Rating: 
Summary: Memories Of Cats
Review: "Jellicle Cats come out tonight...." ... The basic plot as near as I can make it, is that a group or "Tribe" of "Jellicle" cats are having their annual meeting called the Jellicle Ball to see which one of their number will be chosen to take the journey to the Heaviside layer. I guess it's some sort of cat heaven. Most of the story line is a parade of the Jellicles to tell the audience, first what Jellicle cats are and secondly to introduce all the different characters and their eccentricities. To the best of my knowledge the sound is 5.1 digital surround and it's widescreen annimorphic. Included is a behind the scenes "making of Cats" for this special Video release. A word of warning it is a long behind the scenes presentation so you might want to watch it separately from the actual show, unless you are a VERY BIG FAN OF CATS. The booklet that is included is 4 pages and OK but I think with a show like this, the DVD should have the Full Libretto or at least most of it like the audio CD has. All in All I really enjoyed this production. The Picture was very good, although the directorial choices at times were a little lame. This would be a great choice for alternative camera angles. Often times they would have a close-up angle on something that would be nice to see "Full Stage" so to speak. As for the Sound Wow! WOW and WOWWOWWOW!!!! This DVD takes full advantage of surround sound. So in my book Cats gets the highest ratings possible, it's the Mary Lou Retton of DVD's although with our disc rating system only goes up to 5. I give Cats a 5 for picture and a 5 for sound. I think it's well deserved.
Rating: 
Summary: A real dissapointment
Review: The addition of post produciton special effects and poor camera work make this produciton of the musical a real let down. Sure if you love the musical the video is good. But if I wanted special effects I would just go to the movies, I would not be watching a broadway style musical. The cast is not as good as the origianl broadway cast on the CD. The constant closeups do nothing for the costumes or coregraphy, which were designed for the stage not the camera. If you like Cats, you'll probably enjoy the DVD. But you also be disspointed when comparing it with the live show.
Rating:
Summary: 9 Lives is Not Enough!
Review: This is incredible! I've loved this musical since I was a kid and I read the script and T.S. Eliott's book The Old Possum's Guide To Practicle Cats (a must have for any Cats fan). I have never been able to be in London or New York at the right time to see it, but I hope someday it will return to Broadway. The video is incredible though, as you get a view closer than the front row seat and see the actors in and out of make-up. My favorite movie, it's a full night of entertainment and more!
Rating:
Summary: Mostly for Jellicle fans
Review: With the Broadway production closed, Cats is no longer "Now and Forever". This video is an attempt to capture the Great White Way's longest running show before other productions follow suit. There is perhaps no other musical that so fiercely divides people as Cats, and it probably isn't much of a stretch to say that it's both Broadway's most loved and most hated show. Your opinion of real cats is a good barometer as to whether you'll like it. The thin story threads that pull the play together are really just an excuse to put T.S. Eliot's collection of nonsense poems about cats to music. The cast is the main asset here, some performances being the definitive interpretations of the roles. To name names would become too exhaustive with such a large cast, but suffice it to say that almost everyone is excellent. The singing is good to wonderful, and much is expressed through body language and facial expression, giving the characters unique personalities yet keeping them elusive enough to make you involved in the process of deciding what they are. The problem are the editing and filming, which are terrible. Intimate scenes don't fare that badly but sequences like the Jellicle Ball, the dance highlight of the whole production, lose far too much of their effect in the translation. Films of other musicals prove that this doesn't have to be (think the school dance in West Side Story), so this is really inexcusable. As for the debate over child appropriateness, one should be aware that - I'll put this delicately - the play does briefly and tastefully deal with the reality of what cats and other animals occasionally do when left to their own devices. Before you get alarmed, I'll also point out that the choreography in question isn't that much more suggestive than that in the average ballet and probably isn't as suggestive as that in the teen video your kid watched last night. As a general guideline - mid to late teens no problem, early and pre teens minor parental squirm factor, and younger than that you might want to pre-view or at least have the ability to think fast if any questions arise. The lyrics are, of course, completely G-rated. All in all, a ... must-buy if you're a fan.
Rating:
Summary: Cats: A Must-See
Review: Cats is a great musical that should be in every family's collection. It is the stunning tale of a group of Jellicle cats that are wondering who will be chosen to be reborn. They introduce characters such as Jennyanydots, Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistofelees, Bustopher Jones, Macavity, Old Deuteronomy, and Grizabella the Glamour Cat. The music by Andrew Lloyd Weber, the singing, and the dancing is wonderful. This is an inspiring film for young performers. It is definitely a must-see and a must-have!
Rating:
Summary: I saw this show live...
Review: And I have the book it is based on too both on audio tape and paperback. I loved Grisabella when she sang the song, "Memory". I have Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Encore CD and love the rendition Barbara Streisand sings of "Memory" too. Mestophole certainly was a little devil, but he sure could dance. Of course, all of the Lloyd-Webber musicals can stand alone, so to compare them to other shows I've seen live would be unfair. My favorite musical is still "Phantom" though. That half-mask is really distracting.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, but something's missing
Review: I love it. My sons and I watched the tape until it wore out and then bought the DVD. My only complaint is where is GrowlTiger? The whole story of Gus the Theatre Cat is incomplete without it. "I once played GrowlTiger..Could do it again." I have a suspicion there may have been a bit of ethnic embarrassment, but they were other moments that were kept in. Play the Jellicle Ball all the time.
Rating:
Summary: a broadway classic!
Review: cats... a classic!
all times best broadway classic is on dvd now... now i talked like a bookseller:) but i really enjoyed this dvd. beginnig with the songs of the cats and ending with the famous song "memory", it is a masterpiece... worth buying...
Rating: 
Summary: Great...but not purrfect
Review: I think that this is definitely a must for any CATS fan or musicals fan. The video is well cast. They are all fabulous singers and dancers. The costumes are great. However, it isn't a great representation of the show, because watching a video of this particular musical doesn't give you the interaction you get from the live version. Aside from that and a few editing mishaps, this video is well put together and enjoyable. It's a great way to keep the magic of this show alive forever!
Rating:
Summary: Ignore that viewer from Ripley,TN
Review: It's obvious that he or she wants to ruin the fun for others.
This video is very good,and they do NOT repeat things over and
over(and "Viewer"knew that).Don't be mislead by what the
anti-CATS people try to tell you.Watch the video,and judge for yourself.I've watched this video myself-and there's a whole
variety of things in it.I thought the "Ripley"viewer was drunk
when he or she wrote that review-I saw NO repeating whatsoever.If you don't like CATS,then keep it to yourselves-don't try to ruin it for others by vicious lies and
false facts that you made up.
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