Few musicals have changed theatre quite like Cats. Sadly, this revival forgets what made it revolutionary.
⭐⭐⭐
What's it about?
On one extraordinary night each year, the Jellicle Cats gather for the Jellicle Ball, where their wise leader, Old Deuteronomy, chooses one cat to journey to the Heaviside Layer and begin a new life.
Rather than following a traditional narrative, Cats is a series of introductions to the Jellicle tribe, with each cat revealing their unique personality through song and dance. Along the way audiences meet favourites including the mischievous Rum Tum Tugger, the magical Mr Mistoffelees, the glamorous Grizabella and the rebellious Macavity, culminating in Grizabella's iconic rendition of Memory.
When Cats premiered in London's West End in 1981, it changed musical theatre forever. Based on T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical became a global phenomenon, running for 21 years in London and almost 18 years on Broadway. More than simply a hit musical, it revolutionised theatre through John Napier's oversized junkyard set, Gillian Lynne's groundbreaking choreography and an immersive staging that blurred the line between audience and performers. Those innovations transformed an unconventional collection of poems into one of the most successful musicals of all time.
This new production reimagines Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic for one of London's most distinctive theatrical venues – Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
What we loved
Taking on a new production of Cats takes courage. Comparisons with the iconic original are inevitable and, with Drew McOnie directing and choreographing in the unique setting of Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, expectations were understandably high.
It was refreshing to see such a large company on stage. Too often modern revivals reduce ensemble sizes, so it was wonderful to see a genuinely big cast. McOnie could perhaps have made even greater use of that scale by bringing the full company together more often, as those moments create the biggest theatrical impact.
Musically, the production sounds great and the vocals across the company are excellent. It’s wonderful to hear those very familiar tunes once again.
There are also several standout performances. Melanie La Barrie brings warmth, authority and gravitas to Old Deuteronomy, proving that the decision to cast the role as female works beautifully. Gary Wilmot is wonderfully touching as Gus the Theatre Cat, and Matthew Caputo is a lively and delightful Skimbleshanks.
There are flashes of invention elsewhere too. Mr Mistoffelees exchanges classical ballet for breakdancing, a contemporary twist that works well, and Macavity's ring of fire is a striking visual effect.
Anything we'd change
When Cats premiered in 1981, it wasn't simply another musical – it redefined what musical theatre could be. Through Gillian Lynne's choreography, John Napier's extraordinary junkyard set and immersive staging, audiences didn't just watch the Jellicle Cats; they entered their world.
With Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, I expected those ideas to be pushed even further. I imagined cats leaping through the trees, appearing from hidden corners of the park and using the theatre's many gangways to burst through the audience. Instead, almost everything happens on the stage. For a venue perfectly designed for immersive theatre, it feels like a significant missed opportunity.
That loss of immersion has a knock-on effect. Cats has very little conventional plot, relying instead on choreography, design and repeated visual motifs to help audiences understand its world. Here, much of that theatrical language has disappeared. Without those recurring cues, I'm not convinced someone seeing Cats for the first time would always know what was happening.
The production also lacks the detail and finesse that once made the Jellicle tribe feel utterly believable. When the cats are simply sitting around the stage there are surprisingly few feline mannerisms. The familiar paws, whiskers and textured fur have largely disappeared, while some ensemble costumes feature sequins without any obvious reason, making the overall look feel inconsistent. At times, the characters resemble oversized rats more than cats.
Several of the show's iconic theatrical moments have also disappeared without equally imaginative replacements. The falling shoe that interrupts the opening has gone, despite the repeated dialogue remaining. The approaching car no longer has the dramatic visual payoff of headlights, the Rumpus Cat never bursts through the floor, the junk pile no longer becomes a treasure trove of discovered props, and the Gumbie Cat number loses much of its sparkle without its famous tap routine. Individually these are small changes; together they significantly reduce the production's sense of spectacle.
The Macavity sequence perfectly sums up the wider issues. Old Deuteronomy's catnapping lacks drama, there is no reveal of Macavity disguised as Old Deuteronomy, and by the time Mr Mistoffelees magically brings her back, I'd almost forgotten she was missing. The impressive ring of fire creates a memorable image, but the rest of the sequence never generates the danger or suspense it needs.
It is impossible not to compare this production with the original, but not simply because it is different. The original's choreography, costumes and staging formed a coherent theatrical language that helped tell an otherwise abstract story. Here, many of those ideas have been removed without being replaced by an equally distinctive new vision. Drew McOnie's choreography has moments of invention, but it rarely creates the instantly recognisable visual vocabulary that made Gillian Lynne's work so iconic.
Ultimately, the production feels surprisingly safe. While it is performed with commitment, there are too few moments of surprise, delight or theatrical magic. Regent's Park offered the opportunity to create the most immersive Cats ever staged. Instead, this revival feels smaller than the world it inhabits.
Who created it?
Cats features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics adapted from T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. This brand-new Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production is directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie, with set, costume and wigs design by Sami Fendall, lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound design by Adam Fisher, musical supervision by Alex Parker, musical direction by Geraint Owen and fight direction by Kev McCurdy.
Verdict
This new Cats never needed to recreate the original beat for beat, but it did need to replace what it removed with something equally compelling. Instead, it strips away much of the detail, spectacle and theatrical language that made Cats one of musical theatre's most revolutionary productions. There are excellent performances and occasional flashes of brilliance, but this revival never fully exploits either its remarkable venue or the extraordinary theatrical possibilities of Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic.