Cats: Now and Forever

After almost a year of waiting, we finally got to attend the Jellicle Ball last Saturday (Aug.7). Thanks to Citibank's promo, Mom was able to buy discounted tickets. Along with two of Mom's friends, we excitedly met up at the Cultural Center of the Philippines for the matinee show.

Unfortunately since I came from a late-Friday-night thing, I was so tired and sleepy, there were parts I fell asleep in. I know, sorry! But I couldn't stand it any longer. But during those times I was wide awake, I was AWED by the dance numbers. The cast had some SERIOUSLY WICKED routines, and to top it all off, they had to SING while dancing. I just have to salute the cast members for their endurance.

I also loved how the cats interacted with the people. It was sorta creepy because their make-up actually looked like that of a clown. But it was so cool how they went around the theater to get cozy with the audience. And they also acted like real cats. It was so funny to see them "clean" themselves like how real cats do it, how they jump around on stage. They were in-character for almost 3 hours! I was getting tired just by watching them!

And then of course, there was Ms. Lea Salonga. Her voice, as usual, was perfectly clear. But I have to say she the most un-cat-like. Unlike her co-cast members who looked like they were possessed by cats, Lea looked like a human in cat costume. She played Grizabella, a Jellicle cat who left the group to search for something better. She tries to come back, but gets shunned by the other Jellicle cats. Thanks to her rendition of Memory, it made her stint with CATS memorable. But I'd have to say that the other cast members overpowered her usual dominant acting and singing capabilities. I think she should stick to Ms. Saigon. :)

Watching CATS was just like watching a song and dance number, except 10 million times more explosive. My gosh, the energy was just so high. Too bad it didn't rub off on me. And maybe because I was busy dozing off in some parts, I missed the plot of the musical. But according to Mom, it really didn't have a story. It was just like they wanted to prove that CATS were like humans in a way. So the dance and song numbers were all smoke and mirrors to cover up the lack of story.

Andrew Lloyd Webber must have been seriously hooked to T.S. Eliot's, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. They say that this is the longest running musical, starting off with West End in 1981.

Hopefully you guys were able to grab yourselves a ticket, heard it sold like pancakes. Since it was such a big hit here, they extended it for 2 more weeks. By any chance they're still selling tickets, click on Ticketnet and get a chance to witness the Jellicle Ball. :)