cuz curious little kitten

They hear Griz sing and see her try to dance like the others, and they were gonna go invite her but then Deut taps em on the shoulder and says "we gotta wait for the others to accept her" except super vague. the kittens have no clue what he's on about but accepts it anyway cuz it's ol doot

I think keeping the choice be an audition sorta thing is fine, it kinda felt like that in the musical. just no more solos, no more solos ple

They're all just now waking up but Misto and Gus are Extra awake. like y'know when you go downstairs at like 7 am to get cereal, expecting no one else to be there but then There Is. they do that lil talk they do in the movie, dunno what I'd alter there quite just yet? Misto would be less outwardly anxious for sure though, gotta let the boy keep his calm

When it's like "ok who now losers" maybe Misto could start singing for Gus and hand it off to someone else after a line or two? then Gus gets his part and maybe we see some subtle character development coming out from Misto. show don't tell y'know that sorta thing

Gus is like "ok that's cool but I can think of another person to start singing now" and takes a seat when Munk gets the hint to start the next song

SKIMMMBLESHANKSSS THE RAIIILWAAAAY CATTTT THE C

The fake train they build gets fucking destroyed and it's bc MACAVITY

He runs around wreaking havoc, starts fighting with Munk but when Munk puts up a better fight than he expected he kidnaps Deut

Probably would've restrained Deut in some way before running around bc the guy could very easily beat him up

Anyways Macavity retreats and everyone's worried for Munk and Deut

Victoria's like "OH YEAH RIGHT WE HAVE MISTO" and he's like "????? you're asking me to teleport THE HOLY CHRIST HIMSELF??????" and starts mentally panicking

Tugger comes in like "oh but you OUGHT to ask mr mistoffelees the original conjuring cat there can be no dou

Bc he's hyped up Misto brings Deut back first try and gets more confidence in his abilities, we love a character arc

They go back to make the Jellicle Choice but then OH THERES GRIZABELLA and the clan is gonna kick her out but Victoria's like "no let her sing!!" but bc she's new no one cares but then JEMIMA goes "let her sing it's almost time!!! just this one bit plssss" and bc it's Jemima and they love Jemima they let Griz sing

Then she gets picked and cat god takes her away or whatever

Ol doot does the speech but like addressing the clan instead of breaking the 4th wall and then the movie ends and we DON'T have to deal with 10 minutes of end credits

✨ The end ✨

Extra notes / Things I'd change

Add in the bg interaction!!! That's what makes the 1998 version so fun, it allows the chorus cats to have so much personality despite only being bg characters

Pls for the love of all that is holy make the chorus cats more easy to distinguish and recognize, not only do they look different from the costumes of every other production Ever, they also all look the same as one another

If Misto still did that excited thing at the beginning of The Gumbie Cat I'd lose my marbles I think

Let Tugger interact with his dad more!!! Munk got so much interaction with Old Deut in the movie which I LOVED but Tugger got??? Nothing????? I get that Jason Derulo is expensive to keep on set but if you can put that much effort into that audio system you barely even used 4/5 of the functions of, you can spend a little on letting Tugger love his dad

We got so many Misto and Tugger interactions in the 2016 revival, is it too much to ask for that back... . ... .. ..

That's about it I think, I mostly made this for myself bc I've been thinking of making a fic based off this and wanted to give myself an outline :) I really like the idea of giving Victoria a story as to how she joined the jellicles but...... it was butchered so terribly..... .... .........

Anyways!! If you've got anything you wanna say or add on I'd love to hear it :DD (no pressure though ofc ^^)

[cayranwilde]

CATS SPOILERS!!!

Alright folks, I just got back from seeing CATS. I’m going to break down my thoughts song by song, though I promise it’ll be brief -

I got a chill with the overture played - I always do, but I will say I was a little unsettled during the initial “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats.” I am so used to the costumes that getting my mind adjusted to the CGI took a moment or two. Nevertheless, the group I went with all agreed at the end of the movie that really, the details of the CGI were amazing. The ears were spot on - how they twitched and flattened like a real cat, and the fur looked like you could touch it. The whiskers were precious too.

ANYWAY…I wasn’t at all impressed with Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots. I love her in other movies, just not this one. In my opinion, “The Gumbie Cat” was a real let down. I will give her credit in the sense that she reminded me of a fat lazy house cat - you know the ones that have issues going up and down stairs. That aspect of her character was cute, otherwise, I wasn’t a fan.

I thought Jason Derulo was actually a really good Tugger! He surprised me, he really did! I wish he would’ve had a bigger role, but he was adorable. He’d actually do a really amazing job playing Tugger on broadway if he ever decided to give it a try. He’s talented, y’all. 

James Corden as Bustopher was mildly amusing. That’s it. Nothing special. I was never a fan of the character’s or the song in the stage production itself, so I couldn’t done without it and him.

I thought Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were adorable. While I love the most common version of their song, I think it was interesting that the producers decided to go with the original Broadway version of “Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer.” I had an OLD CATS CD that had this version of the song on it, so it was neat to hear it revived.

Robbie Fairchild as Munkustrap was amazing. Not only does he have an amazing voice, but he played the part so well. “Old Duteronomy” was sung beautifully by him, and was it just me, or did it seem Judy Dench’s version of Old Duteronomy had a “thing” with Gus? Maybe past mate? Who knows. Anyway, no matter what they play, you can never NOT like Judy Dench and Ian McKellen.

Okay, so the jellicle ball was…weird? Like, don’t get me wrong, the dancing was amazing, but the whole thing with the tails at the very beginning was odd, and felt cultish? If that makes sense? I get the overall idea of them being almost in a “trans” by the moon, but it was semi-unnerving for me to watch.  

Beautiful Ghosts is a lovely song, but didn’t really see the need for it. Just my opinion. Francesca is stunning and is one HELL of a good dancer, and while her voice is “sweet,” you can tell that singing isn’t her strong suit. Still, she was a doll.

I thought “Gus the Theatre Cat” was good! Ian did a fantastic job with him! I was a bit unnerved with the drinking the water from a bowl ordeal and the “meow meow meow” thing he did before the ball, but over all, he was perfect for the role. I love Misto’s assistance in this scene, it was adorable.

My all time FAVORITE scene in this film was Skimbleshanks. It was amazing! The tap dancing was phenomenal and the transition from the ball room to the train station was beautifully done. One of the girls I went with (who didn’t like the movie) did say that she did enjoy this scene and was highly entertained. The actor who played Skimble had a wonderful voice and was superb!

I am not a T. Swift fan. Never have been - BUT, she sang Macavity well. I really do prefer the stage version of Macavity better AND the stage Bombalurina, but it could’ve been worse. On another note, I love me some Idris Elba, but not a fan of his Macavity, sorry.  

Don’t get me started on the barge scene. Pointless. Stupid. Hated it.

Mr. Mistoffelees was cute. It wasn’t the spectacle that it is on stage, but it was still good. I saw someone at some point complain about how Misto was portrayed in this movie - that he was too timid and lacked confidence, but if you listen to the lyrics of his song, and a quote “his manner is vague and aloof, and you would think their was nobody shyer” I think Laurie’s portrayal of him was spot on. He’s a young magician unsure of himself, wherein his confidence grows as the song progresses. It was sweet, and BLESS I love daddy Munkustrap. 

Jennifer Hudson can sing. The end. She’s got some pipes. The emotion she put behind the character of Grizabella and the song “Memory” was a wonderful. Everything about her performance was beautiful. I have no words. The chandelier was a good choice with regards to acending to the heavy side layer (I see you ALW), and the scene itself was stunning.

The addressing was alright. It was a good ending. Poor Judy can’t really sing anymore, but she’s a classy lady, and I could never say anything bad about her.

Other thoughts - I could’ve done without their version of Growltiger and Griddlebone. I REALLY liked Jellylorum. Although she didn’t have a major solo, her voice on the high C was beautiful, and I loved her design. Alonzo was cute, and I liked Cassandra’s attitude. She obviously had some prior conflict with Grizabella in this adaption; however, I do wish Demeter would have hd a more prominent role, as well as Tantomile and Coricopat. It seemed as if Cassandra took the place of Bombalurina as Demeter’s best friend in the film. On another note, I liked Socrates and Plato - their designs and dances were neat! I loved their little “mohawks” too. The mice were a big NO for me, as were the cockroaches.

Overall, I was pleased. I went into the movie with the understanding that it would be different from the broadway musical, and therefore I tried not to compare it to the stage performance.  Do I prefer the stage performance? Yes. I do. BUT, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained. It was visually beautiful yet unnerving. Magical, yet somewhat off-putting. I was constantly on tight rope, dangling between “what the fuck” and “oh God, give me more.”

The only thing I can vaguely compare it too was a Jim Henson film, or something out of the 80’s - just off the wall and psychedelic. It is the love child of Rocky Horror Picture Show and Labyrinth. Critics can say what they want, but mark my words, in 20 years, they’ll be special screenings of this movie and a large and vast following of fans. It’ll be a guilty pleasure.

So, over all, I give it a 7/10. It is worth watching!

[dextervexter]

god it really wasn’t as bad as it could have been but it certainly wasn’t the best. I will say it was definitely no where near as horny as everyone is making it out to be.

so first of all, I’m opening with I’m not gonna talk about the ENTIRE movie but just some parts of it but there will definitely be spoilers

I was right about a LOT of stuff going in, like Macavity whisking away a lot of the contenders for rebirth so he could be chosen. I was also right about Taylor Swift not being in the movie for more than five minutes, I was right about Tugger not having a massive role, I was right about Grizabella being given a past with Macavity, and I was right about the dancing being fuckin bad

I was also unfortunately right about Jenny eating her cockroaches and I literally could not look at the screen during her whole number I was so upset I felt so trapped The Gumbie Cat Number Is A Fucking Hostage Situation 

H o w e v e r -wheeze-

Over all, it was Cats. It was a really REALLY weird take on Cats, but it was consistent with the stage play save for some changes with characters and pacing. Hooper clearly watched multiple versions of the play to try and get the vision he liked the best. He understood that this would be difficult, and he did what he could to try and get this weird ass musical on screen. There are parts of it I liked, there are parts of it I didn’t care for, and there were parts I astral projected to get away from. But if you go see this movie, you will be seeing Cats as it was when it first arrive on Westend in 1981. Original arrangements of the songs are used as well, for example, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer  is sung as the jazzy and insidious number from the OLC rather than the bouncy and fun 98 version. I don’t think it’s awful but it’s definitely not what younger fans are familiar with. 

I think the only issue with the musical arrangements I have was the singing because Hooper once again insisted on having everyone sing live and it really hinders a lot of talented people. Often times I found myself wondering if these people were capable of singing in the slightest. But I think that’s just bad choices on Hooper’s part.

Let’s talk about the Good:

The best part of the film is definitely Skimbleshanks, and not just because he fucks and later kills a man with his supreme tap skills. The visuals are great, this is the only part with actual good dancing, and Steven Macrea has fantastic energy. Skimbleshanks is already one of my favorite numbers in the stage musical, and they get pretty creative with this. It was one of the moments in the movie where I could say for sure I was REALLY having a good time.

Also Les Twins were absolutely a treat to watch. They were funny, talented, clearly having a ton of fun, and played off each other as though they weren’t in a movie, they were just goofing around like real siblings do. I found myself actually missing them when they weren’t on screen

Robbie Fairchild does a decent Munkustrap and has some fun exchanges with the other characters. I also thought Jason Derulo did a wonderful job as Tugger despite not being in the film a lot. He’s self centered, clearly caught up in his own world, and is so obsessed with himself he doesn’t really flirt with anyone or focus a lot on Victoria for too long because he’s just so in love with himself and what he wants. And honestly that is basically just tugger.

The visuals are also really nice. The sets and practical effects help the movie feel more real and bring a great sense of life to this world that is happening right under the human one. The whole movie has this lovely, dream like quality to it, and it helped remind everyone we weren’t supposed to take it so seriously. 

There were also a moment with Munkustrap that I thought was really cute, where Jenny complains she’s just as good as Tugger because she can break dance too. You hear Munkustrap chuckle and say “oh yeah? show me.” in a really playful way and it was adorable, even if it resulted in me seeing Rebel Wilson pop and lock,

Lastly, and this is a big one I know a lot of fans were angry about: Misto is implied to like victoria, but it’s never stated that they end up together. Actually a lot of their interactions can be interpreted as Just Friends Being Pals. It’s definitely not as big of a problem as a lot of people were making it out to be, but it’s just not interesting and doesn’t really matter to the plot.

I liked more of it than I was expecting, especially the little shout outs to Eliot’s original drafts of the poems. I’m seeing it again tomorrow with friends so I’ll probably post more about the things I missed (i seriously missed a lot of the gumbie cat number because i was too horrified to look so maybe i will be braver this time)

NOW THE BAD!!!

This is literally the worst fucking Macavity ever and Idris Elba had every right to be as piss drunk as he was at the premier. In fact I’m pretty sure he was drunk for a majority of the film. It’s very clear he is not having a good time, he is not enjoying the story, and he doesn’t want to be there. Granted, I’m willing to place a lot of the blame on Hooper’s take on the story, which required Macavity to be a greater presence, but a lot of what we see is a clowning, pathetic, loser who is throwing a tantrum because he isn’t getting his way and he’s very very naked for most of it. His last moments in the film were so laughable, so embarrassing, and so unbelievably desperate that I could barely watch. There is no dignity in Elba’s performance, and nothing mysterious or threatening about him. It’s not just 2019 Macavity that hurts this movie though, it’s how Macavity changes a massive part of the story with his nonsense, but I’m saving that for last because it’s a big one and I hate it!

Victoria is basically really bland. There was absolutely no reason to try and make this from her perspective. Like Webber and Hooper say they wanted her to serve as the character we see the world through but she’s bland, uninteresting, and just very boring. I understand their reasoning for making her the lead, as Victoria is a very recognizable character and easy to follow in dark lighting and crowded dancing, but she just simply exists to stare in wonder and ask questions that are answered in songs that she will stare in wonder over. If they wanted to have the audience experience the world through a character they probably should have gone with Munkustrap or something considering he’s narrating a majority of the film and knows what’s going on and can explain things a little better. He’s also a stronger character. Victoria is boasted to be this strong but shy little thing who approaches this new world with curiosity and hope and she’s really not. She doesn’t really get the chance to do or say anything that would help with the plot. she barely speaks to anyone but munk or misto, and it is very much a downgrade from her stage counterpart. Frankie Hayward is a very pretty dancer, but she’s not given much to work with and I found myself not caring in the slightest what she was up to.

This also leads into Beautiful Ghosts, which I posted about before so I’ll just leave this here and move on because I’ve said all I can say and I have more important things to talk about regarding Grizabella. to summarize, I was right and the song sucked.

The dancing is lamentable mess as well. God I sometimes forgot they were dancing. They are moving, but it’s not dancing. I would say only Les Twins and Jaih Bote were the clear dancers because they were pretty much the only ones allowed to put their own personal spins on the choreography. I’ve said it so many times and I will say it again Andy Blankenbluer is a fucking awful choreographer. His work is claustrophobic and ugly to look at. You lose the person in the movement but in the sense that you really don’t care if you see them again. Blankenbluer has stated so many times he feels as though audiences don’t have the attention spans for long dances sequences anymore and want more than one thing to see, but for the love of god could you give us something to look at? The dances are quick, ugly, and the moves are put down before they can make a good impression. He has no understanding of how to define a character through movement, which makes telling everyone apart very difficult, especially since the designs are already so unrecognizale. His work was  atrocious in the 2016 Cats Revival, but at least he had Gillian Lynne’s original choreography to lean on. Without the backing of better choreographers, his work is downright forgettable. 

Now the Big One, the inexcusable and awful part that I hate hate hate: Grizabella.

God I was rooting for her we were all rooting for her. Remember how in the 98 film she’s this broken down, cast aside, character barely hanging by a thread? Yeah in this she not only is given a throw away past where she chooses to side with Macavity for some unknown reason, but she’s chosen as a last resort. Yeah. Remember how I said Macavity’s plot paves the way for the mishandling of a beloved and tragic character. This is it. After Macavity steals literally everyone who is competing for rebirth, after Old D is returned, the Jellicles realize they have no one to choose from for rebirth. Victoria goes outside, brings Grizabella in, they sing memory, and she gets chosen. It is framed in a way that the cats all realize how badly she has it, but oh my god does it come off as heartless, careless and pis aller. Old D has no interaction with Grizabella until this point. The Jellicles don’t really interact with her unless to shoo her away. She is basically a background character for the whole movie. Giving her a past with Macavity was pointless. It never comes up. Macavity never sees her in the film. It’s never stated why she chose him or what she did with him. There is not a shred of dignity in Hudson’s performance, and I fully attribute that to Hooper making all his actors sing on set. Grizabella comes off as pitiable, but not enough to want to see her be reborn. It was downright heartless.

OVERALL!!

I give this movie a 6/10 stars. When they are doing Cats, it’s pretty enjoyable. Not everything I wanted, and some things I genuinely didn’t fucking ask for, but overall it is not as big of a problem as I thought it was going to be. I think if you’re apprehensive or angry about the film, I think you should give it a watch and you’ll either like it or you won’t. 

you should definitely not expect the 98 version, because no version will ever be that perfect, but go in with an open mind and give it a chance. 

[kiraraneko]

CATS as reviewed by a furry

Apparently this is a movie review blog now lmao (listen I just have some Opinions™ I feel like writing down lately) You’ve already heard from a hundred sources about the terrible CGI and bad quality of the film overall, so I’m going to focus more on the characters themselves and how they’ve been translated from stage to film. As someone whose been a fan of CATS since childhood AND is active in the furry community, I hope this will be different from the other reviews. (YES THERE ARE SPOILERS)

Let’s just start this off by saying - everyone who keeps comparing this film to “furry porn” clearly is not familiar with furry porn, because the alleged “hornyness” of the actor portrayals is pretty in-line with the stage play. The only reason this movie comes off as so much more sexual is because the bad fur CGI doesn’t keep your brain from knowing these people are all basically nude. The stage play costumes feature fur tufts and limb wraps that work to somewhat hide the human silhouettes, whereas (even with some characters in coats and accessories) everyone’s fur in the movie is so skin-tight they end up being unmistakably human, so every sway and hip-thrust comes off as slightly disturbing in an uncanny way instead of feline and graceful.

Victoria the White Cat Now here’s where I’ll admit to my blatant bias - Victoria has always been my favorite cat (other than Rum Tum). Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Ever wonder why my fursona is a white cat? (Jumpcut to me as an 8 year old wearing a scarf around my waist, pretending to be Victoria). Her role in the play is small but she’s elegant, beautiful, and an incredibly talented dancer, and I always idolized her for that. So, you can imagine I was pretty delighted to find that she plays the role of “main character” in the film. Now in the play, the cats explain to the audience about who and what they are, with Munkustrap (the grey tabby) serving as a kind of narrator/translator and leader. Since you can’t exactly address a stage audience in a movie, Victoria fills that role of the “questioning onlooker”, which I feel fits her character very well considering she’s both a younger/newer cat to the Jellicle scene and she was the first to accept Grizabella, which connects her nicely to the entire story (both in the play and the movie). What I was markedly less jazzed about was the addition of her own song in the movie. I think it was a nice attempt to expand her role, but as an extension to Memories, I found Beautiful Ghosts to be frankly kind of boring and unnecessary. She’s essentially saying to Grizabella “I was just abandoned and I don’t have anything, at least you have good memories to look back on” which to me, came off as belittling to Grizabella with a dash of “poor me” for Victoria. However, the reprise version with Old Deuteronomy I actually ended up liking much more. It is less condescending when two old cats are singing to one another, versus a kitten who has their whole life ahead of them lecturing Grizabella about a past she knows nothing about. One last thing I’ll note about Victoria is her slight re-design in the movie - she’s been given some light striping patterning as opposed to being a pure white cat. This doesn’t bother me at all as I assume when it comes to lighting and rendering, pure white fur would have been too distracting on screen. Jennyanydots / The Gumbie Cat I’ll just come right out and say that this segment was probably the worst translation from the play in the entire movie, and it happens early in the film, so you’re already questioning what the hell the rest of the movie is going to be like. In the play, she’s a slow-paced and motherly type cat that only becomes energetic at night, when she sheds her fur to reveal a vibrant coat and goes to work teaching vermin of the house good manners and skills like crocheting (as opposed to hunting them, like other cats would do). In the movie, she’s flitting about the kitchen like a hyperactive rabbit, rampantly consumes some of the insects she’s painstakingly coached, and whines about wishing to leave her household. If this butchering of her character weren’t enough, they actually included the fur-shedding bit in an incredibly disturbing skin-unzipping sequence where she steps out of her cat skin to reveal a sparkly dress underneath. Characters in the CATS play occasionally do wear some clothing accessories, but this movie does not know the meaning of subtlety, and various characters are wearing fullbody clothes which even further breaks any illusion of these characters being cats. It just constantly wants to remind you that these are human people in unitards jumping around on a greenscreen. Rum Tum Tugger Undoubtedly a fan favorite, Rum Tum is the rockstar cat who swoons all the kittens and makes a general ruckus, with stylistic influences of Mick Jagger and Elvis. To say the least, I thought his part in the movie was fine, but certainly doesn’t quite have the punch to it that the stage play does. The movie has him breaking into a 50′s style diner while milk is liberally poured for all the younger cats. Both his character and that of the Gumbie cat’s are diminished further as she makes fun of his singing and dance moves - which may have been a funny addition, if it weren’t for her alleging his show-offiishness to a recent neutering. This joke just went a little too far in my opinion, and really detracted from the rest of Rum Tum’s performance. Bustopher Jones A very charming and gentlemanly cat, Bustopher’s sequence started well and then just got really weird. His song prominently describes his love of fine dining, his cheerful demeanor, and his well-groomed fur. The last of which was directly contradicted in the movie, as he rolled around in actual garbage making an utter mess of himself. He’s shown gorging himself through the entire segment with increasing fervor, until it’s just a bit too much to bear witness to. At one point, he’s meant to trapeze into a trash can, but the cat who jumps on the other end of the catapult is markedly smaller, and nothing happens. This is actually quite a funny moment, until once again, the joke goes a little too far and Bustopher comments being “sensitive about his weight”. This is just.. a bizarre comment considering he’s sung an entire song about being charmingly large and we’ve just watched him unabashedly stuff his face for five solid minutes. Applying human weight-shaming to the ideals of a cat is just completely unnecessary, awkward, and contradictory to his character. It changes him from an indulgent but experienced chap into something to be pitied. Asparagus / Gus the Theatre Cat Possibly my favorite segment of the movie, this is the only part I actually teared up at. As a child, I always thought Gus was a very boring character with a boring part, but watching as an adult I can understand and appreciate him much better. Sir Ian McKellen did an absolutely phenomenal job of channeling the frail, endearing, proud character of Gus (despite the wonky camera work of the scene). This might be the only part of the movie that matched, or perhaps even exceeded the stage play version, and I don’t think it’s any surprise that it also happens to be the most subdued sequence, relying almost entirely on character acting and line delivery, instead of fancy effects cluttering up the screen (as this musical should be). The end of his storytelling features some “lightning strikes” for emphasis, created by what I imagine would be a simple shadow stencil, and it added some genuine atmosphere to the idea of Gus as a performer with simple stage effects. It was a nice subtle touch, and I only wish the rest of the movie could have been more like that. I found his line condemning “modern productions” to be more poignant than ever before, and it makes you wonder if this movie suddenly became painfully self-aware.  Also I just want to throw this in: Before Gus’s song, there’s an unintentionally hilarious shot of Mr. Mistoffelees walking up on him drinking milk from a dish, except Gus is mostly in shadow with his cat features obscured and is standing fully upright, so he just appears to be a hobo man lapping at a dish, like someone legit just walked up on Ian McKellen being a complete fucking weirdo.  Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer This segment was another one that just didn’t come across quite right. These two are mischievous partners in crime, causing mayhem and stealing treasures. The '98 film version characterizes them as playful and upbeat, delighting in trouble-making, but they don’t seem to be quite experienced or clever enough to get away 100% of the time. The 2019 version came off as almost.. sinister to me. They coerce Victoria into stealing, frame her, and then leave her to what could nearly be her death, all while sort of talking through their lines with a cold inflection. This is supposed to take after the original “languid” London version, but they don’t play off each other very well and you don’t get a sense of the fun, amusing partnership they’re supposed to have. It’s mostly just watching them destroy several rooms of a house and then leaving Victoria to her fate like utter assholes. I don’t really have anything more to say on these two, it was just kind of bland and forgetful and leaves you disliking them instead of enjoying watching them have a fun romp. Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat I would give Skimbleshanks the award for “most baffling redesign”. As mentioned earlier, this movie takes cats-wearing-clothing to an uncanny level, and this is certainly the uncanny-est. While the play version has him in a cute waistcoat and arm warmers with elbow patches to give a “train conductor” vibe, the movie has him in full bright red overalls, with other reviews calling him “gay nightclub Mario”, lmao! As much as I wanted to enjoy this number, the sight of him was just too weird to look past.  The tap dancing during his skit was a fitting addition to his character - he is quite bouncy and light on his feet, so I thought it suited him very well and really liked that part. His song picks up after that, with all the cats dancing on the rail and there’s more weird camera work, at one point zooming out so ridiculously far it’s actually jarring. The rest of his song was okay, a CGI greenscreen that can do anything you want unfortunately just isn’t as creative and inspiring as watching actors build a train engine representation out of junkyard scraps on an actual stage.  Magical Mr. Mistoffelees The movie really took some liberties with this character, and I’m still on the fence about whether it was a good choice or not. In the play, Mistoffelees is a magician cat, performing tricks through his segment (including the most complex dance routine of any character) while other cats usually sing about his feats (in the ‘98 film, it’s Rum Tum). They went for the younger, unsure version of Mistoffelees in this new movie, and doubled up on it by turning him into something of a comedic-relief character. He doesn’t quite have a handle on his magic, and he trips up on his words and his feet several times through the movie. This would have been fine if his musical number hadn’t been such a let down. This is supposed to be his grand moment, but his “magic” ends up being underwhelming and the chorus repeats for SO long you’re practically begging for it to end. Where “Oh! Well, I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr Mistoffelees?” was once a cheerful and upbeat line, it will certainly become a droning echo in your mind after watching this movie. The added plot of his implied attraction to Victoria I also found kind of weird, though I’ll admit that might just be my personal tastes. I always liked Mistoffelees being a more aloof kind of cat.  Grizabella / The Glamour Cat Alright buckle in, I’ve got some strong opinions about this one. Grizabella is undeniably the star of CATS - she’s an incredibly emotional character, visually intriguing, and her performance in the musical is nothing short of heartbreaking. She was referred to as “the Glamour Cat” in her prime, but it has turned into an almost mocking title as the other cats reject and shun her. We never really know why, but it can be implied she may have been cold and elitist to the other cats who once adored her, or had some other tragic and sudden fall from grace. Despite Jennifer Hudson putting in a damn good effort to play the role of this character, the movie itself let her down. The CATS play and the Jellicle ball which it centers around, while being a musical, is foremost a ball in which cats perform for the honor of being chosen. The dancing is just as important as the singing, and Grizabella’s character is heavily communicated by her posture. She’s hunched, stiff and limping, reaching out for others to accept her, and at one point even attempts to mimic some of the other cat’s dance moves before slinking away in shame. The 2019 movie paradoxically chooses to use extremely tight face-shots for just about every character routine. It is frustrating and claustrophobic to watch a movie where cats who are supposed to be expressing their character through movement are shown from only the shoulders up, just standing there singing into a camera - and this frustration is paramount at the Grizabella sequences.  Jennifer Hudson, singing her absolute heart out with tears pouring down her face, is still emotionally lacking because of the terrible cinematography refusing to show her doing any actual acting. I was so distracted by the mucus running down her face that I couldn’t even connect with her. I thought the costuming of Grizabella was very well done, but you barely got to see any of it. Overall a very disappointing performance, because Hudson was doing all the right things, and it could have been great if the movie had met her even halfway. Macavity the Mystery Cat Played by the incredible Idris Elba, Macavity underwent some heavy changes and expansion in this new movie. He’s the main antagonist of the play, and most of his antics like committing serious crimes and alluding the police are sung about as rumors but doesn’t himself sing, and actually doesn’t have any speaking lines in the play, adding to his mysterious character. When he eventually appears, he battles with Munkustrap and steals Deuteronomy (who is brought back by Mistoffelees). Macavity is usually depicted with vibrant clashing colors, wild hair, and uses quick threatening movements, while the Idris Elba version rein-visioned him as extremely sleek, black-furred, and sly and cunning, often emerging from the shadows to tempt other cats with their vices. He is given numerous speaking lines, and his villainy is expanded on as he kidnaps the other cats in an attempt to be the chosen Jellicle. I actually quite like this interpretation of the character, and it makes him a little more relatable instead of the vicious enigma he is in the play.  Something of note is just how literally the new movie took the rumors of Macavity’s powers. His abilities, which were muted and used sparingly in the play, were used constantly and without hesitation in this movie. He spends most of his time teleporting other characters and creating illusions, but then uses trickery to try and win the Jellicle ball, and fails to demonstrate his power of levitation when it really matters. So whether he does or doesn’t have real powers seems to be.. situational to say the least. Another thing I want to point out is just how uncomfortably sudden Macavity’s reveal is. He spends most of the movie in the shadows hidden under an oversized coat and hat, and then suddenly appears at the Jellicle ball without any disguise on whatsoever. Idris Elba is a damn fine looking dude, and you can clearly see his very human-shaped abs beneath his sleek Macavity fur, which is so close to his actual skintone that I’ve seen him described as “extra naked” and it’s pretty accurate. You just really aren’t prepared for this moment when it happens. Growltiger This guy is a rough and rowdy pirate-esque character with a dramatic love life. His segment was cut from the ‘98 film, so seeing the play in person is just about the only way to experience it. Because of this, it’s probable that many people may not even be aware of this character, so I was pretty excited to hear that he would be featured in the 2019 movie. Growltiger is quite overdue for his time in the mainstream spotlight. Turns out, unfortunately, Growltiger's Last Stand is not what you get. His appearance in the movie is more or less a cameo with a short introduction, and the rest of the time he’s serving as Macavity‘s henchman in the background. This is based on the 2015 revival of him as a dock worker, but I feel it was a weak representation of his character, and really wish he’d been shown in a better light. The movie cuts out pretty much every fight scene, and Growltiger‘s would have been dramatic and fun to watch, especially after Gus’s reminiscing. Instead, he was kind of lazily thrown into a river by Gus, who previously bragged about playing the role of Growltiger on stage, which is kind of an interesting juxtaposition if you don’t think about it too hard. Old Deuteronomy A surprising change was the decision to make Deuteronomy female, played by Judi Dench. I love old grandpa Deuteronomy, but this didn’t really bother me. Deuteronomy is a wise, beloved leader of the Jellicles and there’s not really anything integral about the character that says they couldn’t be female. Deuteronomy carries himself with dignity, but isn’t afraid to dance along with the songs of the other more lively cats, and Judi Dench certainly has an air of authority and respect about her. The character’s songs are reflective and thought-provoking, but once again, the 2019 movie fails to make any of these sequences actually entertaining. The absolute worst part of the entire movie comes at the very end, when Deuteronomy makes horrific, unblinking eye contact with the camera, and slowly talks her way through the Ad-Dressing of Cats. This is absolutely bewildering considering how the movie deliberately sets up Victoria as a main character in place of the audience, only to completely chuck that out the window of a moving car just to break the 4th wall in the most uncomfortable way possible and directly address the audience anyway. What is even the point? I can’t imagine there’s a single person that would watch that and be okay with it. The Ad-Dressing of Cats is supposed to be a cute, fun little recap of everything the cats supposedly taught you, but this movie made it feel like a lecturing stare-down. Other notes The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles was cut entirely from the movie, which is fine because it isn’t integral to the story or anything, considering it was also cut from the stage play when I saw it live. I kind of shudder to think of how The Great Rumpus Cat would have been interpreted in this movie, so I think we were all probably spared some indignities.  While this movie was watchable and certainly an interesting take on the play, it creatively added very little and only succeeded in making me desperately want to go watch the ‘98 musical. I thought at least this movie would be a fun soundtrack to view, but many of the songs just didn’t have the punchiness, joy, charm, or energy that I’m used to. There were parts of it that I liked enough to say this isn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but that’s not exactly a glowing review. From the perspective of a theatre fan and a furry: If I want to see CATS, I’m most certainly going to choose the filmed musical over this new movie any day.  I’m infinitely more charmed by the graceful 80′s style dancers of the play than I am by the uncanny valley, painfully human cat-people of the new movie (and honestly I haven’t seen a single piece of fanart for it, so that really tells you all you need to know).

[jazzypizzaz]

CATS thoughts

saw it Saturday and I’ve taken this long to have actual coherent thoughts instead of just the full range of emotive wailing jklsdfjkl

my overall opinion: almost all the criticisms about it are completely valid and I agree with, in that it was unequivocally a Bad movie, BUT ALSO!!! it made me so so  Happy. jklsdfkljklsdfjkl  *SHRUG EMOJI*.  it had the same strange hypnotic factor as the stage show, where no matter what I thought about any individual aspect in particular, it all worked together into a grander whole that meant I left the theater with music buzzing under my skin and felt like dancing in the streets.  I’d simultaneously rate it both a 2 and a jellicle 20 out of 10.

but... it was fucking weird, completely unnerving, and so many choices were made that seem beyond human comprehension

the initial trailer didn’t freak me out the way it did for most!!!  I thought I was prepared!  I was HYPED because it seemed weird in a way that made perfect sense imo (don’t @ me)... 

that said while I don’t disagree with that in theory it was very much a case where the longer I watched the movie (past uuhh the first two minutes), the weirder and more disconcerting the cat/human hybrid design got, and it was impossible to acclimatize .  the human brain just wasn’t meant to comprehend.  they’re cats, but they’re also people?? they’re cats AND people???  a total mindfuck

a lot of that was due to the particular choices about what aspects were human and what aspects were cat.  I’d be watching the human expressions across Victoria’s spectacularly emotional face, and something like all the cat tails I had forgotten about would suddenly whip up erect, and I would LOSE it

also -- Cats would slink really close to each other, brush against each other, nuzzle -- feline social behavior! -- but the whole time I’d be afraid that they were about to kiss, because when humans get into each other’s space it’s likely to precede romantic intimacy. I didn’t trust that the human-ish faces wouldn’t kiss, when though they’re otherwise sort of acting like cats, and I absolutely postiviely could not handle that if it happened.

oh!! and the dancing!!!  a lot of the background dancers or like Victoria would be slinking and fluid, and I totally got that it was a feline dance style. cats are a liquid!  yes!  but sometimes (maybe when it was actors rather than dancers?) the body movements weren’t as polished and apparently it’s a very thin tightrope line between “slinking feline” and “sexual writhing”. jklsdfjkl

another thing was the stage play vs cinematic choices?? really seemed like it should have been more one way or the other.  sometimes they’d be singing about stuff they’ve done as cats, and it’d just be a close up of the cat singing, and that seemed like a missed opportunity to actually SHOW the cat doing those things in the way you could in a movie better than on stage -- Gus was maybe the worst offender, would have loved to see some flashbacks!, and also Mungojerrie/Rumpleteaser number was way less interesting than the circus-type acrobatics I remember from the stage show.  and then, of course, the cinematic editing and cutting between cats really butchered what would have looked great if you could see the whole  “stage” at once.

also the half-assed attempt at plot ............... like I get it, you do need more of a narrative thread in a movie version! totally get that!  I didn’t need a cat romance though, or not between Victoria and Mr M, and would have liked more of Rum Tum Tugger than there was just in general.

best cats: Rebel Wilson, Ian McKellan, Ole Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks.  I expected Rebel cat to be too hammy, cringey even, but actually ??  she totally captured that particular type of graceless zippy chubby cat (as tired as the fat jokes are), body movements all definitely reminded me of my bf’s cat, a true Gumbie cat lol.  She’s legit charming.  Ian McKellan invented ACTING holy shit, the complete uproar in the theater when he said “meow!” and lapped up milk from a bowl, or did ANYTHING ahahaha -- truly elevated the weirdness in a perfect way.  Ole Deut was properly majestic and completely embodied the role, loved it (unnerving 4th wall breaks aside).  Skimble was wonderful, loved the tap dancing and the whole musical number, great.  as I said before, I also loved Victoria’s cat movements but a) she needed actual fur, b) I got tired of the constant level 10 wide-eyed wonder at everything, please chill.

I didn’t dislike Bustopher Jones, but I wasn’t crazy about him either.  the fake-looking belly was bad.  Everyone else was fine I guess? except --

worst cats: Taylor Swift and (sorry) Grizabella.  Taylor Swift was the worst offender of moving exactly like she would as a human, so that her particular strut swaying her human curves (the only time I noticed the fur lump cat breasts tbh) was VERY distracting to me, broke my brain. nope nope, that’s NOT a cat! not very jellicle of you taytay!  and I feel so bad for Jennifer Hudson, clearly so so talented and really really tried, but the heartbroken angst was dialed up all the way to 20 the entire time -- I couldn’t be moved by the climatic points because there wasn’t enough emotional variation to really feel it.

oh frick I blocked out about the mice and cockroach.  Why. wHY!! why

[cettiecetera]

I saw Cats live this evening!!!  And of course I made a slap-dash list on my phone of things I wanted to remember.  HERE WE GO:

First of all, these folks were NOT MESSING AROUND with those harmonies.  I was already blown away with “Jellicle Songs,” holy crap.

After seeing clips and gifs online, to be quite honest, I was a little hesitant about seeing the “new choreography.”  But they kept more of the original than I anticipated, with just little sprinkles of the new stuff here and there.  I don’t hate it, but I still prefer Full Gillian Mode any day of the week.

I sat close to the aisle but not on it, and Cassandra regularly wound up in my proximity whenever they did any audience interaction bits.  There was actually a moment during the finale of “Mr. Mistoffelees” where I noticed she was actually leaned over and talking to an audience member, and when she pulled back she was smiling and had her hands on her heart like she had received a compliment.  I don’t know what even happened or what was said, but it made my heart happy.

Rock Star Tugger back where he belongs, thank Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Personally, he didn’t have the ~depth~ of some of my favorite Tuggers, but he was entertaining and knew how to rile up the audience. 

Tugger and Bomba had amazing chemistry.  There was a point during the Ball (after her saucy little solo, I believe) where the two of them broke away from the group and just basically snuggled in the corner for a minute or two.  Beautiful. 

No Electra or Etcetera in this show, so his groupies consisted of Victoria, Jemima, Rumpleteazer, and Tantomile.

Toward the end of his song, Tugger went up to Munkustrap and put his hands on his waist like he would with a girl.  Got a great rise out of Munk.

He and Misto were also playing up the best friend card big time, dancing together in their songs and shooting each other glances in others.  They even properly HUGGED during the “Mr. Mistoffelees” finale, I about cried.

Speaking of Misto, he was actually a little bit of a show-off!  He definitely wasn’t the awkward young cat I’m used to.  He was a downright HAM in some parts!  But he was precious and I adored him all the same.  

There was this cute little moment in “Gumbie” where Jenny sat perfectly still for the “sits and sits” lines, and Misto kept waving his hand in front of her face trying to break her concentration.  It was really adorable.  And he also kept gesturing at lights as they turned on throughout the show - very subtle at first.  You couldn’t tell unless you were looking directly at him, but I thought it was a lovely touch and a cute nod of things to come.

Also, during the Conjuring Turn, his little jacket lit up in rainbow colors and I felt Jesus on this day, June 1.

Tugger and Victoria also did this little secret handshake/fistbump thing during “Mr. Mistoffelees.”  Very unexpected and very adorable.

After her solo in “Moments of Happiness,” Jemima clearly had this surprised look on her face, like her singing was an out of body experience or something.  Definitely supports my theory of her being related to the psychic twins.

It was only for a second, but Jenny and Skimble did a little twirl during the tap segment of “Gumbie Cat” and I felt love swell in my heart.

Skimble had these white dinner gloves on during his number.  Broke the cat illusion just a little bit, but very classy nonetheless.

Mungo and Teazer were clearly poking fun at Bustopher Jones as he came on stage, sticking their tongues out and such.

Mungo was also the conductor during one of the train pantomimes in “Skimbleshanks,” while Teazer took Jemima’s usual bit of vocals at the beginning.  So lots of fodder if you believe Skimble is their dad.  :3

ALL the queens joined in “Macavity” for the last chorus, even Jenny and Jelly.  It was brilliant.

Victoria was getting picked up so she could do some graceful pose every ten seconds, LET THE GIRL BREATHE FOR PETE’S SAKE.  (She killed her solo, though.  Brilliant job.)

Grizabella blew the roof off, as expected.  Still not a fan of the Young Grizabella thing, but Deuteronomy definitely had more energy than usual, so in a weird way it evened out...?

THEY JUST SLAPPED SOME WIRES ON GRIZ’S BACK AND FLOATED HER UP INTO THIN AIR at the end of “Heavyside.”  Slightly glad they didn’t bring the spaceship back, but I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT.

“Ad-dressing” had the usual snickers from first-timers.  I was too deliriously happy to care.

Now, I haven’t seen the show live in years, so I don’t know if the changes I noticed are for the entire revival or just this tour, but I’m going to note them anyway because they feel important to me:

First off, they cut two of my favorite Tugger moments: the fangirl scream at the end of his song and his bagpipes in “Pekes and Pollicles.”  I WAS OFFENDED.

Speaking of “Pekes and Pollicles,” they did it where they usually put “Growltiger” and Gus played Rumpus Cat while also narrating most of the song.  It was...interesting.  Still had a couple laughs from the cats messing up their parts, but Gus reliving his glory days definitely overshadowed the whole tone.  Munkustrap clearly adds most of the humor to that song.

(All I want is a show that does both “Pekes” and “Growltiger,” where they belong, as they should be.  Is that too much to ask?)

There was a tiny prelude of “Macavity” after “Bustopher Jones,” and it felt so natural for the pacing?!  I loved it.  I hope that bit’s in every show I see from now on.

MACAVITY WAS NOT IN HIS RED COSTUME.  This was the weirdest change to me.  Instead, his color scheme was very similar to Tugger, but rattier and punkier with this weird cape thing.  It definitely fit the Plato makeup underneath better, though, and I guess that’s what they were going for because Plato came back after Macavity’s whole thing.  Still weird.  Red’s the way to go every time.

[falasta]

I posted 5,598 times in 2022

That's 2,450 more posts than 2021!

84 posts created (2%)

5,514 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@scorpiofangirl1109

@cryptidvoidwritings

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I tagged 4,076 of my posts in 2022

Only 27% of my posts had no tags

#cats vienna - 186 posts

#vienna kitties - 104 posts

#linadoon art - 86 posts

#riccardo sinisi - 67 posts

#rainbowratsstuff art - 65 posts

#yes - 63 posts

#cats vienna revival - 63 posts

#magical mister mistoffelees - 54 posts

#the rum tum tugger - 51 posts

#oasis kitties - 50 posts

Longest Tag: 119 characters

#it's mostly going to be 1998 and vienna because my other videos are untagged and i often don't know who is playing who!

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

From Alex Auler’s Instagram

It’s official: Vienna Revival Cats ends in June. I am Sad. 😥

BUT GUYS I HAVE AMAZING NEWS!

I am officially going to Vienna in April!!! My sister is on Spring Break and we’ve both always wanted to go to Vienna.

I AM GOING TO SEE CATS VIENNA!!! And I already have front row tickets booked (possibly more than one night). I am so excited and incredibly grateful to have been able to make this happen.

29 notes - Posted January 27, 2022

#4

Curtain Call Footage from April 14, 2022 (Cats Vienna, Ronacher Theatre)

Notes under the cut!

April 14:

Someone did a wolf-whistle at Tugger during the pause in the Misto number and Tugger looked at Misto and was like “oh HO!”

Just watching Alex standing during Pekes & Pollicles with his arms outstretched, eyes glancing sideways, beckoning for Louder Barks while continueing to smile winningly at the audience.

Munkustrap Wiggles during Skimble!!!

Rhys premiere!

Very reactive/active Cori

Tanto and Cori are super cute with each other and interact a lot!

OMG CASSANDRA YOU ARE BLOCKING MY VIEW AGAIN

Barbara totally has the “tipsy Diva everyone feels kind of sorry for” vibe

Munkustrap is REALLY conflicted about Grizabella—watching Munkustrap’s Face Journey is one of my favorite parts of this show

Interesting with Barbara Griz he wasn’t so aggressive during their Show down—in fact he reaches for her with a conflicted, yearning look on his face, then turns and leaps away. It absolutely parallels Demeter, and I didn’t see it with any of the other Grizabellas.

Munkustrap does look at her with pity for a good portion of the show. There is a History Here. (Also Barbara is Smol and Alex is Tol and it is extremely adorable)

Aulerstrap was FERAL tonight folks

The Demestrap PDA was pretty intense and hilarious tonight.

I mean it’s always there, but Anneke and Alex played it up to the nines

During Moments of Happiness when Munk goes to stretch out elegantly at the front of the stage he smolders at Demeter and slowlllly stretches his leg out. And Demeter gives him a look over her shoulder.

As Tugger is trying to convince everyone to give Misto a chance, they are TOTALLY MAKING OUT in the dark like DAMN you two get a room!

Munk raising up above Demeter and stroking down her leg before they fall down in to the cuddle pile 😳😳 (Bomba is there too on the other side. In fact Tugger, Munk, Demeter, and Bomba kind of curl up together)

Munkustrap doesn’t want Bomba there when Tugger appears—perhaps their combined energy would make the stage combust or something XD

(She comes back later when Munk is relaxing in the back and going with the flow)

Petra is an elegant and sexy Bomba. Anneke is showy and voluptuous. Birgit is reserved and seductive. I loved them all but I think Anneke’s might be my favorite.

Munkustrap bopping his head along to the trio during Gumbi and he and Misto doing their little dance together

When Jenny appears in her outfit and starts tapping Munk does a Toe Tap too and it is SO CUTE!!!

He and Misto do a little dance together before Misto has to go put his tap shoes on

Also Tap Dancing Mistoffelees? BEYOND precious!!!

Munkustrap curls up on the tire with Jenny’s fluffy robe

Lecherous Pirate Munk is back! (Not so great a view this time Growltiger kept blocking my view of the Raffish Crew!)

Sinisi Tugger and Aulerstrap are Gay Pirate Boyfriends. While Snova Tugger was a little jealous of Munk’s crush on Griddle, and Dominick’s Tugger had more of a crush than Munk, clearly both of them here have a thing for Griddle and they are 100% on board with that. Also it takes them ages to get Comfy in the Oven!!

See the full post

32 notes - Posted May 7, 2022

#3

Denise Jaustranig Strikes Again!

Borderline Criminal

Seriously?

See the full post

38 notes - Posted May 4, 2022

#2

Excuse me, Sir - Who gave you the right??

(From Alex Auler's insta stories)

41 notes - Posted April 27, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Bows from the Vienna Cats Revival, April 6!

Since Bill Bailey was cut, Matthew Levick did the Tumble flips as Mistoffelees!

Footage was filmed by me @falasta. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT ATTRIBUTION. Thank you!

I have notes about the show, which I will get up as soon as I recover from Jetlag brain.

47 notes - Posted April 8, 2022

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Guys I think I might have a thing for Cats Vienna -- do you think it shows?