Review Roundup:: Circus-Themed CATS Soars At Chicago's Paramount Theatre

Step right up! The Jellicle Ball goes under the big top as Paramount Theatre presents a circus-themed revival of Cats, running through June 15, 2025. Just picture Grizabella and her feline friends flying through the air with the greatest of ease. You may know all of the words to Cats, but you’ve never seen this Cats before, a new production intent on showcasing the amazing acrobatics and athletic grace of true felines.

Paramount isn't kitten around, casting its new take on Cats with a contortionist, jugglers, aerialists, tumblers, acrobats and other talented circus performers guaranteed to bring all new layers and energy to Lloyd Webber’s fantastical journey into the clandestine world of cats.

With a tent full of acro-cats, audiences will get swept up in the circus theme while Mungojerrie, Bustopher Jones, Bombalurina and more explore timeless themes of identity and redemption through captivating dance, singsong poetry, and unforgettable songs like “Memory” and “The Rum Tum Tugger."

For tickets, visit ParamountAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666. 

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Catey Sullivan, Chicago-Sun Times: It falls to Grizabella to deliver the show’s signature song, “Memory,” and Rohm does so with vocals that swell beyond the big top on stage. Rohm makes Grizabella deeply human and unmistakably relatable. And Rush captures the gravitas and wisdom of Old Deuteronomy, and powers the score with a voice of leonine power.

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune: But with all due respect to the amount of work and risk here (and especially the makeup from Katie Cordts) and the undeniable quality of much of the singing, I can’t say I much enjoyed this particular production. It is the victim of its own excesses and, as a result, that all-important emotional connection between audience member and warbling kitty gets squelched. 

Alan Bresloff, Around The Town Chicago: I know there are some theater audience members that might be “purists” demanding that one never alter a play, but this one needed something, and the fact that Paramount not only added the Cirque to the show, but eliminated the “show within a show” segment, took this production to new heights. I loved every minute, including the final scene before the curtain call. I was on my feet before the end, wanting to give this ensemble the applause they deserved. This is one NOT TO BE MISSED!

Ed Tracy, PicksinSix: The sheer talent of this ensemble also makes “Cats” a must-see. The production features a whimsical combination of breathtaking circus artistry, stunning vocals and movement. Emily Rohm delivers an enchanting performance as Grizabella which earns her the ascent to the Heavyside Layer via a high-flying trapeze up and over the audience and into the balcony. Old Deuteronomy’s (Rush) sweet-sounding and smooth vocals enhanced each scene he entered, and Rum Tum Tugger (Donovan Hoffer) packs a ferociously controlled punch throughout the show.

Suzanne Magnuson, Splash Magazines: I realize that reimagining a 40-plus-year-old show that has fallen into disregard – especially after the disaster of a film – and boasts a paper-thin plot to begin with is an incredible challenge, but this is not a complete success.  The idea Paramount came up with starts off very, very well.  The show begins with the various cats reimagined as stars of a Cat Circus and the stage is set as a big top complete with incredible lighting and projection effects that greatly add to the enjoyment of the show.  And when the production remembers it’s supposed to be a circus, this is fun and works well.  But it only does that half the time.  Mostly it feels like random songs strung together, which is this show’s danger in the first place.