Cats The Musical

1. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.

   
   

   
   

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   1. Since Cats first opened on the West End stage in 1981, it has become one of the world’s best known and best loved musicals and has  over $1 billion. With a plot based on T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and award-winning music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cats, originally directed by Trevor Nunn, has since been presented in over 20 countries.

In 1983, "Cats" won seven Tony Awards, including the award for the best musical. This musical is the longest running show in the whole history of musical theatre. The Original London Cast Recording of CATS won the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Cast Album . The next year the Original Broadway Cast Recording  won the same award.

Personally, my favorite things about the show would have to be the costumes and makeup. The actors are covered from head to toe. The makeup design is incredible and a bit different on every actor. They are so unique and intricate. It makes the show come to life. 


              Songs from the musical include:             

                             Jellicle Songs
                                Memory
                            Rum Tung Tugger
                       The Naming Of Cats
                  Grizabella, The Glamour Cat
                           Bustopher Jones

For more information about Cats The Musical:

             http://www.catsthemusical.com
       
       http://www.broadwaymusicalhome.com

                    http://www.rnh.com

Until next week…

The Fantasticks

Musically directed by Harvey Schmidt, produced by Marc Routh, staged by Janet Watson, and directed by Tom Jones, The Fantasticks is a show like no other. 

The Fantasticks is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart, and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo's words that "without a hurt, the heart is hollow." See more at: http://www.mtishows.com

The show is based on Les Romanesques by Edmond Restand.

Songs from the musical include:

Try To Remember
Never Say No
Soon It's Gonna Rain
Much More
Round And Round





The show originally opened on Broadway in 1960 and was recently revived in 2006 at the Snapple Theatre Center. 

Have a great week, theatre peeps!

I Do! I Do!

"I Love My Wife!" is something you see a lot on mugs or tee shirts, but did you know that the saying gained its popularity from the musical, "I Do! I Do!" in 1966?

Directed by Gower Champion, produced by David Merrick, and musically directed by Harvey Schmidt, the musical was the first Broadway musical to have a cast of only two people. Mary Martin and Robert Preston starred in the production and critics say that it was a brilliant casting decision.

The show begins with Michael and Agnes on their wedding day. Their vows behind them, they look forward to spending the rest of their lives together. We watch as they go through their wedding night jitters, raise a family, and negotiate mid-life crises. Michael eventually admits to his infidelity, and although Agnes is angered by his actions, she forgives him and the couple reconciles. They re-discover how much they really need each other. Then, after 50 years of marriage, the couple leaves their house to the next pair of newlyweds. (See more at: http://www.mtishows.com)

Songs from the show include: "I Love My Wife"; "My Cup Runneth Over" ; "Love Isn't Everything"; "Nobody's Perfect"; "The Honeymoon Is Over"; "Where Are the Snows?"; "When the Kids Get Married"; "Someone Needs

  Me"; "Roll Up the Ribbons"






 ( To the left are headshots of Mary Martin and Robert Preston)

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find a live performance of the production. However, there is a video that has been linked on this post that is a recording of some of the music. Take a listen.




Until next week, theatre nerds!

-Olivia