It seems like the popularity of Andrew Lloyd Webber's T.S. Eliot musical Cats is never fading. Cats: The Jellicle Ball has been a critical (if not financial) hit on Broadway and here in the UK a major new production has opened at the Regent's Park Theatre for the summer prior to a major UK tour.
We thought we would take the opportunity to take a look at some of the recordings of the show over the years. We do of course have the video version from 1998 which had Elaine Paige, John Mills and John Partridge heading the cast in an edited recording of the stage show at the Adelphi Theatre. And then of course. the infamous 2019 movie directed by Tom Hooper which has gone down in showbiz history. But more of that later...
The show is basically a collection of poems set to music, as the basis for a dance focused piece. The late Dame Gillian Lynne's choreography being a major factor in bringing the felines to life on stage in such a sensational way. Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is jazzy throughout and the score provided him with one of his signature career hits.
Original London Cast released June 1981. Running time: 1h 35m
Prior to the original London cast album, Paul Nicholas had released versions of 'Rum Tum Tugger' and 'Old Deuteronomy' in November 1980, and this was followed in April 1981 by an instrumental version of 'Memory' featuring Gary Moore on guitar. The original London cast album eventually found its way into record shops in June 1981 featuring the star-studded original cast which of course included Elaine Paige as Grizabella, Paul Nicholas as the Rum Tum Tugger, Wayne Sleep as Mr. Mistoffolees, Brian Blessed as Old Deuteronomy, Bonnie Langford as Rumpleteazer and Sarah Brightman as Jemima. The soundscape of the show had been worked to include a synthesiser heavy arrangement, designed to attune people to the noises and cries of the Cats in their Jellicle world. Most of the main passages were included save for 'Aweful Battle Of The Pekes and the Pollicles'. The cassette version also included an extended 'Jellicle Ball', the vinyl version coming in at 7'14" whilst on cassette it would run 8'45". 'Growltiger's Last Stand' features a Victorian Music Hall style song 'The Ballad Of Billy McCaw', one of the few recordings of this song to date. Additionally 'Rum Tum Tugger' was re-used from the 1980 Paul Nicholas single, with an newly recorded spoken introduction. The album remains a landmark recording in the history of musical theatre, and peaked at no. 6 on the UK album charts. The show itself became a theatrical phenomenon of the 1980s, and this original cast version is hard to beat.
Broadway Cast released January 1983. Running time: 1h 41m
The show was always destined to have a Broadway recording, and New York had been anticipating Cats ever since news of its incredible London success had crossed the Atlantic. With a cast that included Betty Buckley and Ken Page, the production premiered in October 1982. The running order of the songs matched that of the London recording. A larger orchestra played the score as set down by Musicians Union rules in New York, and so the show was re-scored to include more woodwind instruments. The creative team had undertaken some changes to the Broadway show most notably a complete musical change to the 'Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer' number which was more upbeat and with a new melody composed by Lloyd Webber. 'Growltiger's Last Stand' also saw significant change, out went 'The Ballad Of Billy McCaw' and instead an Puccini-opera pastiche 'In Una Tepida Notte' was introduced. This became the dominant version in future productions of the show for some time thereafter.
Australian Cast 1985 Running time: 1h 48m
The Australian cast recording finds a place in recommended recordings because it is produced by music legend Tony Hatch and is also the only English language recording to feature 'The Aweful Battle Of The Pekes and the Pollicles', thus marking it the most complete English recording to date. Debbie Byrne provides a big belting 'Memory' as you might expect and John Wood oversees proceedings with a operatic flavoured Old Deuteronomy.
Prague Czech Cast 2004 (unreleased) Running time: 1h 17m
A curio which I rather like is this Czech cast recording which was never released due to financial problems with the production company. It has however escaped onto the internet and I'm glad it did because it is a lovely studio recording which has an edge to it. The singing is by and large top notch and it does include 'The Ballad Of Billy McCaw' which always leads to brownie points. Hard to track down but here is an mp3 download for those interested in listening.
2019 Movie Highlights Running time: 59m
OK, we can't avoid talking about this much maligned piece of cinema. Tom Hooper's vision of Cats owes little to the legendary Gillian Lynne / Trevor Nunn stage show. Their world has been re-imagined for the cinema and musically it isn't terrible, but it doesn't come close to equalling the best of the stage show recordings either. We do get a brand new song penned by Lloyd Webber and Taylor Swift which is performed during the movie and over the end credits. 'Beautiful Ghosts' is not a bad song, but does feel like an anomaly. A pop song within the carefully crafted score and it's constantly recurring musical motifs. The movie is not as bad as its reputation would have you believe but it could have been so much more, the magical theatrical world of the Jellicles is by and largely absent amid an effort to please cinema audiences. Sadly Lloyd Webber doesn't have much luck with the transfer of his shows to the big screen (Evita is just about the best thus far, thanks to the directorial genius of Alan Parker). Thank goodness a version of the stage show was issued in 1998 so that we can remind ourselves just why this show is so loved by audiences across the globe.
Vienna Cast Recording 2021 Running time: 2h 20m
Vienna's HitSquad Records know how to deliver a live cast recording and this album of the Vienna revival is sublime. Crisp and clear, a masterclass in how to deliver a cast album. It is also the first to deliver the re-worked 'Growltiger's Last Stand' and 'In Una Tepida Notte', both of which have new musical settings created for the 2014 London revival. In addition, it is the longest recording of those recommended. Don't worry about not speaking German, this album is worth your time and money. Hitsquad have captured the essence that is live theatre (just as they did a few years ago with Starlight Express) and we have had this on repeat in our car on many a drive.
And there you have it, our Jellicle choices. Details of all the international productions can be found at the CATS OFFICIAL WEBSITE With Cats now purring away on its 45th anniversary, the appeal of this ground-breaking extraordinary show is timeless.
"I first encountered Cats in the early 1980s in its New London Theatre home, then managed to see it at the Winter Gardens on Broadway in the late 80s. I have followed various touring versions since, never tiring of this dance spectacular to some of Lloyd Webber's most captivating music. Whenever the Jellicle Ball begins, I shall be watching in the moonlight." Rob










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