Each to His Own Cat

There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who like “Cats,” and those who don’t. Then, again, there are people who like cats but not “Cats,” and the reverse. That’s just the way it goes.

T.S. Eliot published “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” in 1932. The book is a collection of poems about, well, cats. All different kinds of cats, with strange names and eerily human personalities.

In the early 1980s, Andrew Lloyd Webber decided to compose a musical without the help of a lyricist, instead using Eliot’s poems as lyrics and his cats as protagonists.

Webber’s experiment resulted in an odd musical; a complex and confusing mess of vignettes that introduce cats such as Jennyanydots, Mr. Mistoffelees and Rumpleteazer. The cat introductions last for pretty much the entire show, leaving little room for actual plot.

What’s even odder about the show is that familiarity with and research into the show seems to be required to understand it at all. The cats seem to have fully developed personalities, and the audience is not entitled to many clues as to what these personalities are (although this is rather similar to the way actual cats interact with humans).

The die-hard “Cats” fan base has come to general agreements on cat personalities: which cats are fans of the Rum Tum Tugger, which cats are in charge of other cats and which cats are close friends.

The uninformed viewer, however, will not gather any of this information.

The production of “Cats” at the Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck is fully aware of the eccentricities of the play. The actors know the play is absurd. All this aside, however, they put every ounce of talent into their performances about ridiculous felines. Much of the dancing in the production is incredibly complex, with plenty of acrobatic feats and near-contortionism. The dance numbers are undoubtedly the best part of the show, and the real draw for theatergoers.

The costuming projects the same complexity as the dancing, reflecting an air of absurdity and extravagance. In short, the Center’s production of “Cats” may well have been one of the company’s more difficult undertakings. The cast pulled off performing “Cats” the way it is supposed to be performed, but “Cats” is supposed to be odd.

Very odd.

 

“Cats” runs weekends through Feb. 27. For tickets, call 845-876-3080 or go to www.centerforperformingarts.org.

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