Let me start by saying that it makes me infinitely happy that live theater is back, both on Broadway and in the touring world. I'm happy that all of the people employed by this ecosystem are able to work again, sharing their creative gifts and hard work. On the list of things I missed during the worst parts of the pandemic, that was one of the highest things.
But Wednesday night, we finally saw Cats, and it was even more terrible than I expected. It doesn't really have a story, it's just exposition about a bunch of characters. This particular tour is anchored by a bounce-house set (it's literally inflated... you can hear the fans) and a lighting design that's like an 80's rock concert. We were so bored out of our minds that we didn't even stay for the second act. We hung out in the donor room for a bit, gleefully argued with one of the bartenders about the legitimacy of the show, and went home. I can't understand how this had such a long Broadway run, or why they made it into a movie or revived it now.
I've never left a show like that, but I didn't quite stay to the end of Les Miserables either. I'm no stranger to the music, certainly, so I knew what I was in for. I've seen the movie too. But I've never really understood why people were so into it. And this particular version of the show was literally too dark. You couldn't see the expressions on faces, and people were basically teeth and eyes. Rent is in a similar category, but I at least watched the whole thing. The characters in that show are mostly intolerable and entitled. I've written about these shows before, so I won't relitigate it here.
Mind you, nothing will ever be worse than Love Never Dies, which is so funny because Andrew Lloyd Webber did that, as well as Cats. Yet I mostly love the original Phantom, and we've got Jesus Christ Superstar coming up at the end of the season. Superstar is an extraordinary show, because he took something religious and applied what was "the devil's music" in the 70's, in a style that frankly he had no expertise in. Fifty years later, it still holds up.
There are pretty simple shows that I just adore though, even the slightly preachy ones like The Prom. There are others that I half-like. I think Dear Evan Hansen is brilliant... in the first act. The second needs a ton of work. I get why something like Hamilton is so highly praised, but I don't get the Cats. We all like what we like.
No comments yet.