Sunday 29 December 2019

My review of Cats the movie



Well I saw it and didn't mind it, so there! Rubishers of the new Cats movie should research the history of stage-musical-to-screen adaptations. Whilst some have made spectacular screen incarnations (The Sound of Music, Oklahoma, The King and I, Show Boat, South Pacific, Irma la Douce, Gypsy, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Oliver, Funny Girl, Cabaret), more have disappointed. This is due to so many factors, but basically when any piece is so close to someone's heart (e.g. diehard fans who watched it a hundred times onstage, or those who worked on it eight times a week for years in theatre, as with myself, only to then encounter celluloid letdowns like, say, A Chorus Line or Chicago, once such major parts of one's daily life for so long), grating diversions from what we lived and breathed on such a scale are hard to swallow.
Some musicals were so intrinsically theatrical, the screen transition was impossible or incomparable РLes Mis̩rables springs to mind (despite Anne Hathaway's breathtaking performance, but interestingly by the same director as Cats, Tom Hooper), and Sweeney Todd, despite the wondrous Helena Bonham Carter; and the awful Camelot, despite acting greats Richard Harris and Vanessa Redgrave; not to mention Mame, despite legend Lucille Ball.
As Cats was another major musical I worked on in its first months in 1981, and having seen the huge changes it underwent over the early years, I had limited expectations of the movie. It's another piece of theatre magic that was never going to please all on screen. Elements of it won me over quite unexpectedly, though I'm perplexed at media censure of the cats being human – no one had that gripe with the show! Same with the 'threadbare plot' receiving such denigration – the equally plotless show ran for 21 years in London. Most of the cast I felt excelled, albeit with a far easier task with limitless camera takes, special FX and sound recording, than having to perform it live eight times a week for months or years.
OK, on the downside I thought Jennifer Hudson's vocal interpretation of Memory a waste of a magnificent voice and a stellar number – but she's otherwise faultless as Grizabella, heartbreakingly acted. I also can't stand Rebel Wilson (Jennyanydots) in anything, so not in Cats either: this musical necessitates great talents, so casting comedians-made-good like her and even James Corden (Bustopher Jones), rather than actors/dancers/singers, just ain't good enough IMHO. And though I've always found director Tom Hooper's straight dramas brilliant – Love in a Cold Climate, The King's Speech, Elizabeth I, The Danish Girl etc – I puzzle over his rare transgressions into musicals, which don't seem to be his genre.
I nevertheless felt Cats delivered more pleasant surprises than bad ones. I didn't mind the contentious CGIing, thought the 'scary' sets and costumes superb and loved Judi Dench in her much-slated traditionally male-cast role of Old Deutoronomy (I reject the dumb tabloid media conjecture that she plays it transgender). Ian McKellen is the ideal Gus the Theatre Cat, alongside fellow fab actors Ray Winstone as Growltiger and Idris Elba as Macavity, with younger actor Laurie Davidson a fine Mr. Mistoffelees (if originally more a dance role, created by ballet legend Wayne Sleep).
Taylor Swift is great as Bomballurina, if only onscreen for five or ten minutes. 'Proper dancer' Francesca Hayward is exquisite as Victoria, as are fellow hoofers Steven McRea an excellent Skimbleshanks, Robert Fairchild a perfect Munkustrap and Eric Underwood a lovabable Admetus.
Jason Derulo is a terrific Rum Tum Tugger, as are Les Twins as Plato and Socrates.
More background roles are all well filled by fine talent, e.g. Danny Collins as Mungojerrie and Naoimh Morgan as Rumpleteazer; Jonadette Carpio as Jemima; Daniela Norman as Demeter; Freya Rowley as Jellylorum; Ida Saki as Electra; Zizi Strallen as Tantomil; Mette Towley as Cassandra; Bluey Robinson as Alonzo; Zizi Strallen as Tantomil and Jaih Betote as Coricopat.
So yep, I disagree with the negative critics at large, they know nothing. Go see!

No comments:

Post a Comment