From STLtoday Entertainment.
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in entertainment CATS With such high-profile collaborators as poet T.S. Eliot, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and director Trevor Nunn, choreographer Gillian Lynne turned into the least-conspicuous member of the creative team behind the theatrical phenomenon "Cats." But, as the "Cats" production at the Fox this week makes clear, Lynne deserves a huge part of the credit for the musical's prolonged success. She's responsible for the central charm of the show: the parallel it draws between cats and dancers. Cats and dancers captivate their admirers with much the same charms: their sublime grace and their gift for surprise. Lynne's genius in "Cats" lies in the way she puts it all together in a single package, letting the audience appreciate them both from a fresh, double perspective. Richard Stafford, director and choreographer for this tour, holds with the original work created by Lynne and Nunn. The ensemble is extremely young (the show resembles an incredibly well-financed college production), but youth is a dancer's advantage. The performers strut their stuff through a wide range of styles. Balletic lifts, tapping rhythms and sultry showgirl hip-and-shoulder rolls are just a fraction of the styles included in "Cats" - as well as some distinctive twists. How often do you see dancers rub their heads against each other? Or draw their fists across over their faces, "grooming" themselves? Or, just to signify pleasure, raise a leg and shake it slightly? The feline dance vocabulary that Lynne created, and that Stafford and his ensemble execute with verve and charm, gives "Cats" a charm and temper all its own. Maybe it's the influence of a recent spate of Broadway hits such as "Contact," "Fosse" and "Chicago," or maybe it's just that the musical is by now so familiar that it's easier to appreciate its distinct components. Whatever the reason, "Cats" has never seemed to be more of a "dance show" than it does today. Its big star turn comes from a dancer as well: McCree O'Kelley, who plays the magician-cat, Mistoffelees. It's not just his dance stunts - the mid-air splits and apparently endless pirouettes - that make him stand out. He brings assured style to small gestures, too: extending a paw to a companion, wrinkling his nose in some kind of cat-like thought. It's a striking performance. There's more appealing work from Grant Turner as the debonair cat leader Munkustrap and Stan Stanley as the rocking Rum Tum Tugger. Overall, the singing could use some seasoning: nothing wrong, just a little raw. Gretchen Goldsmith wins applause with the show's one irresistible song, "Memory." Ironically, Eliot, the Nobel laureate who created "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Wasteland," may end up being best known for a pop standard that he didn't write. Nearly all of "Cats" is taken directly from "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats." But the words to "Memory," though inspired by some of Eliot's other poems, were written by Nunn. This production is in some respects scaled back; for example, the battle between the cats and dogs is missing. But John Napier's distinctive designs - slinky costumes and a big-scale set for the junkyard where the cats hang out - is here in all its imaginative allure. ========== "Cats" Where: Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard When: 8 tonight and Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday How much: $20 to $56 Tickets: 314-534-1111 REVIEW THEATER Critic Judith Newmark: E-mail: jnewmark@post-dispatch.com Phone: 314-340-8243 |
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