Stream: Cats

“Daylight I must wait for the sunrise

I must think of a new life 

And I mustn't give in”

Again, with perfect timing, Andrew Lloyd Webber picked the most appropriate show to finish his YouTube offerings during the lockdown. His haunting song ‘Memory’, sung by Elaine Paige in this 1997 version filmed at the Adelphi Theatre over eighteen days, entered musical theatre history, and what could be more appropriate in these daunting times? With a score played by a hundred-piece orchestra and deftly directed by David Mallet this version was surprisingly good. 

Having paid to go to our local cinema to see the 2019 version by Tom Hooper, I really needed to erase that car crash from MY memory! I endeavoured to remember the original show I experienced in 1981 at the Prince Edward Theatre. The version I enjoyed yesterday from my comfortable sofa was decidedly better.  

This is really a dancer’s show! Handpicked by Gillian Lynne, every member of the ensemble was a great first-class dancer and singer. No wonder it was the longest running show on Broadway and captured the imagination of millions of aspiring dancing school divas. Lynne’s choreography and staging are outstanding. No wonder there is now a theatre named after her in the West End. How on earth did Tom Hooper waste the talents of Robert Fairchild and Francesca Hayward on dire choreography, along with a coterie of unsuitable Hollywood stars? Let us hope this showing restores the show’s reputation!   

This show is a sung through dancer’s heaven. Whether you like the subject matter or not, the staging is great. The pace is great, the performers are great, and the score is vintage Lloyd Webber, not forgetting TS Elliot of course. As an ensemble piece it would be unfair to praise one over another. Dear departed Gillian Lynne is the star!