‘MJ’ : Myles Frost. Photo: Matthew Murphy

MJ
Book by Lynn Nottage
Directed & choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
(800-755-4000), https://mjthemusical.com

By Scott Harrah

Jukebox musicals that attempt to tell the story of a superstar while weaving hit songs into a narrative are always problematic in nature.  Sometimes jukebox bio-musicals work brilliantly (such as Tina and Jersey Boys) or they miss the mark completely.  Attempting a jukebox bio of an artist as iconic, enigmatic and controversial as the late Michael Jackson is inherently an ambitious effort, particularly with a book writer as first rate as Lynn Nottage.  However, while MJ fails as a solid bio-musical, it has enough of his hits to please MJ fans and tourists and is a crowd-pleaser, if nothing else.

One wonders why the producers chose to include a book and story when Michael Jackson has enough of a classic songbook to fill an entire show as a revue.  Think of past Broadway revues of songs that were huge hits like Smokey Joe’s Café (featuring the songs of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) and Ain’t Misbehavin’, starring the late Nell Carter. More recently we had After Midnight in 2013 as well as the long-running Michael Jackson revue Thriller Live on London’s West End, featuring hits by the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson.  All that would be needed for MJ could have been a recreation of all his iconic hit songs spanning the decades and that would certainly have sufficed, without the need for a book or story line.  The show, if simply a revue, would have thrilled his fans and easily run for years.  Instead, what we have here is another messy jukebox musical with an awkward book that sanitizes the truth.  MJ is not the first bio-musical to sugarcoat a music legend’s life.  Remember the Janis Joplin musical A Night with Janis Joplin a few years ago?  That show, “approved” by her estate, portrayed Joplin as an almost saintly figure and barely mentioned her pesky little heroin addiction.

MJ was produced “by special arrangement with the Estate of Michael Jackson,” so there was no way the show ever intended to give anything resembling the “real” Michael Jackson.  Here, he is portrayed as a “victim” of the media.  The story focuses on his Dangerous Tour in 1993 as he tells everything to an MTV reporter interviewing him for a documentary.  We have three versions of Michael here: Early Motown Michael (Christian Wilson), who is perfect in voice and movement. Next is “Thriller” Michael (Tavon Olds-Sample), impressive in voice and manner, if a bit too terrified of his father Joe (Quentin Earl Darrington) by that point. Finally, we have the 1993 “victimized” Michael (Myles Frost).  Mr. Frost has some of the physical qualities of Michael Jackson down well, from his wispy voice and quirky mannerisms to his famous “robot” and “moonwalk” dances.  However, Mr. Frost lacks Michael Jackson’s magnetism.

As a biographical musical that attempts to encapsulate a certain time in the superstar’s life, MJ fails. Derek McLane’s set (mostly a dreary rehearsal hall) is often drab, Christopher Wheeldon’s direction is all over the place, and Jason Michael Webb’s musical direction and orchestrations are inconsistent.  Granted, recreating Michael’s iconic pop songs and videos is no easy task, but it is difficult to know what is prerecorded here and what is live.  MJ is a true “thriller” for diehard Michael Jackson fans who simply want to see covers of his classics, such as recreating the Jackson 5 singing “ABC” on TV’s “Soul Train.”  The show works best when it aims for pure nostalgia.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published February 6, 2022
Reviewed at February 3, 2022 press performance.

‘MJ’: Myles Frost & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MJ’: Myles Frost & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MJ’: Myles Frost & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

‘MJ’: Tavon Olds-Sample & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy.

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‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Enzo Weyne & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS
By various performers
Through January 5, 2020
Directed & choreographed by Neil Doward
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
www.theillusionistslive.com

By Scott Harrah

The Illusionists is back on Broadway for the fifth year since 2014. Like last year, the 2019 iteration is called Magic of the Holidays. However, this year’s show features an entire new cast of wizards, sleight-of-hand specialists, mentalists and the like, from around the world. As in past shows, there is very little “magic” here one hasn’t seen before and anyone who saw the current Derren Brown: Secret might be less than impressed because Mr. Brown, in a one-man extravaganza, does most of the tricks and illusions that it takes six gentlemen to perform in Magic of the Holidays. Regardless, the show is a fun, entertaining two hours for families, tourists and New Yorkers alike.

This year’s performers include Eric Chien, “The Manipulator”; Chris Cox, “The Mentalist”; Dom Chambers, “The Showman”; Paul Dabek, “The Trickster”; Kevin James, “The Inventor”; and Enzo Weyne, “The Unforgettable.”

Paul Dabek, a delightful Brit, is MC for the evening and keeps everything moving along with corny jokes and witty banter. The show starts out with Mr. Dabek hopping on to the stage carrying wrapped holiday packages before introducing the entertainers. The show is certainly festive, complete with laser projections of various holiday scenes, a dancing elf and sexy holiday chorus girls.

2019 “America’s Got Talent” semi-finalist Eric Chien is the first performer. If you’ve seen any of the previous Illusionists shows, you’re already familiar with most of the “tricks” he does with cards and coins, with everything projected onto a big TV screen above the stage so you don’t miss anything, thanks to an onstage cameraman with a close-up lens capturing everything live. The card tricks you’ve likely seen before, but he makes them change color, etc. Mr. Chien, a native of Taiwan, was raised in the USA and currently lives in Beijing, touring around the world with his act.

“The Inventor” Kevin James is next. Mr. James is a founding member of The Illusionists and his act is mostly visual, complete with dazzling light projections, an elf, flying boxes, etc. He mostly does the old sawing-bodies routine that you’ve seen countless times in any “magic” show, but he also makes snow that sprays out over the audience, and a dancing paper napkin routine with an audience member.

One of the show’s highlights is “The Showman” Dom Chambers, a handsome, dark-haired Australian bloke with a fun stage presence and bubbly personality. Mr. Chambers, an “America’s Got Talent” semi-finalist, is a comedian as well as a magician. His act consists of “beer sorcery” and engaging chatter in his thick Aussie twang, plus lots of tricks involving alcohol. However, the best part of his act involves witty banter with a smart-mouthed Siri (of iPhone legend) as she tosses out catty quips and jokes aimed at him, joking about everything from his dating skills to what his parents think of his life achievements. It’s hilarious. He’s a true-blue “ripper,” as they say Down Under.

“The Mentalist” Chris Cox is a wacky British nerd who starts out his routine by claiming he’s the twin of Rachel Maddow from MSNBC and flashes a projection of himself and Ms. Maddow to show how much they resemble each other. If you’ve seen Derren Brown: Secret, you’re already familiar with the routine of knowing someone’s celebrity crush and purporting to read audience members’ minds with various guessing games. Still, Mr. Cox is a lovable eccentric Englishman in every sense and gets lots of laughs from the audience.

The last performer is Enzo Weyne, “the Unforgettable” and you’ll mostly remember him for his chiseled, movie star good looks and charming French accent. He primarily transports objects and himself in various visual stunts, but one can see it’s mostly thanks to wires, lasers and light trickery.

The Illusionists shows have never been original, but they have mass appeal for tourists during the holidays. Perhaps that is why they keep returning to Broadway each December. The evening is mindless, entertaining fun and amusing enough to satisfy people hungry for seasonal family fare. In addition, this version has lots of audience participation, so it’s truly an interactive experience for everyone.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 8, 2019
Reviewed at December 5, 2019 press performance.

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Kevin James (center) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Dom Chambers. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Eric Chien. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Chris Cox. Photo: The Illusionists.

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Paul Dabek. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Eric Chien. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘THE ILLUSIONISTS-MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS’: Enzo Weyne. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘THE CHER SHOW’: Stephanie J. Block (center) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE CHER SHOW
Book by Rick Elice
Directed by Jason Moore
Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), www.thechershowbroadway.com

By David NouNou

There is so much to enjoy in The Cher Show that it is a shame they couldn’t get it absolutely perfect, and there is a valid reason. The major difficulty is Cher is a living legend with a career that has spanned almost 55 years. You get to see her ups and downs, her hits and her misfires but throughout it she has always seemed to be the most resilient person in show business. The woman has led 100 lives and it is impossible to compress all of it adequately into a two-and-a-half-hour format.

There are three ladies playing Cher: Star, the older Cher magnificently portrayed by Stephanie J. Block. Lady, the young adult Cher admirably played by Teal Wicks, and Babe, the starter Cher simulates a young Cher. There is always a problem when your central character is portrayed by three different actresses; case in point the abysmal Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Whereas that musical bio was offensive and inaccurate in so many ways, this show aims to deliver the goods and please. However, like that show, it is very difficult to sustain interest in three people portraying different stages of a diva’s life. One can capture the look, one can capture the sound, or one can capture the essence. An incredible feat but Ms. Block meets all the requirements.

Rick Elice’s book attempts to encapsulate this legend’s lifetime but ends up being a bit schizophrenic. It is clever, smart and witty but also comes to a screeching halt in scenes when the three Chers are talking to each other and giving each other advice at different stages in their respective lives. It would have worked so much better if just older Cher commented/narrated about the different stages of her life and didn’t interact with the other two but merely observed and commented while the other two played their parts and finally the three would merge as one triumphant, legendary Cher.

When there is an extensive songbook as voluminous as Cher’s, it is difficult to juggle a musical to fit historically with the songs that the artist did in a proper chronological order. A lot will drop by the wayside, some will be marginalized, and then you have ballads that bring you down from the euphoric high from the previous scene. Believe me, there are many gleeful scenes; to mention just a few the Bob Mackie fashion parade is a show-stopping eye popper. “Dark Lady,” a song usually song by Cher, is given to Sonny (Jarrod Spector), Cher’s first husband and Svengali and Greg Allman (Matthew Hydzik), her second husband, as a sing-off on who will ultimately win Cher back, but the real dazzler in the number is the dancer Ashley Blair Fitzgerald; she’ll have you jumping out of your seat.

All the highlights are here: the songs, her mother Georgia Holt (Emily Skinner) who imbues her daughter with confidence, the men in her life Sonny Bono, Gregg Allman, and even Rob “the bagel boy” Camilletti (Michael Campayno), the costumes, the glitz and the boys. There is something to be enjoyed by everyone.

Another major problem here is the pacing. For every showstopping number, it quickly fizzles into the trio of women talking to each other and ultimately a dirge ballad is sung, thus bringing the proceedings down and you have to climb back up. The problem here is Jason Moore’s direction. Usually Mr. Moore (who directed such Broadway hits as Shrek and Avenue Q) is always on top of things, but the narrative and execution here needs fine-tuning. Why? When dealing with a blockbuster story about such an icon, the unfolding of the plot must always be concise and should never be allowed to lag. Go big or don’t bother. He had the wonderful choreographer Christopher Gattelli to assist him and a great ensemble of dancers at his disposal that could have kept the proceedings sparkling all night long.

Besides Bob Mackie’s costumes, there is the indomitable Stephanie J. Block. The woman shines in her best musical performance to date. Just go see the show, overlook the weak spots and be prepared to be dazzled.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 7, 2018
Reviewed at December 6, 2018 press performance.

‘THE CHER SHOW’: (left to right) Teal Wicks, Stephanie J. Block & Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector & Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector & Teal Wicks. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Micaela Diamond & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Michael Berresse as Bob Mackie. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

Cher performs onstage with the cast of ‘The Cher Show’ on opening night at Neil Simon Theatre on December 3, 2018 in New York City. Photo: Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for The Cher Show

The post ‘The Cher Show’: Dazzling recap of icon’s life appeared first on StageZine.

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-PERESTROIKA’: Nathan Lane, giving the performance of his career. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

ANGELS IN AMERICA: PART 1, MILLENNIUM APPROACHES & PART 2, PERESTROIKA
A GAY FANTASIA ON NATIONAL THEMES
By Tony Kushner
Directed by Marianne Elliott
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
877-598-0955, https://angelsbroadway.com/

By Scott Harrah

There are two main reasons to see this revival of Tony Kushner’s classic two-part AIDS epic, Angels in America, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika. The first part is a masterpiece and one of the most provocative American plays of all time. Finally, the cast is superb and many of the performances are among the best in the past decade.

Both plays can be either seen in two parts on two separate evenings or on “marathon” days, when both Part 1, Millennium Approaches and Part 2, Perestroika are shown consecutively in repertory in the matinee and evening performances, at a total running time of nearly eight hours, with two intermissions in each part. If you decide to see only one part, Millennium Approaches is the better of the two because it is a seamless depiction of the early days of the AIDS pandemic. Mr. Kushner’s intricately constructed play is a heartbreaking visit back to that dark period for gay men in 1980s America, particularly poignant for those of us who lived through it, and of rich and important historical value for younger audience members who have never known someone who died of AIDS.

Millennium Approaches revolves around the stories of gay couple Louis Ironson (James McArdle) and his lover Prior Walter (Andrew Garfield), who is dying of AIDS; and “straight” couple Joe Pitt (Lee Pace), a Mormon lawyer, and his wife Harper (Denise Gough), a pill-popping housewife. Prior tells Louis he has AIDS, but Louis isn’t able to deal with having a sick lover. Roy Cohn (Nathan Lane), a right-wing lawyer, offers Joe a job in the Justice Department in Washington. However, Joe’s wife Harper, suffering from anxiety and hallucinations and a growing dependence on Valium, does not want to move to Washington.

Joe finds Louis crying in the men’s room one day and this is where the two couples’ lives start to intertwine. The two men begin a friendship, partially because Louis suspects Joe might be gay. In a dream sequence, Harper and Prior meet and she reveals that her husband is a closeted homosexual. She later confronts Joe but he denies being gay.

Meanwhile, Roy receives shocking news from his doctor. The doctor diagnoses Roy as having AIDS. Roy considers gay men weak and refuses to accept that he has AIDS, a “gay” disease. Roy says he will tell people he has “liver cancer,” but his doctor insists his efforts would be better spent acquiring an experimental AIDS drug.

The plot is complicated and has the feel of a classic Greek tragedy, with all of Harper’s hallucinogenic scenes and Roy being visited by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg (Susan Brown), the American woman he helped put to death based on allegations of Communism and “treason” back in the 1950s.

While Louis shuns his lover and seeks anonymous late-night sex in Central Park, Prior finds some comfort and compassion from his nurse, Belize (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett). Sexual tension grows between Louis and Joe, and Joe eventually makes a surprising revelation to his mother Hannah (Ms. Brown in a dual role) back in Salt Lake City.

Part One ends with a cliffhanger, which anyone familiar with the story already knows (so discussing it is not exactly a spoiler). Prior, growing increasingly ill, has a prophetic vision when an Angel (Amanda Lawrence) crashes through the roof of his apartment and ominously says, “The Great Work begins.”

Part One is a carefully constructed work. However, Part 2, Perestroika, is a much weaker and disappointing show. Harper is hallucinating wildly, imagining she is in Antarctica, but she’s really in Prospect Park, Brooklyn and gets picked up by cops. Joe is not around, but his mother Hannah arrives in New York and takes Harper in, offering her a chance to visit her at the Mormon Visitor’s Center. Hannah is volunteering there.

Roy Cohn grows sicker and is admitted to the hospital where Belize works. Roy starts off making horribly racist comments to the nurse, yet Belize, ever the professional, takes the proverbial high road and offers the dying lawyer advice on his treatment. Later, Prior tells Belize about the Angel.

It is at this point that making sense of Perestroika gets challenging, as the narrative becomes more convoluted. The Angel gives Prior a prophetic book and explains that God abandoned the Angels in Heaven after the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, and they believe they are powered by human sexual activity. Prior is now horrified by the Angel and tries to avoid her.

What makes the story so compelling, in addition to the dark subject matter about how AIDS affected so many, is the skillful way playwright Tony Kushner makes the lives of the characters intersect.

Director Marianne Elliott certainly puts a new spin on Angels in America, but her directorial choices may not please purists familiar with the original production. However, two actors give performances that are first-rate in every sense and help make this a “must-see” revival regardless.

British actress Susan Brown is simply incandescent in her multiple roles, whether she’s playing a rabbi, Hannah the Mormon mother or the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg. Her hospital scene after Roy Cohn’s death, in which Ethel’s ghost recites the mourner’s Kaddish in Hebrew, is truly haunting and eerily touching. Her interpretation of Hannah, the woman torn between her Mormon faith and compassion for her son and Prior grappling with his illness and the Angel, is consistently outstanding and rings with truth.

Andrew Garfield as Prior gives a fine performance, as does Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as the nurse Belize (although he is perhaps a bit too camp in places), and Lee Pace as Joe is superb, but Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn overshadows everyone. New York theatergoers have seen Mr. Lane many times before, but never like this. He is absolutely riveting every moment he is onstage, displaying all the hatred and rage and self-loathing of the Roy Cohn character. Toward the end of Roy’s life, as he is dying in a hospital bed, convulsing as he goes in and out of seizures, Mr. Lane’s interpretation is nothing less than awe-inspiring. This is, without question, the virtuoso stage performance of Nathan Lane’s career.

The original production featured the Angel with realistic-looking traditional wings, but in this revival the Angel, as conceived by puppet designers Finn Cardwell and Nick Barnes, looks more like Rodan, with the wingspan of a 747, about to destroy Tokyo in one of those old Godzilla movies. In addition, six actors alternate playing “Angel Shadows” to hold up the “wings.” The result is silly and distracting and adds nothing to the show. Puppetry may have worked for director Marianne Elliott in War Horse, with its gorgeous horse creations, but this new angle on angel wings just reeks of hubris and pretension here. As the adage goes “less is more,” and that is certainly the case here in an epic saga that is already so complicated, but there is no doubt this revival is a memorable one and should attract new generations of Tony Kushner fans, and will be talked about for many years.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 25, 2018
Reviewed at March 17, 2018 preview performance.

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-PERESTROIKA’: Beth Malone & the ‘Angel Shadows’ (in dark costumes). Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-MILLENNIUM APPROACHES’: Andrew Garfield & Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-MILLENNIUM APPROACHES’: James McArdle & Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-MILLENNIUM APPROACHES’. Lee Pace. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-PERESTROIKA’: Susan Brown as Ethel Rosenberg. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-PERESTROIKA’: James McArdle & Lee Pace. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-MILLENNIUM APPROACHES’: Nathan Lane & Susan Brown. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-PERESTROIKA’: Nathan Lane & Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-MILLENNIUM APPROACHES’: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett & Denise Gough. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-MILLENNIUM APPROACHES’: Susan Brown. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

‘ANGELS IN AMERICA-PERESTROIKA’: (Front) Andrew Garfield & (back) James McArdle, Susan Brown & Nathan Stewart-Jarrett. Photo: Brinkhoff Mogenburg

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‘CATS’: British pop sensation Leona Lewis as Grizabella. Photo: Matthew Murphy

CATS
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot
Choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler
Based on original choreography by Gillian Lynne
Directed by Trevor Nunn
Neil Simon Theatre
250 W. 52nd Street
877-250-2929, http://www.catsthemusical.com/broadway/

By Scott Harrah

Back on Broadway after a 16-year absence, this spectacular yet scaled-down reboot of the Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-hit will definitely thrill Cats aficionados, but may irk some purists. The show, first mounted on Broadway in 1982, was one of the original British import musical phenomena of the era and ran for 18 years at the Winter Garden here in New York. The fact that it’s now playing at the much smaller Neil Simon makes it obvious the show isn’t as extravagant as the original, but it’s still a visual feast, thanks to John Napier’s elaborate kitty junkyard set, the famous 1980s aerobics-style cat suits and updated choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (based on Gillian Lynne’s original, ballet-style movements).

This reviewer never saw the original, but most of us have at least seen vintage footage of Betty Buckley on the Tony Awards singing “Memory” or have heard the soundtrack, rented the DVD or watched snippets on YouTube.

Although hardly Mr. Lloyd Webber’s best musical, Cats is a classic regardless. It’s easy to see why. Although there really isn’t any plot, the action revolves around T.S. Eliot’s “Jellicle Cats” in a junkyard, each telling their story in song, and everything is simplistic enough for kids from age three to 93 to comprehend. This is a show for the whole family, and most kids love cats, so it never needed a strong narrative. Still, this remains a musical that often draws “love it” or “hate it” reactions from audiences. It has none of the soaring, haunting melodies of Mr. Lloyd Webber’s far superior works The Phantom of the Opera and Evita except for one song that is now one of the most renowned show tunes of the past three decades: “Memory,” of course.

This brings us to the controversial casting of British pop singer Leona Lewis as Grizabella, the aging “glamour cat.” At age 31, the singer, famous for such hits as “Bleeding Love,” seems too young and chic to be convincing as the worn-out Grizabella, a cat yearning for her lost youth. Her voice is good, and her range is perfect for pop but not always powerful enough for the live stage. In addition, Ms. Lewis’s costume is far more elegant and stylish than the one worn by Betty Buckley (and Elaine Paige in the original London production).

This 21st century version is mostly notable for the first-rate performances of many other cast members, including Emily Pynenburg as Cassandra; Christine Cornish Smith as Bombalurina; Tyler Hanes as Bill Bailey/Rum Tum Tugger; Kim Faure as Demeter; Andy Huntington Jones as Munkustrap; Quentin Earl Darrington as Old Deuteronomy; and Christopher Gurr as Gus, the Theatre Cat. Director Trevor Nunn brings out the best in nearly all the actors and makes the cast gel cohesively.

One wonders if Mr. Nunn’s revival might have been more powerful had he put a modern, fresh spin on the show. Perhaps different costumes (although the Lycra leotards are the show’s trademark) or some tweaks to the set might have given this Cats a different kind of new life. However, gimmicky revivals almost never work (think of all those John Doyle retoolings of Stephen Sondheim shows in which actors also played instruments), so Mr. Nunn was wise not to tamper too much with Mr. Lloyd Webber’s winning formula. It is debatable whether this production will win over new generations, but if you enjoyed Cats before and want to relive the “Memory” again, there is plenty to enjoy here.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published August 7, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on August 4, 2016

‘CATS’: Andy Huntington Jones as Munkustrap. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CATS’: Tyler Hanes as Rum Tum Tugger. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CATS’: Quentin Earl Darrington as Old Deuteronomy. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CATS’: Georgina Pazcoguin as Victoria. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CATS’: Kim Faure as Demeter & Christine Cornish Smith as Bombalurina & company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CATS’: The company. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CATS’: Leona Lewis. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘CATS’: Leona Lewis. Photo: Matthew Murphy

FLASHBACK TO ORIGINAL PRODUCTION: Betty Buckley as Grizabella in ‘Cats’ back in 1982. Photo: Martha Swope

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