As this year's Christmas guest performance, a true musical classic is a guest at the Alte Oper: until 07 January, the singing cats from Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic invite the Frankfurt audience to the Jellicle Ball. Between 1981 and 2002, the musical loosely based on a collection of poems by T. S. Eliot was performed 9000 times in London's West End alone, making CATS one of the most successful musicals of all time. After a less than successful film adaptation, which also met with little interest from the audience, one might have thought that this musical had its best days behind it. But after the successful premiere of the Frankfurt guest performance on Wednesday, 21.12., is clear: The Jellicle-Cats have far more than just seven lives.
The stage in the great hall of the Alte Oper has been transformed into a garbage dump brimming with attention to detail, on which the Jellicle-Cats present themselves to the audience. Especially in the scenes in which the entire ensemble was on stage, the perfection of the choreography was impressive, in which every step, every movement and every jump was just right. The lovingly designed stage set and props offer just as many fascinating spectacles as the costumes, which give the individual cats their very own personality. Of course, some of them stand out especially, like Rum Tum Tugger, who not only has the cat ladies at his feet, or the honorable Old Deuteronomy. But even with the characters who only act in the background, the mixture of costume, mask and performance always creates a very unique character, which gives the musical a very special charm despite the otherwise rather simple story. There one is not surprised that the whole thing still works so well even after four decades.
It is really nice that the audience is always involved in the action. Because the cats romp just not only on stage, but also come into the hall, where they interact with the guests. As could be observed at the premiere, this is a real experience, especially for children, but also for adult cat fans. Special mention must also be made of the fact that the ensemble delivers first-class performances not only vocally but also in terms of dancing. The performance of magical cat Mr. Mistoffelees, for example, can simply be described as impressive.
In the Alte Oper, the original English-language production can be seen. There are German surtitles, but strictly speaking there is no need for them. Because the story works even if you don't understand every word. Certainly, the basic frame story should be known, but then it is not difficult to dive into this unique world of London cats, even with possible language difficulties. There are humorous moments, touching scenes - the performance of "Memory" is still THE goosebump moment of the musical - and spectacular interludes that invite you to marvel and dream. No question: CATS should definitely be experienced live. The thunderous applause and the standing ovations, with which the performances of the actors and actresses were honored on the premiere evening, are a good testimony to the fact that Andrew Lloyd Webber has created a timelessly beautiful work that captivates young and old alike.
So if you still want to experience pure musical magic, you should quickly still secure tickets for the guest performance in Frankfurt. More info and tickets you get under: https://www.bb-promotion.com/veranstaltungen/cats/
