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Dear Friends of Wahnfried – CATS
May 11 @ 4:00 pm
On Sunday11th at 4pm, the day the musical Cats premiered in 1981, CATS (2hrs).
A 1998 British direct-to-video musical film based on the 1981 stage musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, itself based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (1939) by T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber oversaw orchestration and called on Gillian Lynne, the show’s original choreographer, to train the cast members. David Mallet served as the director of this production.
The film is a recreation of the stage musical, but with new staging and significant edits made to reduce the runtime for television broadcast. It was filmed at the Adelphi Theatre in London in 1997, with the cast selected from various past and (then) present international productions of Cats. The musical score was recorded with a 100-piece orchestra, with Simon Lee serving as the musical director and conductor.
‘Memory’, one of its many classic songs, became an instant worldwide hit. Since then CATS has smashed records and conquered the world. Using the latest technology, all the excitement, thrill, romance and intimacy of this theatrical legend has been captured on screen. Breathtaking visuals and full digital sound will leave you deep into the mysterious world of CATS as you’ve never seen it before – more intoxicating and magical than you could possibly imagine. With a star cast including Elaine Paige and Sir John Mills.
“Fantastic! The best musical and the best show of all times makes a magnificent film. It has advantage of showing everything in details and details are grand. Scenery, costumes and make-up are perfect. Music is superb (especially Jellicle Ball and Macavity). The best thing about the movie is certainly the cast. Actors not only sing and dance splendidly but also imitate feline movements and manners amazingly well. And how do they act! I absolutely adore Michael Gruber as manly and handsome Munkustrap. Elaine Paige as Grizabella would leave nobody indifferent. Veerle Casteleyn with her wonderful eyes is the most touching Jemima, John Partridge is irresistibly attractive and funny Rum Tum Tagger, Phyllida Crawley-Smith is very graceful Victoria, Jacob Brent is charming Mistoffelees, Aeva May and Rosmary Ford make a beautiful pair of adult cats: reserved Demeter and sensuous Bombalurina. Sir John Mills is a little unexpected guest star, but he is perfect Gus the Theatre Cat (“the star of the highest degree”). Eliote’s text is witty, and there are a lot of amusing scenes in the show. My favourite ones are The Gumbie Cat, Mangojerry and Rumpleteaser, Pekes and the Pollicles, Scimbleshanks the Railway Cat. Watching this film is an endless joy for my family and me.” IMDb reviewer