This week, I wish to discuss an artwork of utmost intrigue and controversy. This particular movie was released over a month ago, and, although many would like to block the event from their minds, we can’t pretend it didn’t happen. It is important to talk about uncomfortable situations so we can make sense of them and move forward. For this reason, we must address the jellicle in the room.
“Cats” is a frightening film adaptation of the 1981 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical of the same name and, unfortunately, the same story. The lyrics were clawed from T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” a 1939 poetry book written about the species to amuse his godchildren.
I waited to see “Cats” two weeks after its release because I needed to make sure I was mentally prepared for such a tail. Having never seen the stage musical, I truly went in as blind as a newborn kitten.
The adaptation begins when a woman throws a sack onto a street that happens to be the “jellicle cats’” territory. A cat named “Victoria,” played beautifully by Francesca Hayworth, emerges from the bag and is subjected to five minutes of mansplaining about what jellicle cats are. Like most cases of mans-planation, the reasoning is insufficient, leaving Victoria confused.
It was at this point the toddler next to me shouted, “Mommy! Those aren’t real cats!”
Well, I was just as surprised! More surprised, however, was I at the irresponsible parenting that deemed it appropriate to expose a toddler to such questionable content.
As I was coming to terms with the fact that I was watching grown humans lick their hands, I was forced to address the computer-generated imagery. Once I got over the initial shock of the digital skin-tight fur suits and the disturbing human-feline face hybrids, the editing proved inconsistent throughout the film. If anything, the CGI made me jealous of the moon; I’d like to lose my memory too after seeing it.
The plot progresses toward the Jellicle Ball, a talent show judged by “Old Deuteronomy” (Judi Dench), where the winner earns another life and ascends to the “Heaviside Layer.” Leading contestants include the leisurely “Jennyanydots” (Rebel Wilson) and the overindulgent “Bustofer Jones” (James Corden). Trouble appears by the name of the infamous “Macavity” (Idris Elba), and his sidekick “Bombularina” (Taylor Swift, who, thankfully, didn’t have to dance), as they sabotage his competitors and Old Deuteronomy to make him the last cat standing. When hope seems lost, the magical “Mr. Mistoffelees” (Laurie Davidson) conjures Old Deuteronomy back on his fourth try with the encouragement of his fellow jellicles. The jellicle choice turns out to be the outcasted underdog (or should I say, undercat), “Grisabella” (Jennifer Hudson), who sings a gut-wrenching ballad called “Memory.”
The best part of the musical was the choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler. Hayworth of the Royal Ballet in London and Robbie Fairchild of the New York City Ballet make the ultimate power duo. The movement of the ensemble was great, but there was a lack of still filming moments. The camera frequently cut to different angles and shots instead of letting the dance speak for itself. We miss out on the sustained view of the choreography we usually get when seeing a live musical.
As for all the performers involved, they truly did the best they could. Is “Cats” a joke that might one day reach a similar fate as “Rocky Horror?” Quite possibly, but the performers did a great job and somehow managed to take it seriously nonetheless.
As a matter of fact, I think “Cats” would be a great choice for OCU’s fall spotlight musical; it’s the only show I can think of that could live up to the shock-value of “The Zombies of Penzance.”
Overall, “Cats” truly was the movie of the year (either the best or worst…I can’t decide).
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