January 25, 2002 @ 8pm - Eisenhower Hall Theatre, West Point, New York
This was the first time seeing the show again since August 2001 when I saw it in Atlantic City. I was so excited to see the tour again because I heard that the cast was even more spectacular now, and that they were!
I left my house en route to pick up my sisters at around 5:45pm. We were told to get there early because there would be heightened security (West Point is a United States Military Academy, I can understand why the security was so tight!). Anyway, we got there around 6:30pm with no troubles and went to eat something at the cafe on the 2nd (?) floor of the theatre. While standing on line, I just happened to turn around and I saw two guys walk in with CATS jackets on. The only thing that registered in my mind was to think that they were just enthusiastic fans. Well, when we got to the register to pay, I turned around and they were right behind me. And what do you think their jackets said? Yup, "North American Tour"! They were cast members! My sister wanted to go up to them and ask them about their jackets. Both of my sisters refused to believe me about them being cast members. Against my wishes, one of my sisters went up to them and asked about their jackets (I didn't want to bother them!). Ross Cornell and Mike Ericson were the cast members, by the way.
We finally headed up to the auditorium around 7:30pm. I stopped at the souvenir stand to buy a program and a long sleeve shirt with a picture of the cats on the front (the video picture) and the CATS logo on the back. As for the price, we won't go there! :) Our seats were Orchestra Row G, Seats 305-307. I had an aisle seat! Although the cast really never came out. They didn't even do "green eyes"! While we were sitting and reading our programs, we asked the usher about meeting the cast at the stage door. She said that she would have to go ask someone. When she came back she said that it wouldn't be possible. But nevermind that, continue reading! :) Oh yeah, when we got there, people were in our seats! But they moved without any problem.
Right before the show started, the understudy announcement was made. Munkustrap was played by Colin Cunliffe and Bombalurina was played by Nicole Johndrow. The show finally started and the overture was fabulous. I really enjoyed the lighting effects during the overture. The orchestra is only 5 pieces plus the conductor.
Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats was great. This cast can really dance. I love how William Hartery does the part about the "man" during The Naming of Cats. He's a great actor. By the way, this number was beautifully done. The cast really didn't come out in the audience that much, except for a few seconds at the end. When The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball started, I already knew to expect Munkustrap to sing instead of Mistoffelees. Shylo Smith as Victoria is wonderful. She is really flexible. Shylo and McCree O'Kelley as Mistoffelees dance very well together. Colin Cunliffe as Munkustrap has a beautiful voice. I enjoyed his protrayal of Munk.
The Gumbie Cat was great. Jennyanydots came out of the oven instead of the trunk. I knew this already from Atlantic City. The tap dance during this number was great. The audience was really impressed. Dave Blonn as Pouncival was so cute as the first beetle! Pounce is first right? Munkustrap tried to put Jenny's jacket back on at the end of the number but she flat out refused! It was so funny.
We all know the next number! :) Stan Stanley as Rum Tum Tugger is awesome. He is just so laid back and cool about everything. He dances very well, too. The audience was cracking up at the end when all the females are squealing at him. I love that part!
Grizabella interrupts the Tugger's spotlight. Nothing is really new here, except that Jessica Patty has a wonderful voice as Demeter and Gretchen Goldsworthy as Grizabella is probably the best I have ever heard!
William Hartery as Bustopher Jones had the audience laughing. He portrays the fat cat very well and has a beautiful voice. He seems so silly, but all the cats have great respect for him. At the end of the song, Bustopher kisses Jennyanydots' hand and she giggles. It was so cute!
Ok, I just have to say one thing. Bryce Bermingham has a beautiful voice! He and his new Rumple, Pam Rainey, dance well together,too. I love the way they laugh after they mention the ming vase. It's hysterical. Her giggle in the beginning isn't as playful as Jo Gibb's in the video, but nontheless good. They are, after all, two different actors. Bryce's voice really fits the character of Mungojerrie. What a BEAUTIFUL sound. :) They haven't quite mastered the cartwheel at the end, but they did a good job. I'm sure that it is so much harder than it looks. Credit is definitely in order.
I love Jarret Boyd as Old Deuteronomy. He has a great voice. There isn't really any noteworthy happenings during the song. It was very well done, though.
The Jellicle Ball is preceded by a Macavity scare. I really enjoyed this cast's energy during this number. It was danced very well. The audience seemed to enjoy it. It was the same as I remembered it.
Grizabella comes out once again and they all leave once again. I can't get over Gretchen's voice. I like her better than Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley. She sings Memory, then leaves the stage, realizing once again that she is unwelcome.
Intermission. My sisters went out to use the bathroom and one of them came running back in to get me because Mike Ericson was in the lobby. This was one of the cats that we saw in the cafeteria. He signed my book and we talked during the whole intermission. He told us that he has to hang around and wait just in case one of the actors he understudies for gets hurt. We had a nice chat. He is such a cool guy. He's really nice. During our chat, Susanna Hirst and Brad Barnes came over. I got their autographs and told them of the pictures I had taken with them in AC. I didn't expect them to remember, of course, but they seemed really enthusiastic about it. But then again, all CATS actors are gracious to fans. Intermission was drawing to a close so me and my sisters said our goodbyes to Mike and company and headed back into the auditorium.
By the time we got seated, the cats were already coming back out on stage. Old Deuteronomy began The Moments Of Happiness and then came Gus, who was played by the multi-talented William Hartery. He makes Gus what he really is. He acts old and frail, and even sings that way. Wendi Bergamini as Jellylorum has a beautiful voice. The two make the song flow and sound nice.
Growltiger was back in this show. They didn't perform it in AC, so this was my first time seeing the number since Broadway. I was never really a big fan of this number, but it was well done. Growltiger is played by William Hartery. When he laughs his sinister laugh, I thought the whole building was going to shake! It was a really loud, booming, intimidating laugh. The crew consisted of RTT (Stan Stanley), Mistoffelees (McCree O'Kelley), Alonzo (Ronnie Nelson), Munkustrap (Colin Cunliffe), and Skimbleshanks (Warren Freeman). They were cute. When Griddlebone came out, they pretended to clean the floor before she walked on it! They sang in Italian for some of the song. I don't remember if they did on Broadway when I saw it, but I know they do it on the OBC album. If I remember correctly, the backdrop was different than on Broadway. As I said, I really don't care for this number so much so I don't recall all the facts.
I LOVE Warren Freeman as Skimbleshanks. I was looking forward to seeing John Sechrist in West Point, and after I found out that he left the tour in December, I was a little bummed. Ok, a lot bummed! :) Warren was such a great Skimble. You should have seen the expression on his face when they woke him up in the beginning of the number! :) He had a great voice, great movements, and he looked great in the Skimble makeup. This was always one of my favorite parts in the show.
Macavity was cool. The way he electrocutes himself at the end is enough to knock your socks off! He lets out this roar type noise. It's freaky. As I said before, Jessica Patty has a beautiful voice, and so does Nicole Johndrow. The fight is a lot more toned down than it was on Broadway. As I recall, Alonzo does more of the fighting on tour.
Then came my favorite part. Mistoffelees! McCree O'Kelley is one fabulous dancer. He had the cutest expression on his face when he was coming down the rope from up above. The conjuring turn was back in the production. I hadn't seen it in AC. I don't count turns like some people do because I think it is being a little critical of the actor. The point is that they did the turns. If I counted the turns and told people, then it gives room to be judgemental, which isn't nice. :) Ok, let's stop the morality lesson! On with the show. When he brings Old Deuteronomy back, he jumps into his arms so high that I thought he would keep going and fly over his head! :) Good job, McCree! I am sure that there is much more difficulty to that number than meets the eye. I think that is why I appreciate it so much.
Memory was beautiful. That voice again! It blows me away. When Grizabella belts out "Touch me", I got the chills. It is such a poignant song. The rest of the tribe accepts her, and she begins her "Journey to the Heaviside Layer". The tire appears just as I remember it from Broadway. To me, it is a very emotional ending.
The Ad-dressing of Cats was well done. The faces all the cats make when Old Deuteronomy sings about food are a riot. The cast really sounds great when they are singing all together.
The curtain call was great. Each one of the cats individually comes out. There were a couple of songs that were played, one being Mistoffelees. I always enjoy the curtain calls at shows. At the end, Tugger ran after Bombalurina! It was cute. :)
Ok, back to the issue of meeting the cast. We ran around Eisenhower Hall Theatre looking for the stage door for 20 minutes! As you probably can fathom, the ushers were absolutely zero help in this matter. Some responses were, "I don't know", "We don't have one.", "It is not accessible to the public.", "They won't come out that way.", etc. I wasn't buying it, none of it. Well, after asking everyone that looked like they had some seniority there, we finally found it. We were standing on line waiting for the shuttle bus, and who is behind us? Skimbleshanks! I don't know why, but he was. I don't know how I knew it was Skimbleshanks because Warren's picture wasn't in the program. Hence, I didn't know what he looked like. I just had a sense. My sister asked for verification from him, and indeed he told me I was right! :) He was like, "Yeah, do I still have orange paint on my face?". I asked for his autograph, which he more than willingly gave to me, and my sister asked him about the stage door. He was like, "It's right up there." He directed us where to go. And guess what? They were ALL out there! Stupid ushers! :) We said thank you and goodbye to him (unfortunately! He was SOOO cute!) and headed up to see the rest of the cast.
We were about to walk up the steps to get to the stage door, when one of the ushers stopped us. He said we were more than welcome to go up but he didn't think there would be anyone there. Hello!!!!??? Was he blind or somthing? Geez. They were all over the place, standing around waiting for their bus. I met Wendi Bergamini, Gretchen Goldsworthy, Stan Stanley, McCree O'Kelley, David Blonn, Bryce Bermingham, Ronnie Nelson, Jessica Patty, William Hartery, and the actors from before, Susanna Hirst, Brad Barnes, Mike Ericson, and Warren Freeman. I also got pictures with Stan, McCree, David, and Bryce. I should have taken my camera out during intermission when I met Mike, but I didn't even think to do it. I wish I had gotten a picture with Warren. :(
Oh well. I'm happy with what I got. After all that craziness trying to find the door, I 'm lucky I even got there! When I asked Bryce for his autograph, he was like, "Let's make a trade!". (He was holding something that he asked me to hold while he signed the book for me). I looked at it and was clueless. I finally asked him. I was like, "Bryce, what is this?". He told me it was a band for his muscles, I don't exactly remember. You can see it in my hand in the picture with him below. It kind of looks like a rolled up garbage bag.:) We said our goodbyes to the cast, thanked them, and left. Just as we were leaving, their bus pulled up, too. Hehehe, and while their bus pulled up, ours, well, it pulled away! So we were stranded because that was the last bus out! Ok, it was 11:00pm and we were lost at a miltary base. Great. Just GREAT. Lucky for us, we found a guy that was kind enough to give us a ride to our car, which was parked in the lot 5 miles away! It turns out that he was a worker on the show! He told us that since it was only a 5 piece orhestra, he works to make it sound bigger, using computer animated sounds. He asked us how he did and we told him it sounded great! Since it was a shuttle bus from the parking lot to the theatre, we really didn't pay attention to the route we took going to the theatre, so we had no idea how to get back. Well isn't this just freakin' embarrassing? This man was so nice. He didn't act pissed off, he just took it in stride. He told us that he would be lost even if he was by himself because he didn't know West Point from a hole in the wall! :) We had to ask the military people several times for directions, but that went over like a lead balloon. I was like, you freakin' work here and you don't know where to go? I didn't say that out loud because I was afraid of being shot dead in a rifle lineup or manuever practice. Me and one of my sisters were laughing and trying not to be so serious about it that it would ruin our evening. But my other sister didn't think any part of this was funny at all. So we finally got back to our car. The man said that he has children and he would like someone to help them if they ever got lost. He was so kind. When we got into our car, the fight began. My one sister started yelling at me and my other sisters. "You guys think this is so funny?", "Suppose that man wasn't there?", "You are so irresponsible!", etc. I ignored her, and she sensed that and yelled at me some more. My other sister told her to shut up. I was like, "This is a lovely ending to the evening.". We all got home alive, by the grace of God. I'm surprised one of us didn't get left for dead on the side of Route 9.:) LOL.
It was a wonderful trip. We had a lot of fun, except for the late night fiasco, so to speak. The show was wonderful, and I am so happy that I got the chance to meet the cast. They were all so nice, and I never would have gotten to the stage door if it hadn't been for Warren. Thanks, Skimble! I appreciate your help. :)
January 26, 2002 - Eisenhower Hall Theatre - West Point, New York
This was my second night in a row seeing CATS. That had never been the case for me so I was quite excited! :) However, I was going by myself and kept hoping that I wouldn't miss the bus again, because this time I would be stranded alone.
Anyway, I left my house at around 5:45pm and headed to West Point. Getting there was not a problem as I knew the route from the previous night. I got to the gate at around 6:30pm and there was a line waiting to get in. I was on the line for about 20 minutes before I finally got to park my car and get on the shuttle bus to the theatre. I got on the bus and there were a lot of older people and some little kids. I really didn't see anyone my age.
It took us about 10 minutes to get to the theatre. While I was on the bus, I was planning out my evening in my head. I was like, "Ok, so I don't get lost or miss the bus, I'll need to be here at such and such a time.", etc. Once we got there, I got off and headed up with the rest of the crowd. I went directly to the box office to pick up my ticket. This evening I had Orchestra Row S, Seat 310. By the time I had gotten to the box office, gotten my ticket, etc., it was 7:00pm. I decided to head up to the floor where the theatre was located. I went to the souvenir stand again because my aunt wanted the shirt that me and my sister had gotten the night before. While I was waiting to be helped, I started talking to this old man who was really nice. He told me that he loved the show, and this was his 4th time seeing it. He also had seen it in London! We talked about the London closing. He bought a poster and a shirt, I think. He was a nice guy.
The doors of the auditorium correspond to the section where your seat is, so I walked over to my section. While I was standing there, one of my high school friends walks by with a friend of his! I was so surprised. I asked them where their seats were, and they told me in Orchestra Row S. I was like, "What seats?". They told me seats 311 and 312! We were all seated together! How ironic was that? We hung out and I told them that I had seen the show last night and they asked me how it was. My friend was really big on the Bway production, and he was so worried that it wasn't going to be nearly as good. Me and his friend kept reminding him that that was Bway, and this is a tour. And it is comparable to Bway in my opinion. They started letting us in at 7:30pm.
I don't think that my friend was that impressed with the set. He really had his heart set on the good ol' Winter Garden Theatre! :) It was a lot smaller, but it looked the same. Our seats were ok. They were the far right orchestra so we had our vision of that side of the stage blocked off. Funny, because the night prior I had the complete opposite! We chatted for a while about what to expect. The understudy announcement was made. Colin Culiffe would once again play Munkustrap, Nicole Johndrow was to play Bombalurina, and Karl Warden was Alonzo.
Everything was pretty much the same as I remembered it from the night prior, but a lot noisier. To put it mildly, the people in front of us never shut up, the people next to us never shut up, and the people behind us never shut up! And they weren't whispering either. They were flat out TALKING! It was so rude and annoying! After a while, my friend turned around and was like, "Excuse me, but you're being very rude.". And he said it politely. And the guy next to us thought EVERYTHING was a laugh riot. I don't know what he consumed before entering the show, but geez.
Once intermission began, the people that were sitting behind us got up and said to my friend, "How dare you talk to us like that? Grow up!". My friend told them that it wasn't "social hour". I was like, "OK, they are the ones talking through the whole first act of the show, and WE have to grow up?!". Get real. They never came back for the second act so that was a plus. The people next to them were thrilled! LOL. I won't go into it really, but instead of Act 1 being "When cats are maddened by the midnight dance", it should have been "Who can talk the loudest and longest?". Instead of Act 2 being "Why will the summer day delay, when will time flow away", it should have been "Who can make a baby faster". The first act was full of talking and the second act was full of making out.
ANYWAY, *AHEM*, yeah, um....where was I? The cast was really great tonight, too. I won't go through each number because it didn't change much, but they were just as enjoyable the second time around.
The show ended, and the curtain call was great, once again. Tonight, the cast got a standing ovation. Not everyone always participates in them, but I sure did. They definitely deserved it! And I HATE when people leave before the cast leaves the stage! That is the HEIGHT of rudeness! STAY FOR THE ENTIRE SHOW, THE CURTAIN CALL COUNTS TOO! And BTW, my friend LOVED the show! Karl Warden was an EXCELLENT Alonzo! Good job Karl!
I said my goodbyes to my friend and his friend, and I went to get on line for the shuttle bus. I didn't get to the stage door tonight. I didn't want to miss my bus; the line was so long. And plus the fact I was satisfied with what I got. I didn't really see anyone up there anyway.
I got home without any problem. I had such a great weekend, thanks to the cast of CATS. They all did such a great job. I was dreading going back to school Monday but oh well! :) I have a lot of memories to hold on to forever. I always do when I go to CATS. All I have to do now is wait for the Weschester Broadway Theatre production that I won tickets to back in early December! I have a choice as to what show I use them on, but DUH! :)
My son, Marmelith, and I were able to catch a performance at each end of the new CATS tour's stay in upstate NY - the Tuesday night performance in Schenectady and the Sunday afternoon one at West Point. I have to say that -by and large - we had a wonderful time.
Each production of CATS has its own feel and its own strengths and weaknesses. This tour production remained faithful to the original without being a carbon copy. The ensemble work was excellent, and the byplay between individual cats was fun to watch without it detracting from the main action.
Thoughts in no particular order:
Grant Turner was out for the two shows we saw, but Colin
Cunliffe made a very strong Munkustrap (or Makastrump, as a
local reviewer would have it. But then, he also said Mr.
Turner played the role on Tuesday. Oi!) Nicole Johndrow
(Sunday's Bombalurina) had somewhat more presence than
Sharon Huneycutt, but both were excellent and worked well
with Jessica Patty's Demeter. (Ms. Patty's blind groping
after 'Can you see in the dark?' really worked.) Dave
Blonn made a wonderfully playful Pouncival (Keith should be
proud), and while Brian Collier's Tumblebrutus could have
been a touch nastier when chasing Griz, the rest of his
antics were a joy to watch.
Shylo Smith was a delightfully bold/shy Victoria, and her slow split during her solo was the smoothest I've seen to date. William Hartrey was a treat to watch as Bustopher Jones (love that cross-footed walk!), while his Gus/Growltiger played off Wendi Bergamini's Jellylorum/Griddlebone nicely. Ronnie Nelson, in London rather than video make-up, made a very sensual Alonzo. (Why is he also listed as Rumpus when there's no 'Pekes and Pollicles'?) Katie A. Wanner is a sweet-voiced Sillibub, contrasting beautifully with Gretchen Goldsworthy in 'Memory'.
Bryce Bermingham and Pamela Rainey made a good team as Mungo & Rumple, and didn't deserve to have the middle third of their number cut. (Can anyone explain the reasoning on that?) Mr. Bermingham also doubled as Genghis (with a Brooklyn accent, no less!), since there was no Coricopat. (C&T's lines in 'Jellicle Songs...' were taken by M&R, while *their* lines were given to other cats entirely.)
Julie Garnye did a nice job as Jennyanydots (that one Beetle could've pushed a bit harder, though), and Melissa E. Emrico made an elegant Cassandra, while Everett Taylor was excellent as Macavity. Stan Stanley and Warren Freeman were delightful as Tugger & Skimble respectively, but the one to watch is McCree O'Kelly as Misto. Kudos, as well, to director Richard Stafford, who did an excellent job of adapting Gillian Lynne's original choreography to the reduced cast.
Of special note were Jarret Ali Boyd as Old Deuteronomy and Gretchen Goldsworthy as Grizabella. Mr. Boyd starts to leave the stage at the end of Act I, but turns back, intrigued, when he notices Griz start her attempt at the Jellicle Ball. Ms. Goldsworthy's 'Touch me!' was so full of despair that it prompted spontaneous applause at the Tuesday night performance.
Aside from the lack of 'Pekes & Pollicles', the biggest drawback was conductor Jonathan Gorst. His tempi were consistently slow, which did a grave disservice to the dancers, as they couldn't get the lift they needed for some of their jumps. The result was that the Jellicle Ball and Conjuring Turn dragged a bit, and the Cat Fight wasn't as vicious as it might have been. In addition, on Tuesday Mr. Gorst didn't give the audience a chance to applaud the end of 'Gus' at all, and on Sunday he cut the applause off too soon.
Though a proscenium stage does tend to limit audience interaction, the show as a whole was great fun to experience. (Light-up eyes during the overture on Tuesday, but not on Sunday for some reason.) Cats did come into the audience both days for the Naming, as did Tugger for his dance. The junkyard set was, of necessity, confined to the stage area; however, Christmas lights were strung out into the audience area in both venues. Another nice touch was the pseudo-Victorian 'melodrama' curtain and set for 'Growltiger'.
The audience on Tuesday contained a lot of first-timers - you could tell from the startled gasps when the shoe dropped. Afterwards, many of the cast graciously stopped to talk and sign autographs. (I *still* don't know if they ever got the chocolate, though.) On Sunday, we got talking with a family who'd *never* seen the show before; by intermission, they were in love with it. (If you're reading this, and remember the young man with the tail and Munkus-mitts, please respond. I'd *love* to know how you liked the second act!) Oh, and several people admired Marmelith's tail. One little boy even wanted to know if it was real!
All in all, this tour is a wonderful gift from up-and-coming performers who obviously love what they're doing. Hmmmmm...maybe I should start a petition to bring it to Kingston...
JelliclePat
'teazer's report can be found on her webpage:
http://cats4ever.tripod.com/info/id2.html