Review: CATS, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Cats, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber to poems selected from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, is a celebration both of our feline friends and the art of dance. It previously enjoyed a 21-year run in the West End and an 18-year run on Broadway, with the most recent London revival taking place in 2014-15.

Now it is back in a much-anticipated version for the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, in a brand-new production before it heads on tour. Drew McOnie is director and choreographer, with Rachael Wooding taking on the iconic role of Grizabella - although on press night Taziva-Faye Katsande stepped in with Melanie La Barrie playing the wise Old Deuteronomy. 

Cats relies on the stories of individual animals rather than providing a linear narrative, but retains a magical sparkle that has enthralled fans since 1981. My own history watching the production goes back to its first UK tour in 1989, where its lights and spectacle dazzled in Blackpool's Winter Gardens.

The Open Air Theatre production offers a sleek and modern take on a show that has now begun to show its age a little. The costumes are upscaled and simplified; the dance routines are far removed from the original choreography by Gillian Lynne, but still retains remnants of feline behaviour.

Some changes have inevitably been made by the new creative team, notably the removal of "The Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles", and a different staging for "Macavity" and Grizabella's ascent to the Heavyside Layer. Happily, though, Rum Tum Tugger (Jaydon Vijn) is back to being sexy rock star rather than rapper, and all the better for it. 

Katsande's Grizabella is delicate and sad, yet her high notes on "Memory" lead to the now-inevitable mid-song whoops and standing ovation we are seeing up the road at another Lloyd Webber musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, during Sam Ryder's "Gethsemane".

The other iconic characters - Jennyanydots (Charlotte Riby), Bustopher Jones (Elliot Broadfoot), Gus the Theatre Cat, crooked Macavity (Dianté Lodge), magical Mr Mistoffelees (Jet Yau) - are beautifully portrayed.  Jenny and Bustopher are light and fun, while Gary Wilmot brings pathos and pluck to the old timer, Macavity offers impressive dance moves - bar a stumble that looked accidental - and Mr Mistoffelees is appropriately, well, magical.

The set and lighting are excellent for the setting, although I still miss the rubbish dump and strings of coloured lights of old. Here the stage is dominated by a large metal structure that suggests the moon, and an industrial-style floor. The lighting is always a highlight in any Open Air Theatre production, and tonight was no exception, with warm glows, intriguing shadows, and flashes of pyrotechnics.

The dancing allows some more modern flips and turns alongside more balletic moves and a lot of movement where the cats found themselves huddled together. A fight scene between Mactivity (Dianté Lodge) and another cat is vibrant, and "Growltiger's Last Stand" is action-packed.

Standout performances are the aforementioned Wilmot, La Barrie's Old Deuteronomy, making the switch from father basso profundo to mother confessor a seamless one. She is also more heavily included in scenes following her first appearance. I also enjoyed Matthew Caputo as Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat - complete with real train.

The final verdict has to be that this is an accomplished production that is worth your time if you like dance, cats, or the score which remains one of Lloyd Webber's best. At nearly 50 years since he first toyed with Old Possum, and 46 years since its first appearance as a song cycle at Sydmonton, Cats still has the claws, the purrs and the attitude.

Cats runs at the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre until 19 September

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