Thomas Stearns Eliot was a poet who lived between 1888 and 1965. He wrote a series of poems about cats for his godchild. In 1939, he published a collection of some of those poems as Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. He called himself Old Possum.
In 1981 Andrew Lloyd Webber produced the hit musical, CATS. That musical opened in London’s West End then came to Broadway. For 18 years, Cats played at the Winter Garden Theater. According to Amanda Harding of the Showbiz CheatSheet, CATS is the “tenth most popular Broadway musicals of all time.” The play is the fourth longest running play and grossed over $342 million.
On Christmas Day 2019, the film, CATS, directed by Tom Hopper opened to negative reviews. “How was this possible?” I have seen the musical on Broadway several times; in Washington, D.C., I saw it every time it came to town (including last fall at the Kennedy Center); I saw the 1998 film; and helped coach the dancing segments for my daughter’s middle school production where she was Jennyanydots – the Old Gumbie Cat. I love and know the musical. I am also a big T.S. Eliot fan for which I earned scathing looks in a college lit course.
Now, with the stellar cast including some of my Royal Ballet favorites – Steven McRea and Francesca Hayward (I saw her perform Juliet in London in May ’19); and other celebrity favorites – Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Jason Derulo, and Judy Dench, how can it go wrong?
I was certain that there must have been some sort of political rift between the movie creators and the critics. The reviews have been scathing and some outrightly inaccurate. So, I went to watch my favorite musical in hopes of proving the critics wrong.
The critics, in general, seem to miss the point that the compilation of poems was written to a child about Eliot’s observation of cats’ behaviors and attitudes. There was no plot intended. I have read and studied the works of T.S. Eliot and like his work. Was there a plot in the crazy successful Broadway production? Not really. By adding the Grizabella character (Eliot had considered her too sad for children and therefore omitted her from the initial book), the vying for “another life,” created a tension and climax that was necessary to keep audiences engaged.
In the original CATS production, the actors performed, moved, and behaved like cats. They were sleek, flexible, and mobile. In the current film, with small exceptions, cats costumes covered people as cat caricatures. I was left with the feeling that the film tried to be all things to all people and address today’s concerns of feminizing characters over male characters. Well, fine, but in the poem by Eliot, Deuteronomy is most certainly male, “ He’s a Cat who has lived many lives in succession. He was famous in proverb and famous in rhyme….Old Deuteronomy’s buried nine wives and more–I am tempted to say, ninety-nine; . . . his numerous progeny prospers and thrives . . .the village is proud of him in his decline.” So, how will this become a female? Poor Judy Dench did what she could with it, but her character was neither faithful to the spirit nor the letter of the poem.
Steven McRea, principle dancer with London’s Royal Ballet, is my favorite current male dancer (my all-time favorite is Baryshnikov). McRea danced his heart out. Beautifully. He was a credible Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat. I fully enjoyed his stellar tap performance. His costume was refreshing as he was not a hairy human.
When I first learned that Francesca Hayward, also of the Royal Ballet, was cast as Victoria, the White Cat, I couldn’t wait to watch her dance. What happened? First, this Victoria is NOT a white cat. While her face was angelic, her body was not lithe. She looked bulky with oversized thighs and what happened to her feet? She’s a ballerina! The dancing she performed in the film, I could have done myself. Her talent was completely wasted. Victoria in the original production only danced. In this production, they went out of their way to teach a non-singer to sing and took away her dancing. Why? The role and the production did not showcase this amazing ballerina in the slightest. Ok, yes, this is about good news, so the good news is that I enjoyed seeing her just because.
The two stand out performers of the film are Jennifer Hudson and Ian McKellen. They both gave 100 percent heart and talent and brought forth a recognizable poignant character. They were easy to love – still.
For the name and stature of Taylor Swift, she too, was underutilized. I had to look twice to be sure it was her. She sort of showed up, sang looking overweight, not fluffy, then vanished.
Director, Tom Hopper, in a pre-release interview, claimed that he had seen the play as an eight-year-old child and had fallen in love with it. Well, I am certainly glad he hadn’t hated it. Imagine what might have turned up. He tried too hard to use technology and today’s political correctness to create, as Eliot describes Rum Tum Tugger’s actions, “A horrible muddle.”
To my beloved ballet dancers, Francesca and Steven; Jennifer Hudson and Ian McKellen; I thank you for giving us your best under difficult circumstances. I regret that for the Royal Ballet dancers, who took time from their professional pursuits to try to make a beautiful addition to a beloved show, they have been subjected to horrible reviews. They deserve better.
To the critics, my suggestion is to read, and perhaps, study T.S. Elliot’s poetry and stop looking for plots and points that don’t exist. How about enjoying the poetry for what it is – descriptions of alley cats’ distinctions and similarities. This is not rocket science.
Ultimately, I loved the music; a little bit of the dancing; Gus; Grizabella; and Skimbleshanks. In a play with so much to love, this is not great news, but it’s my best attempt of being positive.
The photographs in this blog are of my cats – past and present. I am impressed by Eliot’s astute observation of cats. He was spot on for each cat, and I speak from experience.
It would not have been possible for me to appreciate T.S. Eliot’s poetry or most other important literature, were it not for my tenth grade English teacher, William Teunis, from whom I discovered the beauty of others’ worlds through their words. From him, I learned everything I ever learned in high school.
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