Was Cats ever a good musical?

Was Cats ever a good musical?

Zach: Let's get an indisputable fact out of the way: Cats is one of the most popular musicals of all time, grossing over $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales since its 1981 debut. ... So yes, Cats is an impressive spectacle and a financial juggernaut, but neither of those things makes it a good musical.

Why is Cats the musical hated?

But I know why people hate it: First, there's not much of a story. It's a bunch of random backstories about a bunch of the cats, plus this thing about the fallen Grizabella, and a weird villain named Macavity, and the elder statesman Old Deuteronomy.

What is the point of Cats the musical?

The show basically involves a feline competition to decide which cat will be “reborn” to go the “Heaviside Layer,” otherwise known as cat heaven. Andrew Lloyd Webber, Elaine Paige, and Paul Nicholas at the opening night party for Cats in 1981. In 2016, Cats came back to Broadway.

Is Cats a real musical?

Cats is a sung-through musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the 1939 poetry collection Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. ... Cats opened to positive reviews at the New London Theatre in the West End in 1981 and then to mixed reviews at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in 1982.

Why is cats movie hated?

Though it changed the landscape of Broadway musicals forever, the lack of a concrete plot, unorthodox visual choices, and the fact that it's a show about people mimicking the behavior of felines for two hours (among many other features present in the show) have seen it become a routine source of mockery.

What is the appeal of Cats the musical?

In his New York Times review of “Cats,” Frank Rich wrote that despite its flaws, the “reason people will hunger to see 'Cats' ” is that “it's a musical that transports the audience into a complete fantasy world that could only exist in the theater.”

Why do the cats hate Grizabella?

She is portrayed as an older cat, although her decrepit state may make her look older than she really is. ... Grizabella is despised by the Jellicle cats for reasons unspecified. She is sad and wistful, dreaming of the days when she was young, beautiful and adored, as her songs describe.

Is it true that cats do not like music?

• Cats don’t like human music — play them this instead. The study also found that the cat music also evoked better reactions from younger and older cats than middle-aged felines. The research team wrote that these results “suggest novel and more appropriate ways for using music as auditory enrichment for nonhuman animals.”.

Why was cats such a popular musical at the time?

• Trevor Nunn’s musical interpretation of the word for word poems, and the choreography so clever too along with the humor thrown in anyone for 7 to 70 could not fail to have a laugh at some of the lines which TS Elliot wrote. I read the book of poems when I was 17 and was transfixed by them, then the stage musical was released shortly after.

Is there going to be a movie of cats?

• The rumors are true: They have finally made a movie version of “Cats,” the long-running Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a surprisingly enthusiastic feline-euthanasia competition. Is it any good?

Is the musical Cats based on a true story?

• Of course, it does have a plot, albeit a thin one that deliberately takes a back seat to the physical and musical action of the show. For those who are still confused – and we don’t blame you – here is some background on what Cats is actually about. Cats, by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, is based on a collection of poems by noted poet T.S. Eliot.