Cats is the longest-running musical in London and the longest continuously touring musical in American theater history. Cats" in the United States for a total of 16 years and 2 months, only this play in the global performance of the total revenue of more than 2 billion U.S. dollars, to June 2000 when the show officially announced the closure of the show, has been performed more than 6,000 shows around the world. The play is well written, the performance level is superb, 36 actors and actresses have their own stunts, the old cat Grizabella played by the familiar Elena Page, who is known to some media as the British musical "First Lady".
Cats: "Leader Cat". The leader of the cat family, full of wisdom and experience, he must attend the annual cat meeting, and finally decide which cat can ascend to heaven to be reborn; "Charming Cat", the play's mature female representatives, the climax of the play ball she is the leader of the dancers, in the greenish-blue light, but only her red fur overflowing with warmth; "Charming Cat". When she was young, she was the most beautiful one in the Cat Clan, tired of the life of the Cat Clan to venture outside, but tasted the world, and then returned to the Cat Clan has been ugly - she looks most like a human being, with long hair over her shoulders, dressed in a black evening gown, and a pair of high-heeled shoes. The song "Memories" calmed all the cats' hostility towards her, and evoked deep sympathy and compassion for her. There are also "Rich Cat", "Nanny Cat", "Theater Cat", "Rock and Roll Cat", "Crime Cat", "Charming Cat", "Hero Cat", "Superman Cat", "Magic Cat" and so on. These diverse and anthropomorphized cats make up the world of cats. At the ball, they show their skills; either singing or dancing or playing, staged a stirring "human tragedy and comedy", telling the theme of love and tolerance
The dance and music in "Cats" are quite prominent. In order to convey their feelings, the choreographers and directors have spared no effort in using a large number of dance scenes to show the different characteristics and personalities of the cats. There is both relaxed and lively tap dance, as well as staid and gorgeous ballet, and dynamic jazz and modern dance. How to look how to choreograph, no box, unique, eclectic. Especially the ten-minute-long "Jericho Ball" dance, the scene is grand, passionate, let a person see as if intoxicated.
The stage of Cats is also very exciting. It is designed as "the world through the eyes of a cat". From the angle of their seats, the audience can see a junkyard with more than 1,500 piles of toothpaste skins, broken plates, bad credit cards, Coke cans, abandoned cars and other junk, all enlarged to the size of the cat's eyes. There is also a 5-ton catwalk on stage for the cat to play on and off, and during the show there are three staff members hiding under the bridge to control the smoke, lights, and "magic cats". The costumes of "Cats" are designed according to the image characteristics of each cat, *** more than 250 sets, which realistically draws the skin color and fur pattern of cats of different ages and genders, and each actor is painted as a cat face in line with its identity, and then with more than 30 different colors and textures of the wig, which vividly dresses up a cat with a different character.
Cats, the work of British composer Andrew? Since its first performance in London in 1981, it has become one of the most famous cabarets of all time. One of the songs, "Memory," has become a worldwide sensation. Currently, "Cats" is the world's highest-grossing stage show and the longest-running stage show on Broadway in New York City and at the West End in London, England.
While Cats has traveled the world from Europe, America, Australia and even Japan, it is a pity that it has never had the opportunity to reach the stage in China. Fortunately in late 1997, Weber assembled the best cast and crew in the world to produce a videotape of "Cats". From then on, the colorful cats are no longer limited by the stage, even with the Broadway Winter Garden Theatre thousands of miles away, you can also see the world sweeping, "now and forever", "Cats" style.
Because Cats has been produced by thousands of people on many different stages, her songs and dances are not strictly regulated. Sometimes a song would be sung by a different Cat, and sometimes, some episodes were cut off entirely. For example, in the videotape of Cats, the song for the two thieving cats is sung by the thieves themselves, but on stage, the song is usually sung by the Mistoffelees. A very important song, the story of the pirate Growltiger, was also cut from the videotape of Cats. Most of the time such changes are minor and mostly due to the suitability or inappropriateness of the actors.
Each of the songs includes all of the lyrics used in the British, American Broadway, and "Cats" videos. A few of the more famous song subs have WAV versions of the music. I have had the pleasure of listening to all three Cats productions (the British and Broadway versions were released on CD in 1981 and 1982), but I think that the Cats video version is the best because it has the opportunity to bring together the best of the cast. That's why the songs in the MP3 version are taken from the Cats video. The other thing is that I have never seen Cats on stage, so I got all the information about the show from the videotape. And, of course, the videotape version does have one of the best story explanations.
"Cats," by British composer Andrew. Lloyd. Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical cabaret based on the poems of T. S. Eliot. Since its first performance in London in 1981, it has become the most famous cabaret of all time. The famous song "Memory" has been popularized all over the world. Currently, Cats is the highest grossing stage show in the world, and the longest running stage show on Broadway in New York and the West End in London.
Although Cats has traveled the world from Europe, America, Australia and even Japan, it is a pity that it has never had the opportunity to reach the stage in China. Fortunately in late 1997, Weber assembled the best cast and crew in the world to produce a videotape of Cats. From then on, the colorful cats were no longer limited by the stage, and even if you were thousands of miles away from the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, you could still see the world's most popular show, "Now and Forever," "Cats" in all its glory.
Act I
Midnight, the sidewalk is silent.
...... Until the first Jericho cat arrives.
Then, one by one, cats appeared all over the waste dump. Tonight is the annual Jericho Ball, where all the cats converge, and the fast-paced music quickly fills the stage and the entire theater. All the cats dance and sing to the music. In the song, they interpreted the proud features of the Jericho cats: "We can dance in the air, like a high swing, we can double somersaults, bouncing on the tires".
The cats are at first disgusted and skeptical of the presence of people (the audience) in their world, but soon they accept the strangers' observations and tell them about the three names of the cats: an everyday name in the family, a dignified and unique name, and a secret name that only the cats themselves know.
Victoria, the pure white cat, performs a solo dance, symbolizing the beginning of a ball. Munkustrap, the robust gray cat, is the caretaker of the kittens in the absence of Old Deuteronomy, the leader of the clan, and the guardian of the kittens. He acts as narrator in the story, telling the kittens (and the audience) about the rules of Jericho and introducing the other
cats, and Munkustrap explains to the kittens the significance of the Jericho Ball. This annual full moon is a time when only cats can experience its magic, and the Old Deuteronomy, the leader of their clan, will choose a cat from the clan to be sent to the Heavy Side Layer to be reborn before the dawn. So, at this ball, all sorts of cats are going to come out and introduce themselves, hoping to get to the Heavy Side Layer of Wonder and Happiness.
Next, Munkustrap introduces JennyAnyDots, who treats all the kittens as if they were old moms. Then Rum Tum Tugger, the rock cat himself, came on to introduce himself, Tugger is a curious cat who is spoiled by his human family, and he loves it when all the females are obsessed with him. Grizabella, the cat who hasn't appeared at the waste dump in a long time, appears, but she is now old, ugly and dirty. Because she betrayed Jellicoe Cats when she was young, she left the Cat Clan to venture into the outside world, and tasted coldness and bitterness. Now Grizabella is exhausted and has come back alone. But all the cats do not forgive her and drive her away. So Grizabella hides quietly in the corner of the stage.
Bustopher Jones comes out to the song of JennyAnyDots, the fat, food-loving, aristocratic cat who makes all his kind proud. Then came two thieving cats, Mongojerry and Rumpleteazer performing songs and acrobatic fancy dances. After their song, Old Deuteronomy appeared! After everyone paid their respects to the Old Deuteronomy, Munkustrap organized a hilarious dance for him that made everyone laugh. Afterwards, as the climax of the dance was reached, all the cats joined in the song and dance, and the main theme of Cats was played again.
Grizabella returned to the center of the stage, and the cats still refused to forgive her, at which point Grizabella sang the heart-wrenching song "Memory," and Old Deuteronomy looked on sympathetically as the heartbroken Grizabella came off the stage again.
Act II
As the cats return to the stage, Old Deuteronomy reminds them of the importance of remembering happy times. Old Cat Gus is brought on stage by Jellylorum, an actor who has taken all theaters by storm and now reminisces about his days, especially the story of his best creation, the great pirate Growltiger. The scene changes and everyone is transported back to the days when Gus was in his prime, performing the story of Growltiger and his lover Griddlebone on stage. Because of the loud noise, Skimbleshank, the train cat, who was sleeping on the train, was woken up by his funny and cute uncle. Everyone helps him build a locomotive out of junk from the landfill so that he can magically stand on it.
But just as Train Cat's story ends, the happy dance is interrupted by Macavity, the criminal cat. In the darkness, Macavity and his minions intercept Old Deuteronomy.
Two female cats, Bombalurina and Demeter, who once knew Macavity, tell the kittens, who don't know Macavity, about the doings of the most wanted criminal. Old Deuteronomy suddenly returns to the scene, and all the cats are still in surprise, but he throws off his gray skin, and it turns out to be Macavity, who has tripped up as Old Deuteronomy, and is causing trouble. Munkustrap leads the other male cats in a fight against Mac, and the criminal cats finally escape in the darkness.
"Don't worry, we have the amazing Mr. Mistoffelees!" Rum Tum Tugger said to the group. He introduced Mistoffelees, who was up next.Mistoffelees, the magic cat, managed to transform back into Old Deuteronomy at the behest of the cats.Together, the cats thanked him for his contribution, and once again got ready to listen to Old Deuteronomy's choice.
Once again, Grizabella is on the stage. But this time, as she sings "Memory", Jemima, the youngest of the kittens, responds with a clear song. At this point the cats realized what Old Deuteronomy had told them. One by one, they forgave Grizabella and brought her back into the warmth and happiness of Jellicle's clan, and Old Deuteronomy chose Grizabella to be reborn on the Path Beyond the Clouds just before dawn! With the cats singing, Old Deuteronomy led Grizabella on the Path Beyond the Clouds, and Grizabella disappeared into the colorful clouds of the sky.
The final song is sung by Old Deuteronomy to the audience. "You have to take off your hat and salute the cat and say, 'How are you, my honored cat?' This will surely please the cat." Because after all, cats are no different than humans.
About the Lyrics
The lyrics to "Cats" were adapted by Trevor Nunn. It is based on a story from T.S. Eliot's 1939 book of poems, Old Possum Speaks of Cats in the World (Old Pussom's Book of Practical Cats). This collection of poems was, in fact, written by Eliot for his godson. Most of the lyrics were taken from the book of poems in their original form. Nairn made minor changes to the words to harmonize with the music, such as the repetition of eight lines in "The Song of the Jellicles". In addition, "The Wedge," "The Marching Song of the Pollicle Dogs," and the story of Grizabella were found in Eliot's unpublished stories. The most famous piece, "Memory," was adapted by Nunn from another Eliot piece, "Rhapsody on a Windy Night."
About the score
Andrew Lloyd Webber began writing the score in 1977, based on his favorite childhood book, Old Possum Talks About Cats. That's because Webber's original intention was to write loose pieces for staging, and because in 1980 he gave a public performance of a few bits he'd already written at the Edmonton Festival. Eliot had died by then, and Eliot's widow, Valerie Eliot, attended the festival and brought Webber many of Eliot's unpublished poems and stories. Among these stories was the later famous "Grizabella, the Cat of Charming Beauty" (Eliot did not include this completed poem in the collection because he felt that "it was too sad a story for a child"). With this information, especially Grizabella's story, Webber felt that he had finally found the theme of the story, and it became more like an opera with a beginning and an end. He found Nunn to write the libretto and direct, and the two collaborated to bring such a collection of fairy tale poems, which clearly did not have the makings of a sellout, to the stage.
On "Memory"
Nunn was said to be dissatisfied with the songs until the premiere date was very close. He felt that the climax of the play was not strong enough, and that there should have been a more emotional and engaging piece of music. Webber was reluctant at first, but he went home and started the arrangement again, and he told Nunn not to get his hopes up. Webber went home that night and spent the entire evening writing a tune. The next morning, Webber played his masterpiece all night for Nunn on the piano in the rehearsal room. When Nain finished listening, he said to the man next to him, "I ask you to remember the day and the hour now. For what you hear now is the next piece of music that can be called legendary."
The tune that would become one of the most popular in the history of musical theater was "Memory".
But at the time, she was just a melody, with no lyrics at all. Unlike the other Cats songs, "Memory" wasn't based on an existing poem, and there was no other poem to use. Nunn went to three songwriters to write "Memory" and still didn't have satisfactory lyrics. With the premiere only days away, Nairn returned to his country house and decided to write the lyrics to "Memory" himself. He spent a week re-reading Eliot's poems, borrowing "Rhapsody on a Windy Evening" and "Grizabella, the Cat of Charms" as clues, and not only did he come up with the stirring "Memory", but also a clearer idea of what he wanted to say about it. The theme of "Cats" is clearer than ever. Grizabella, the cat, becomes the emotional outlet of "Cats," and in "Memory" she expresses her pain in the outside world, the joy and beauty of the days she has lost forever, and her longing to return home. The result is an unforgettable song.
About Webber
Andre Lloyd Webber is an acclaimed British musical theater producer who has written several moving works. In addition to Cats, his best-known works include Phantom of The Opera (1986), Evita (1978), Jesus Christ Superstar (1971), and Starlight Express (1984). Almost every one of these has toured the world with a long-standing theater company. The Phantom of the Opera, for example, continues to be performed in Toronto, Canada, to this day. (Note: Weber's The Phantom of the Opera is based on the same story as the Chinese opera movie Singing in the Middle of the Night, which was made both before and after the liberation of the People's Republic of China. But their scores don't seem to be supposed to be the same.) And Evita was even brought to the screen in 1996 and starred Madonna, who popped the song for a decade. Weber also became the top of modern musical theater for having such successful musicals in quick succession. In 1997, he was made a baronet (Sir) by the Queen of England and later crowned an earl (Lord).
About Andrew Lloyd Webber, there is a detailed introduction in the Chinese webpage "Ji Fangping's Nest".
The above mentioned and other musicals are also introduced in "Musical Theater World".
About the performance of Cats
The first performance of Cats as a cabaret was on May 11, 1981 The venue was the New London Theater in the west end of London. From then on it was an instant hit in the UK. Until now, "Cats" is still playing in London's West End. In addition, Cats is the longest touring show in the U.S. (with at least four U.S. tours to date).
Cats has won seven Tony Awards (the Oscars of theater) and "Memories" has become a modern musical classic. The song has been recorded as many as six hundred times, including by famous singers Barbara Streisand and Barry Mantilow.
Cats won seven Tony Awards (Tony, arguably the Oscar of the stage) and "Memories" became a modern classic.