‘Cats’ oozes Pussycat fabulousness in paramount theater’s Circus-Inpired Staging

IT’S been 44 years SINCE “CATS” – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Skimpily Fully Tale of Singing, Dancing Felines – Premiered in London, the rep it ran for an amazing 21 years. SINCE THEN, IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT IN ANY GIVE WEEK, SomeWHEHE IS STAGING “CATS.” An staunch cat’s 9 lives enjoy nothing on the ever-level to Seven-Time Award Winner.

Aurora’s paramount theater closing staged the level to roughly 11 years ago.

“Cats” Is Now Wait on on the A long way West-Suburban Theater, in A Excessive Flying, Circus Spectacular of A Manufacturing. These Cats don’t accurate dance. In Director Trent Stork’s Participating Staging, The Cats Are Contrornists, Acrobats and Aeriists Who Fly Netless on Trapezes, Ropes and Swaths of Silk Suspended from the Fly Condo. It ‘s concept that elevates the level to to Thrling Attain.

The Circus Environment is appropos: “Cats” ha in any respect times been about spectacle. The distinctive model had Cats Rising from the Stage, Perched on a astronomical tire lit up like a Christmas Tree. IT PAVED The Map for Webber SpectaCles to Come, Famously the Crashing Chandelier in “The Phantom of the Opera,” and the Swimming Pool with a insensible man floating in it for “Sunset Boulevard.

Stork’s Imaginative and prescient for “Cats,” has spectacle on overdrive. There might well be a Copious amout of Razzle-Dazzle, from a storm of Raining glitter to the relese of Red Balloons over the viewers. With an ensemble of quadruple-thread actors-Sinegers-Dancers-Circus Artists, The Infrequently-Keep of dwelling, Glimpse by Ts Eliot’s “Extinct Postum’s Book of Objective accurate Cats,” SEEMS ALOST Beside The Point.

At the paramount, a solid of larger than three dosen cats slink and strut over the stage, Powering Thru webber’s with out peril hummable gain (“Memory … All On my own in the Moooonlight”) nor They Embody Jellicle Cats. That title is defined in the survey-popping opening number, “Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats.” It blueprint for a glorious cirque du surreal.

The Jellicles are gathered to learn who will seemingly be summoned to the heavyside layer, a converse the rep one cat amongst be gifted with one other existence. The Resolution on Which Cat that Will Be RESTS ON OLD Deuteronomy (Lorenzo Scoot Jr.), A Tale Elder Cat Whose Cat Other halves Have confidence Borne Him Doses of Kittens. Most of the Show’s Clowder of Cats Are You Young and Sharp, Establish for Grizabella (Emily Rohm), Who has been shunned by the Youthful Cats for Causes Never Fully Explained.

Situation with A Huge Enormous Top (Out of the ordinary Work by Frail Situation Dressmaker Jeffrey D. Kmiiec) That Lights As a lot as promote “Freak Reveals.”

As for the Cats themselves, they catch now not discoint. Sylvia Hernandez Distasi and Amanda Crockett has Establish This sort of plethora of stages on stages that now not easy to clutch the rep to gain likes. “Extinct Gumbie Cat” Aspects Contormism from Jennyanydots (Kat Hail). A Cyr Wheel-Assuredly A Huge, Light-Up Hula Hoop-Sends Cats Spinning Across the Stage Cherish Tops. Mr. Mistoffelees (Christopher Kelley) BRings a magic level to to the eponymous and rhythmic “Mr. Mistoffelees.” The ELUSIVE MACAVITY (Matthew Weidenbener) Appears to be like and Disappears with Baffling Dexterity.

It falls to grizabella to lift the level to’s signature tune, “Memory,” and rohm does with vocals that swell previous the Enormous Top on Stage. Rohm Makes Grizabella Deeply Human and Unmistakably Relatable. And Scoot Captures the Gravitas and Wisdom of Extinct Deuteronomy, and Powers the Acquire with a Declare of Leone Energy.

Choreographer Kasey Alfonso Fills the Stage with Advanced, Cat-like Movement that to Glimpse. The All-Valuable Costum and Fur/Produce-Up Manufacture (Izumi INABA and Katie Cords, Respectively) Flip the Solid Cat-Human Hybrids.

CONDUCTOR KORY DANIELSON OVERSEES AN Eight-Particular person Orchestra that Captures the Show’s Varied Mood, Pianissimo to Triple Specialty. “Cats” Sounds Enormous, from the Dynamic Opener “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats” to the anthemic great thing about the final act’s “Memory.”

When the finals and the chosen cat is shipped to the heavyside layer, paramount pulls off a flying trapeze sequence that soars high above and swings out of the 1,885-seat home.

Webber’s lyrics would perhaps maybe additionally be objectively uninteresting (“a cat is now not a dog.”). However on the paramount, “Cats” lands on its feat.

Correction: This Yarn has been updated to the accurately Credit ranking Sylvia Hernandez Distasi and Amanda Crockett for the Circus Choreography in “Cats.