‘Cats’ – a Broadway in Chicago spectacle

Asparagus (“Gus”). Munkustrap. Old Deuteronomy. Skimbleshanks. Jennyanydots.

If you’re one of the more than 73 million people who’ve seen a production of the Tony Award-winning Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats” at some point in the past 38 years, those feline character names should be familiar to you. Since I wasn’t one of those 73 million plus, I wasn’t conversant with all of them until I sat – ironically, in seat K-9 – for Broadway in Chicago’s latest touring company production at the James M. Nederlander Theatre in the Loop.

“Cats,” which runs through Aug. 4, is based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats,” a collection of light-hearted poems initially issued 80 years ago. The plot involves a group of remarkable and diverse cats who get together once a year for a ball to celebrate and ultimately determine which one of them will get to go to the “Heaviside Layer” to be reborn. Audience members get to meet all of the cats mentioned at the beginning of this review, along with many others. And if you look at only the table of contents for the T.S. Eliot book, you’ll see that practically every cat gets its time in the show’s spotlight.

The most famous song from the show is “Memory,” performed by a former “Glamour Cat” named Grizabella who is shunned and hissed at by the others. Keri René Fuller is amazing in the role, tugging at your heartstrings as she makes her rendition as, well, memorable as the successful 1981 cover of the tune by Barbra Streisand. (One quibble I had with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score is the too-frequent use of the melody. Once at the end of Act I and late in Act II should be plenty.)

Also impressive is the flamboyant Rum Tum Tugger, played by McGee Maddox. As this “curious cat” – decked out in a colorful leopard-print top and boots, and black leather pants – Maddox has a ball in the song “The Rum Tum Tugger,” explaining with panache how he constantly changes his mind: “If you set me on a mouse then I only want a rat. If you set me on a rat, then I’d rather chase a mouse.” Rum Tum Tugger definitely is the coolest cat on stage, and he knows it.

The song “Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer,” performed by the two cat burglar cats in the title, gives Tony d’Alelio and Rose Iannaccone a chance to impress with not only their singing, but their playful acrobatics as well. And “Magical Mister Mistoffelees” is a catchy second-act number featuring the entire company and Tion Gaston as a very magical feline (“Not long ago this phenomenal cat produced seven kittens right out of a hat!”).

Timothy Gulan deserves special praise for bringing vividly to life two distinct and fun characters:

Bustopher Jones, the formally dressed “cat about town” who reminded me of a cross between Oliver Hardy and “Uncle Fester” from The Addams Family, and “Gus the Theatre Cat,” a stage door feline who is encouraged to display his acting skills for those assembled, despite the number of years that have passed since he last trod the boards.

Director Trevor Nunn, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, lighting designer Natasha Katz, and scenic/costume designer John Napier make this show a true spectacle to see. I wish I could have understood more of the lyrics, though, especially in some of the early ensemble songs. It only was through a post-performance online search that I could be impressed by lyrics like “Practical cats, dramatical cats, pragmatical cats, fanatical cats, oratorical cats, delphioracle cats.”

If you want a more-than-minimal plot, or you’re not a fan of dialogue-free and sometimes extended lyrics-free scenes (to spotlight the feline dance moves of an agile cat, er, cast), then perhaps “Cats” isn’t your cup of tea or saucer of cream. But based on the standing ovation at the end of the press night performance, and my own enjoyment, this iteration is – like many a cat – landing on its feet. And yes, a film version of “Cats” is set for release in December, but unlike this Broadway in Chicago stage production, its cast won’t be using the aisles of your theater to help make you feel special.

So while I don’t think this production is purr-fect, it’s definitely worth seeing if you’re a “Cats” or Andrew Lloyd Webber devotee, or if you just want to experience a family-friendly musical whose original Broadway production ran for 7,485 performances more than 18 years. After all, there are very few Broadway shows that, if they were human, would be old enough to vote by the end of their initial run. And with this national tour, it’s clear that “Cats” is far from the last of its nine lives.

• Paul Lockwood is a past president of TownSquare Players and an occasional community theater actor, appearing in more than 30 plays, musicals, and revues since he and his wife moved to Woodstock in 2001. Recent shows include "42nd Street," "Once Upon a Mattress," "On Golden Pond" and "9 to 5: The Musical," as well as Right-Center-Left Production Company's charity dinner-theater play, Morning's at Seven (www.rclpctheater.com), playing weekends through July 28.