CATS, the longest continuously touring Broadway musical in history, has finally arrived in Orlando and will be here through Sunday at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre.
The show is so well constructed. I went to see it last night and was thoroughly impressed with every aspect of it from the acting quality, the strength of the vocals, the intricacy and functionality of the set design and, of course, the costumes and makeup.
I was unsure of what to expect as the show began, being that I am not a frequent theater-goer by any means. But something that immediatley caught me off guard was how involved the set makes the audience feel. With lighting and cast members constantly stretching out into the audience, in addition to the mechanical set that is constantly changing throughout the show, I felt as if I were really part of it.
To make an analogy, it was sort of like one of those interactive theme park rides where you sit in a car that never actually moves but you feel like you are traveling the world; a world of cats, of course.
The acting was superb. Unlike other shows where a human plays a human, in CATS all the actors are felines, and must carry their bodies accordingly. With every stretch, arm movement and jump seemingly perfectly calculated, it was almost impressive enough to distract me from everything else.
Some parts were funny, some parts were sad, but the entire show was quite breathtaking, especially with the window-shattering performance of “Memory,” the classic song from the show. It was moving, and I will never forget hearing those notes being belted out with such beautiful vocal range.
Many reviewers include a long summary of the show in their story, but I am not going to do that. Why? Because if you want to know what it’s about, then go see it! You’ve heard about it, I’ve told you it’s great, cheap student rush tickets are available and it’s just a short drive from UCF. It seems like you should have your night planned out for yourself.
Tickets can be purchased by phone at 1-800-982-2787, or online at www.OrlandoBroadway.com, in addition to TicketMaster or the Amway Arena Box Office.
