same way I felt about “Cats”... my wife had me go...it sucked. I like all kinds of music Chet Baker to Incubus and Steely Dan but it was a yawner. In talking to most of my friends that went it was more that “they went” as opposed to “it being good”.
I actually dosed off after working a night shift during the underground scene of Phantom of the Opera..hahahahaha. The music was so relaxing, my wife didn’t appreciate the snore that startled me awake.
Andrew Lloyd Webber is a classic example of “The Emperor’s New Clothes”.
A vocal student of mine had a role in “CATS” (Rumpletweezer), so of course I went to see it.
The production, scenery, special effects, and musical skills demonstrated were excellent.
And that’s where it ended.
Yet, the audience was ecstatic.
My wife and I also went to see Cats in October 1986 on our first trip to NYC. We left at the first intermission it was so stupid and boring and went back to the hotel to watch Game 6 of the World Series. It was so much better being in Manhattan when the Mets won that game in extra innings than seeing a ridiculous show like Cats. Never would have forgiven myself if we had stayed for the whole show and missed historic Game Six.
Cats is an interesting example, because I couldn't tell from the article when the author refers to "the music," does he mean the instrumentation or the lyrics?
From the example provided ( "ten-dollar Founding Father without a father" and "when the British taxed our tea we got frisky,") it seems that the author is referring to the hip-hop rap. If so, then comparing it to Cats is comparing Lin-Manuel Miranda to T. S. Eliot.
The author never delves into the orchestrations, the staging, the choreography, or anything else. With Cats, the staging intended to put the audience into the perspective of a cat, with oversized junkyard objects. The costuming and make-up gave each character a unique style. And then there is the composing of Andrew Lloyd Weber. None of these aspects is discussed in the article.
What people complained about with Cat was the seeming lack of plot, leaving people unsure of what they just saw. It is better thought of as a revue. I was familiar with T. S. Eliot's collection of cat poems Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, so I knew what to expect, and was delighted to hear these poems put to music.
Just so I understand, when you say that you didn't like Cats, did you mean that T. S. Eliot "sucks" as a poet?
-PJ
I LOVE “Cats”. I love Eliot and I like Andrew Lloyd Weber.
“Cats” is one of my wife’s favorite musicals.
Phantom is a great show too, and the longest running show in Broadway history. When it opened, Ronald Reagan was still in the White House.