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I went to the show recently. I really liked it. So I searched its soundtrack. This was very good buy, and I really enjoy listening in the car.
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I have always loved the show "Cats" even though I never saw it on the live stage. This CD is high quality with the original Broadway cast. It's the subsequent best thing to being there.
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This soundtrack reminds me of the time I saw "CATS" on Broadway. The show was super! The music was fabulous! I got the soundtrack as a reminder of that special day.
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In many ways Cats was a turning point for Andrew Lloyd Webber. At the beginning of the 80-is he was already a hugely successful musical theatre composer, thanks to his work with the lyricist Tim Rice on "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita". In the early 1980-is he decided to part ways with Rice and many people predicted him a quick downfall, even more so when he decided to use T. S. Eliot's book of children's poetry called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" as a basis for his subsequent musical. He used then a relatively unknown musical director Trevor Nunn and Gillian Lynne as a choreographer. Cats was imagined as a mixture of pop songs and ballet; by that time an unseen combination for a musical, so it is no wonder that Webber and his producer Cameron Mackintosh had trouble finding financial backup. The show opened in London and became a phenomenon in its own right. It closed in London after exactly 21 years of running in May 2001. The same thing happened when the show came to Broadway in 1982; it closed after 18 years of running, in 2000.
So you may wonder what it's all about. It's quite simple really. Many people say that Cats hasn't got a story. It's certainly true that the plot is very simple and that's part of the appeal for the audiences. We are presented with a group of special cats, known as Jellicle cats. They meet once a year to decide who among them is worthy to get a chance to be reborn and start a new life. Since we meet them at that precise night, each of them tells us about their lives and habits through the musical numbers. There is one character among them, Grizabella the Glamour Cat, once of great beauty, but now an ugly and dilapidated thing, because at some point in her life, she decided to leave the others in her tribe and get to know the outside world; a move which eventually led her to prostitution. Because of that she is repeatedly rejected by other cats when she tries to make an entrance and compete as a candidate for a new life, determined to change her life style and pursue a happy life style she once knew. So besides the fact that we meet all kinds of different characters that often have characteristics very similar to human ones, Cats at the same time is a wonderful story of redemption and forgiveness. Besides the story the audiences loved the excellent choreography and dancing together with beautiful and distinctive feline makeup each character of Cats had. It is a show that is suited for the young and the old.
This cast recording captures the somewhat changed show that transferred from London to Broadway. Some lyrics have been cut in the process and overall the score has more of a pop touch rather than the classical one on the London recording. Some numbers have been re-orchestrated completely, like `Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer'. Despite the fact the new orchestration suits the song better, the whole number works better when sung by its two protagonists and not Mr. Mistoffelees. Some other changes worth noting is the fact that `Growtiger's Last Stand' has much slower tempo and the wonderful `Ballad of Billy McCaw' has been omitted completely (an utter shame) and replaced with an opera pastiche.
There are many great songs a listener will enjoy. Some of them are: "Old Gumbie Cat", about a nice and warm house cat; "Rum Tum Tugger", a naughty and never satisfied cat, "Bustopher Jones", an aristocrat among cats, "Skimbleshanks: The railway cat" and many more. Of course, by far the best known of all the songs and melodies from Cats is "Memory", which, I dare to say, is among the top five songs Andrew Lloyd Webber has ever written and one of the best known and most beautiful songs ever to be found in musical theatre. It is preformed by Grizabella character here played by Betty Buckley who won a Tony Award for this performance. Buckley plays the character tough and strong and so is her rendition of this song. It makes a nice contrast to Elaine Paige on the London recording, though Paige's take on the song remains my personal favourite, due to dreamy and almost desperate sound of her wonderful vocals. One of the drawbacks a careful listener will notice on this recording is a rather unnecessary trumpet addition during `Memory' solo melody in the song.
The cast performance here is mixed. There are some really good improvements over the London recording. Ken Page's warm voice shines like sunshine as he plays his benevolent Old Duetoronomy. Harry Groener as Munkustrap and Terrence Mann as Rum Tum Tugger are also much better than their London counterparts. On the other hand, there are some disappointments. In particular, Donna King as Bombalurina and Wendy Edmead as Demeter fail to deliver the charming `MaCavity: The Mystery Cat'.
This recording here is almost complete, with only a short narrative song missing. It is remastered, so the sound quality is excellent. It comes with a libretto, a booklet with the basic info and few pictures, plus it is neatly packed in a slip case.
Overall, I would still recommend the London recording over this one, due to the extra lyrics, overall better orchestrations, `The Ballad of Billy McCaw' and Elaine Paige's Grizabella. This Broadway recording makes a nice addition to see how the show evolved during the transfer.
It should also be mentioned that in 1997 `Cats' has been filmed for a DVD in London's Adelphi Theatre. This unique edition features the score played by the 80-piece orchestra and has Elaine Paige and Ken Page reprising their original roles. With time, Ms. Paige's vocal abilities have matured and her best rendition of "Memory" can be heard in that DVD. So to enjoy CATS in all its glory, that DVD, also available here at Amazon, is a must-have.
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I'm not terribly excited about CATS, but I do enjoy it. I think I would rather watch the DVD or the show than listen to the soundtrack. The opening song is a favorite of mine. This soundtrack is mostly only good if you've seen the show and want to relive the memories.