Review: CATS at Kentucky Performing Arts

It's interesting to think at one point in time, Cats was one of the hottest tickets you could get. Almost a Hamilton of the 80s, the show was a global sensation, running over 18 years on Broadway and spawning numerous tours and international productions even up to today. At the time of its height, there was an almost gobsmacked fascination with the show. Is it a musical? Is it a ballet? Is it a new step into experimental theatre? Is it all of the above, or none? I guess that question comes down to the old adage: "art is in the eyes of the beholder."

No one will dispute that the artistry that goes into Cats is far more than admirable. The design of the piece, from the costumes to the set, feels very lavish. This show has a reputation for some of the best dancing Broadway has ever offered. Even with these strong attributes, I find it very difficult to bring myself to call this a musical. All the elements are there, but an emotional through line is hard to find, making it hard to connect with the piece any deeper than surface level. With a less than tangible plot, Cats almost feels like an exercise in pure absurdity.

It is worth mentioning that Cats harkens back to a time when the point of musical theater was the spectacle. Musical theater has its roots in vaudeville, so there's definitely historical precedent for pure unadulterated entertainment. No one went to see the Follies to be challenged. However, modern musicals have embraced the theater part of musical theater and use it to tell more emotional, plot based stories. So Cats somehow seems very out of place in the modern context.

Whether or not Cats is a show you enjoy, one thing it has in spades is a cast with undeniable talent. As I mentioned before, this show consists of some of the most difficult and groundbreaking choreography Broadway has to offer, which in a way is all the merit it really needs. It's also worth mentioning that at opening night of the show here in Louisville, seven swings/understudies were on. They are truly the backbone of Broadway, and in these uncertain times, the show definitely wouldn't go on without them.

If this review has come off slightly cynical, it's because Cats is definitely not for me. I suspected that going in, and that notion was confirmed by the time I walked out of the theatre. However, I cannot deny that this show has some of the most dedicated supporters, and at the end of the day you either enjoy the entity that is Cats or you don't. Just because I don't doesn't mean you might not fall on the other side of that divide. At the very least, you'll get a night out and witness some spectacular dancing and beautiful stagecraft.

CATS

Now - January 23rd

Whitney Hall at Kentucky Performing Arts

https://www.kentuckyperformingarts.org