Cats

Rating:
Summary: Great fun!
Review: We saw the Broadway production several years ago, and this video rekindled those memories. No video can replicate the essence and intimacy of the stage production we saw where the "cats" climbed up into the balcony and through the aisles. We felt we were actually part of the scenery! The electric energy of the performance stayed with us for many years. I was at first disappointed with the video, but after taking my 4and a half year old grandchild to the National Theater this December to see Cats live (I now have a stagestruck grandchild who wants to grow up and be a CAT on stage!), I could compare the advantages of each. The stage production gives you the whole picture, and you sense the engery. YOu can look at the other cats during any solo, and they all respond in character! THe video lets you see CLOSE UP the facial expressions and the depth of character of each solo. YOu need BOTH!

Rating:
Summary: It was spectacular, but I wish they had not cut out the song
Review: It was wonderful!! I could actually see the actor's faces:) They had spectacular special effects. However, I did miss their attempt at opera. Although they made up for it with the other song that is not on the CD. >^..^<

Rating:
Summary: Marvellous!!!
Review: I fell in love with this version from the first minute. The sound is fantastic, and the picture is superb!

Rating:
Summary: An eye-opening performance!
Review: 1981, London. A new stage play opens leaves the critics stunned, unable to explain what they have seen. It is unlike anything that they have ever seen before.

1998, your living room. A new DVD arrives, and a couple of hours later, you remember to breathe again. The second time you watch it, you will invite your neighbors over so that nobody will complain when you crank up the sound until the house shakes.

If you haven't seen "Cats" onstage, you can finally see what you are missing. If you HAVE seen "Cats," all you have to know is that this DVD brings a new intimacy and power (and you are now excused to go order it).

"Cats," based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats," became an overnight sensation, and within months of the opening, both Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow each had a smash hit with the song "Memories" -- and those million-sellers pale in comparison to the original singer, Elaine Paige and Dutch beauty Veerle Casteleyn (especially in their duet). Ken Page's deep voice really rolls out from the subwoofers, too.

This is NOT a mere recording of a normal stage performance. Over 18 production days, the cast and crew filmed this motion-picture style, so they are as fresh in the last scene as at the beginning. In fact, this is NOT the complete play -- one or two scenes were dropped from the final cut, probably due to VHS time constraints, but this is made up for by superb production quality and the intimacy that can only be found by up-close camera work (boom cameras were used to full effect here). The DVD also features choice of Dolby Surround or Dolby 5.1 Surround audio, as well as a good "Making of" feature and jump-to-song. If you have already bought the VHS version, give it as a gift to someone and buy the DVD -- you won't be disappointed.

All in all, the only thing I can find to complain about is the inability to get cast autographs at the end of the show!

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely stunning.
Review: To anyone considering purchasing this video, understand that it is NOT a duplication of the live, on-stage viewing experience. Nor is it intended to be. While it lacks the excitement and the synergy added by a live audience, it is in most other respects superior to the live performance. You can hear and understand every word. You can see close-ups and facial expressions that would be missed from 100 feet away back in row 20. Best of all, you can pause, rewind, and replay the best bits over and over and see all the things you missed the first time through - and believe me, you won't see it all in one viewing. You won't see it all in ten viewings!

The makeup, costumes, choreography and music are all extraordinary. Superlatives hardly seem to do them justice. After watching the video a half dozen times, I can identify every performer by name (stage name, that is...) Only one melody is memorable enough that you can hum it afterwards... but memorability is only one (and not the most important) of the many criteria that determine good music, and Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is very good indeed.

High points of the video include the solo performance by Rum Tum Tugger played by John Partridge; the three appearances by Elaine Paige as Grizabella that absolutely steal the show; John Mills as Gus the Theatre Cat; and the duets of Mungo Jerry and RumpleTeaser, and Rum Tum Tugger and Mistoffeles.

To reiterate, this video and a live performance are an apples and oranges comparison. Enjoy this video for what it is intended to be, and it will be one of your most treasured possessions.

Rating:
Summary: So-so on video, best seen in person
Review: Having seen Cats on Broadway and in regional productions I was looking forward to owning this video. It's hard to totally mess up a musical as wonderful as Cats but the video comes close. Gone is all the charm that comes from the live experience (to be expected) but the video really suffers. "Memory" is the hightlight song, both on stage and on this video. Still, being able to get a so-so dose of Cats without a trip to the theatre is worth the price of the video. Just don't have too high an expectation.

Rating:
Summary: Well Done video, but the show's been cut..
Review: As the widely diverse comments posted here show, Cats is a show which polarizes people. Either people love it or hate it there's no middle ground. As a theatre goer who loved the show on Broadway, I must state that the video does very well in capturing the show on the whole. And if you like this show's theatricality you'll like the video, but if you want a plot, or can't stand the idea of dancers prancing around singing TS Eliot poetry, what're you watching this for anyway, its no secret what its about!

The presentation, with plenty of close ups of key moments of the show works quite well, although nothing can truly capture the feel of being surrounded by that huge set and having the show going on around you. The singing and dancing is top rate. The sound is excellent.

But please note, despite claims that this is "definitive" it isn't. The show has been cut significantly. While some may not care that the numbers like The Gumbie Cat, Mungojerrie, and Mr. Mistoffoles have been shortened, I find it hard to accept the fact that the entire Growltiger's Last Stand number has been completely eliminated. This is not only the show's most spectacular number, but is a key poem from Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats on which this show was based. Weber et als give no explanation of this key elimination in the "making of" video. The claim that this is "definitive" or the whole show, is misleading. Still a great treat for Cats lovers, but the limitations should be clear.

Rating:
Summary: Great show, but edits are a problem
Review: In the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway, Cats is an overwhelming experience, in which you are immersed in the "world" of Lloyd Weber's musical from the setting itself [the set encompases the whole theatre] to the performances, which frequently move into the auditorium to give a theatre in the round experience. Needless to say a video of any show can't really capture the entire theatrical experience [although some, such as Nicholas Niclolby, Sweeny Todd, Into the Woods, etc try to show you how the show was done on the stage]. The Cats video never gives you an overview of the set, nor how the show is done with a live audience, but otherwise it is excellently handled. By showing close ups of numerous little bits of business, the video gives a very comprehensive look at this musical. The singing and dancing is first rate all the way around. The video was filmed in a widescreen format of about 1.75:1 and the DVD is letterboxed, this was not shown that way on PBS and I'd guess that the VHS isn't shown that way either. The compostions work far better in the letterbox presentation, giving you more of the peripheral action which is lacking from the pan and scan. The sound is spectacular.

All of this makes this a treasure for fans of the show, but here's the downside.... Despite claims on the box and in the "making of" interviews with Lloyd Weber et als. that this is the "Definitive" version of the show, in fact it has been edited so that the whole thing will play in 120 minutes. Certain dances, including the "Gumbie Cat" Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser, and Mr. Misofolees have been significantly shortened. It works quite well, but there are many spectacular moments missing.

All of this pales however, over the unforgiveable elimination of the Growltiger's Last Stand number. Not only is this the most spectacular number in the stage show, but it is one of the key poems in the TS Eliot collection: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats on which this is based. In the interview Lloyd Weber talks about paying homage to Eliot's poetry in the show. Apparently he has decided that this key poem is now not worthy of showing. The "making of" video is misleading in not mentioning or explaining any of these elimations. You can tell that I like this video in that I've given it 4 stars despite what I consider to be a fatal omission. But without ALL of the numbers this simply isn't the entire "Cats".

Rating:
Summary: Watch for the details. . .
Review: Despite what the professional reviewer states about something being lost in the video version of this magnificent musical, the details the viewer witnesses only add to the story, showing the actors' physical reactions,and emotions. If I were sitting in the 48th row, I would never have seen the joy in their eyes upon the return of Deuteronomy, among numerous other opportunities. I think you will enjoy this video, and isn't it nice, when you slip to the kitchen, that the incredible soundtrack plays on while you miss the scene. . .

Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, but can do without the lip-sync!
Review: Have seen twice on stage. On the plus side the orchestration is beautiful, and you can really appreciate the costumes. Elaine Paige is wonderful!

On the down side, you lose the whole effect of seeing it on stage. The real dissapointment is that the performers are all lip-synching, and some very poorly. That really spoils getting wrapped up in the performance.