Cats

~~I am not sure if I am right but I usually judge a show on how the first few notes sound from the orchestra as they strike up the overture; well I most certainly was right in this case when I went to see Cats at Rotherham Civic Theatre.
The whole show was absolutely fantastic and I would say could very easily have graced any West End Stage and have achieved everything the company had set out to do.
The choreography was outstanding and everyone of the cast of 35 youngsters portrayed a totally different character no matter whether they played a leading role or were in the chorus, they each had their own mannerisms and characteristics we have come to expect of our lovable feline friends.
One of the big numbers of this show is Jellicle Ball which is quite a long number and tremendous feat for any choreographer but in this show their director/choreographer Danyl-James Turvey surpassed all expectations to produce a riveting spectacle in which every character produced a magnificent performance which seemed to be over in a flash.
Of course you still need some good performers for the main characters and again we had this in this show. One of the main characters is Grizabella, a onetime “Glamour Puss” who had been shunned years previously. Bethan Griffiths was perfect in this part, she was able to strut around the stage as any superior cat would and of course sing Memories to perfection. The leader of the cats is of course Old Deuteronomy who is very much respected by all the rest and so she should be, Sam Shirtliffe was excellent and I have to say how she did not melt under the massive fur she wore I do not know, she must have been boiled alive.
There are far too many parts in this show to name everyone but I do have to say there was not one weak link, every single character was perfect, Steve Maycock as Munkustrap kept his calm throughout which was the best way to play this part who introduces all the other cats throughout the show. We saw such characters as Rum Tum Tugger played excellently by Adam Wigglesworth; Dillon Batey was able to get the most out of his character, Gus, the old theatre cat who reminisces about his life and times. We saw the impish twins Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer whose antics around the stage kept us all entertained, these were played by Aaron Wild and Cara Staniforth respectively.
In the Macavity Fight we were all thoroughly entertained not only by Ellie Simmons as Macavity but also Munkustrap and the full company as we were also later with Mr Mistoffolees played to the full by Bradley Thornton.
The end of the show saw the entire audience giving a well deserved standing ovation, and I very much doubt there was anyone left in their seats including me who I have to say this does not happen very often.
Matthew Symonds must also have been a very pleased Musical Director who was able to take control of the ten piece orchestra to produce a fantastic sound who complimented the actors on stage rather than drowning them out as happens all too often. The orchestra, together with very effective lighting and superb costumes and make up all blended to give the end result of a fantastic production.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this superb production no matter what their roles were either on or off stage.
 

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