CATS

This is such an iconic show that any audience expects a riot of colour, movement and spectacular
costumes and makeup. Young Gen, lead by their Artistic Director Claire Carr and her team, delivered this
in abundance.
From the beginning of the overture until the end of the finale, we were entertained by a group of
extraordinary young people. There were 47 in the cast, from an audition group of 75 and I don’t think I
would have wanted to make the choices. The end result was a cast (yes, that is the correct word for a
group of cats, and very apt) were amazing, apparently some of them were not trained dancers but it was
impossible to tell from watching. They all captured the feline characteristics and created their own
particular characters which were maintained throughout. It would be very unfair of me to pick out particular
characters as everyone in the cast was simply outstanding.
The attention to detail, was amazing with so many youngsters on stage, every single one was completely
focussed on their part in the show, yet still part of the overall ensemble. That’s a feature that many adult
shows do not display, it was very impressive. Claire’s choreography was excellent and delivered with
accuracy and precision.
The stage discipline displayed by the cast was excellent, right down to Grizabella holding her exit pose at
the end of the Journey To The Heavyside Layer until she was well clear of any sightlines. Again, that is
something a lot of adults miss!
The set was well designed with a number of levels and extra features, like a car and a slide. The cast were
blocked to use all this well and it made the production a joy to watch. The costumes were beautifully
designed, and the makeup was also well designed to match the costumes. Clearly a lot of thought and
work has gone into making the ‘look’ of the show as good as the performance. Lighting and sound were
excellent, and the band was well balanced so we could hear all the dialogue and the vocals clearly. The
crew support and backup were discrete but clearly well delivered as the cast all seemed very happy to be
on stage and delivering their performances.
As you can see, I loved this production, would happily watch it again if I had time and left the theatre
thinking that Musical Theatre has a wonderful future in the hands of these young people.
Well done to everyone onstage and backstage, you must all be proud of what this show has achieved.

Tessa Davies
On behalf of Victoria Carey
Rep for district 8
NODA East

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.