FOR THE RECORD: Cats

 

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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Review: SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street @ Birmingham Rep

 ★★★★★

There can be few entries into Stephen Sondheim's catalogue of theatre classics that are revisited as often as Sweeney Todd, the story of the serial killer barber. Originally finding a place on the Broadway stage in 1979 starring Len Cariou, Angela Lansbury and Victor Gaber, it has graced stages all over the world. The piece has even been adapted into a Tim Burton movie starring Johnny Depp.

Now the Birmingham Rep have gathered a dazzling cast together to bring Sweeney to life once again.  For those still in the dark,  the story centres around one Benjamin Barker who has arrived back into London docks.  Many years ago, his wife was snatched from him by Judge Turpin, who then exported him to Australia on trumped up charges.  But now he is back under a new identity - Sweeney Todd - to get his revenge. The freshly named Todd revisits his former East End lodgings, now a meat pie shop  run by Mrs. Lovett, who admits she makes 'the worst pies in London'. She unwittingly tells him the tale of the former tenant upstairs who was sent away by a Judge and whose wife was then lured to his home and raped at a masked ball.  Revealing himself to be the same Benjamin Barker, Todd then learns from Mrs. Lovett that his wife Lucy poisoned herself and his daughter is now the ward of Judge Turpin.  And so the scene is set for Sweeney Todd to become London's newest barber and for Mrs. Lovett to find some horrific new ingredients for her famous pies...

 

Director Joe Murphy and designer Elin Steele have gone for an operatic grandeur with their granite monolith design, as the cast are presided over by a huge stone angel appropriately bearing the scales of justice. The rising platform of a stage allowing some striking tableaus to be lit. It looks and feels as epic as the story being told, with rich atmospheric lighting by Rory Beaton.  

Heading the international cast is former Phantom of the Opera, Ramin Karimloo who makes his Sweeney a dark brooding figure, whose burning desire for revenge has kept him alive through the nightmare of hard labour in Australia. Naturally with stellar vocal delivery and charismatic presence, he makes a powerful and tortured Todd. Getting the big laughs from her first appearance, Australian cabaret performer Meow Meow finds the coster girl inside Mrs. Lovett,  recognising Benjamin Barker then making a pact with the devil as she comes to realise Barker's distress could offer something in her favour. She's all sweeping gestures and big hair, a lady who spots an opportunity and goes for it.  Meow Meow balances the show perfectly, as Karimloo carries the emotional burden. Then there is David Bedella, multi Olivier-award winning actor as the morally bankrupt Judge Turpin.  Mr. Bedella's gravelly voice is recognisable anywhere, and here he gives us a predatory rapist who has no empathy as a person or as a symbol of British justice.  The lovesick matelot Anthony is here sung with aplomb by Shem Omari James, lovesick for Todd's daughter Johanna (Jo Stephenson, in equally thrilling soprano form).  Together they strive to provide young love and the hope of a better future, and its a foregone conclusion their fate will be rather different.

 

Julius D'Silva returns to the Rep following his excellent turn in What's New Pussycat, playing with foppish relish the Beadle, co-hort to sinister Turpin whose fate is obvious from the outset.  This is a morality tale after all. The eleven strong cast all intermingle to become various Londoners throughout the evening, it is an ensemble in the truest sense.

Stephen Sondheim's idiosyncratic score takes us on a rich journey.  It swoops and it soars, giving the seven piece orchestra under the direction of Leo Munby full reign, from the dramatic stark white lit opening of 'The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd' to the tenderness of 'Not While I'm Around', the orchestra knock it out of the park. It is also notoriously difficult to sing, however this cast make it look effortless.

The Birmingham Rep have provided the city with a world class production of a legendary show, one of their finest presentations in our combined 40+ years visiting the theatre (Rob first visited in 1984!). The instant and sustained standing ovation for the performers said it all. Sweeney Todd has never tasted so sweet.

Rob & Ian

The production runs until 15th August. Ticket information can be found at the Birmingham Rep Website 

Production images by Manuel Harlan

 

Further listening:

Our recommendation is this delicious 2012 London cast recording featuring Michael Ball, Imelda Staunton, John Bowe and Peter Polycarpou.

Review: SOMETHING ROTTEN! (British premiere) @ Manchester Opera House

 

 ★★★★★

The exchange of shows between the West End and Broadway is pretty brisk,  but occasionally we have to wait a while longer for shows to cross the Atlantic.  And this is the case with Something Rotten! It originally premiered on Broadway in March 2015,  so it has taken the Bard and his merry band over a decade to reach our shores. But the wait has been worth it.

Nick Bottom (Jason Manford) and his actor brother Nigel (Cassius Hackforth) run a theatre troupe but risk their funding being pulled if they cannot come up with another play after their patron hears that William Shakespeare (Richard Fleeshman) is premiering Richard II just as the Bottoms are about to present his previous play Richard III. Bea, Nick's wife, (Marisha Wallace) forbids him to open their savings box and instead says she will go out and earn, even if it means taking jobs meant for men. Meanwhile, Nick encounters Thomas Nostradamus (Cory English), cousin to the famous Italian Nostradamus who claims to predict the future. He asks what the next big thing will be.  He declares that the musical is the new future for the theatre.  But when he is asked to predict what Shakespeare will do next and he misinterprets Hamlet as Omelette things start to take a dramatic turn....

And so begins this madcap show set in the 15th century and with nods to Shakespeare's heroes and heroines throughout. But never fear, you don't need to know much about Shakespeare's literary triumphs to enjoy this wonderful romp of a show.  

 

Leading the charge in the central role of Nick Bottom is Manchester's own comedy legend Jason Manford, and of course Manford is a double threat because not only is his comedy pedigree first rate but he's also a fine singer (check out his album of show tunes A Different Stage) so is really able to invest in the character at every level.   He is matched with full swagger and a dollop of camp by another Manchester stalwart, Richard Fleeshman as Will Shakespeare. Presented as a full on pop star, singing his sonnets to adoring fans, he exudes charisma and sexual allure and makes his solo 'Hard To Be The Bard' into an erotic masterpiece. Marisha Wallace has come home in a sense, she was once part of the original Broadway ensemble of Something Rotten! and now she is back as Nick Bottom's wife Bea, donning disguises in order to get work meant for men. Marisha has a big voice and she certainly makes the most of her limited solo time in 'Right Hand Man', it would have been nice to hear more from her mighty vocal chords. Cassius Hackforth makes for a sweet Nigel Bottom, aspiring writer and perhaps the equal of Shakespeare whilst Carla Dixon-Hernandez waits for him as Portia, daughter of a Puritan Jeremiah (Paul Ryan) who thinks the theatre is the work of the devil. Their duet 'I Love The Way' gives the piece its romantic heart. Central to the proceedings is Nostradamus (no, not that one) giving us the always welcome stage presence of Cory English (last seen time travelling in Back To The Future in the West End). English and Manford lead the show in its biggest number 'A Musical' which brings the house down, Nostradamus' interjections throughout are hilarious. The ensemble work their socks off in all the numbers, really giving this production the feel of a large scale show as they become whirling dervishes on the stage.

Colin Richmond has designed a set of Elizabethan houses which stamp on us from the off the time period, matched with Rebecca Bower's sumptuous costumes, giving this a classy vista on which director and choreographer Tim Jackson works his magic. The score by brothers Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick has everything.  Ballads, pop, gospel, Broadway musical comedy...  its an intoxicating brew which serves the show its biggest treats. There are earworms aplenty.

 

Its easy to see why Something Rotten! was such a hit on Broadway, making it all the more criminal that we have had to wait so long to witness its brilliance. The show arrives at just the right moment, given the almost daily wave of bad news from around the world we all have to contend with, Something Rotten! restores the joy into our lives and reminds us of the magic of live theatre. Its a homage to the timeless nature of Shakespeare's plays and is a love letter to the art of musical theatre. There no way Bottom can top this! West End open your doors, your next hit musical is on the way.

Rob & Ian 

For up to date information go to the OFFICIAL SOMETHING ROTTEN WEBSITE

 

Further listening:

There's only one option - the superb 2016 original Broadway cast album featuring Christian Borle, Brian d'Arcy James and Heidi Bickerstaffe.

Review: WAITRESS (UK Tour)

 

★★★★✩

Based on the 2007 movie, Waitress has become a much loved musical since it first debuted in  2015, with music by Grammy award winning Sara Bareilles.  This 10th anniversary UK tour is our first visit to Joe's Pie Diner in the American Deep South, so naturally we were keen to see how this show has become so beloved by fans of the genre.

The story centres on Jenna (Carrie Hope Fletcher) who is sadly not leading her best life and uses her skills at pie making to distract her from an abusive marriage to her husband Earl (Mark Willshire). Life gets further complicated when Jenna finds out she is pregnant.  Whilst attending a gynaecology appointment, she meets handsome Dr. Pomatter (Dan Partridge) and leaves him with one of her famous pies, which of course he loves. Old Joe (Les Dennis), owner of the diner, tells Jenna of a Pie Baking competition where the winner will get $20,000. Jenna tells her fellow waitresses Dawn (Evelyn Hoskins) and Becky (Sandra Marvin) that she will enter the competition and use the winnings to leave Earl and raise the baby herself.  Meanwhile it seems that Dr. Pomatter may have an interest in more than Jenna's pies...

Director Diane Paulus has delivered a slick production, aided by a versatile set by Scott Pask which incorporates the six strong band, under the assured leadership of musical director Francesca Warren. Sara Bareilles songs could well be released as NOW That's What A Call A Song About A Pie.  She does diversify along the way, and its a pop and power ballad smorgasbord.  There were no immediate earworms we walked out of the theatre humming, but the score is sure to be a grower.

 

Leading the charge in the cast is Carrie Hope Fletcher, musical golden girl and social media darling for teenage girls. As usual there are no dramatic highs and lows,  Fletcher finds a comfortable through line and sticks to it. Her angelic voice raises up her game, and her rendition of 'She Used To Be Mine' receives the biggest ovation of the night.  She is supported by the simply marvellous Sandra Marvin and Evie Hoskins as fellow waitresses Becky and Dawn. Both returning to the show, and worth their weight in pies. Dan Partridge brings Dr. Pomatter to life, dueting nicely with Fletcher and serving a genuinely welcome slice of romance for Jenna.  Les Dennis contributes his special magic sparkle to Old Joe, curmudgeon owner of the diner and delivers his solo moment 'Take It From An Old Man' with style. Mark Anderson as tax inspector Ogie, suitor for the hand of Dawn, proves himself to be a crowd favourite with his eccentric courting rituals.  It is a strong ensemble all round,  which finds the comedy and occasionally some pathos. Mark Willshire handles the role of the odious Earl well, making us loathe him and there are big cheers when the worm turns and he is handed his marching orders.

 

 

Its a sweet rom-com, which we enjoyed enormously.  As much for the performances as for the story and songs if we are honest.  Its easy to see why Waitress has developed a strong following, its a tale of good triumphing over bad and never giving up on your dreams. Universal themes which continue to dominate musical theatre. If you have an appetite for musical theatre, Waitress will leave you more than satisfied.

 

 Rob & Ian 

 

 Details of tour dates can be found at the UK WAITRESS WEBSITE 

 

 

 Further listening:  

 

It can only be the 2016 original Broadway cast recording with Jessie Mueller and Keala Settle