Respond to these rapid questions in our Cats quiz and we will tell you which Cats character you are. Play it now.
When T.S. Eliot published Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats in 1939, it was filled with poems about cats that he had written for his godchildren to amuse them. Eliot’s poems are a far cry from The Waste Land, which he published nearly two decades earlier. His poems are sweet and subtly profound, describing various types of cats, their behaviors, personalities, and mysterious self-involvement.
When you notice a cat in deep meditation, the reason, I assure you, is always the same: His mind is absorbed in rapt contemplation of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name, among other things.
Andrew Lloyd Webber took these poems and pieced them together in a haphazard manner, initially envisioning it as a concert or a chamber piece. Nobody could have predicted the runaway success. How could you possibly predict the success of a film like “Cats”? You couldn’t do it. Following a successful run in London, the show transferred to Broadway, where it immediately broke every record in the book, eventually becoming the fourth-longest running show in Broadway history. To be honest, the show’s appeal is a little mysterious to me (and I’ve seen it twice already). It was only the second Broadway show I ever saw as a child), but it has clearly wowed throngs of people all over the world. ‘Cats’ has been brought to the screen by Tom Hooper (“Les Miserables,” “The King’s Speech”), who hasn’t done much with it (what is there to be done, really?) and has overproduced a lot of it (the sets feel self-consciously referential, almost to the point of irony, but not quite). Among the stars are Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson, as well as Francesca Hayward, a principal ballerina at the Royal Ballet, who plays “Victoria,” the innocent cat who is thrust into a strange new world. He also casts some lesser-known performers, including Francesca Hayward, a principal ballerina at the Royal Ballet, who plays “Victoria,” the wide-eyed innocent cat who is thrust into a strange new world.
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The film “Cats” depicts grown men and women crawling around in furry suits, pretending to be felines. There will be some who will find this to be unbearably ridiculous. It’s embarrassing, to say the least. I strongly advise these individuals to never enroll in an acting or movement class. They wouldn’t even make it through five minutes! ‘Cats’ has a slew of problems, problems that were also present in the theatrical production (but which didn’t seem to bother the audiences who came in droves to see it for the past 18 years). To put it mildly, the story is flimsy at best. There is almost no disagreement. As a whole, Cats is structured as a talent show for cats, with the winning prize being a trip to the “Heavyside Layer” (also known as “Heaven”), a place where the chosen cat moves on to the next of their (presumably) nine lives after being selected. I am dreaming of resurrecting from the dead, a dream of cleansing and purification (all things which T.S. Eliot had very strong feelings about).
Cats Quiz
Vicky, who has been abandoned by her owners, is taken under the collective wing of the street cats known as “Jellicle cats” in the film’s opening sequence. Because the lyrics are almost completely incomprehensible during all of the group numbers (a problem that persists throughout the show, and it is inexcusable), it’s difficult to follow along with what they’re singing about. Different cats take the stage and perform a number that is representative of their personalities. “Jennyanydots” (Rebel Wilson) is a sluggish tabby who causes havoc in the evenings and on weekends. “Bustopher Jones” (James Corden) is a stray cat who dresses in a tailcoat and spats for the occasion. “Mr. Mistoffelees” (Laurie Davidson) is a magician who performs illusions. With the power of his tap-dancing, “Skimbleshanks” (Steven McRae) is able to commandeer entire train cars.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Cats quiz.
Overlooking all of this jazz-hands talent-show activity is the enigmatic Macavity (Idris Elba), who appears and disappears from the tops of buildings like an ominous bat-signal in the sky. To quote Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Macavity appears out of nowhere to demolish everyone else’s “act,” for no discernible reason (he possesses Iago’s “motiveless Malignity,” to put it another way). Bombalurina, Macavity’s gun-toting sidekick, is played by Taylor Swift. Many of the cats get their fill of them and are never seen by anyone again. Judi Dench portrays “Old Deuteronomy,” the wise elder cat who serves as the master of ceremonies. Judi Dench was cast in the original London production, in the dual roles of Grizabella and Jennyanydots, which serves as a nice nod to the past.) Trevor Nunn, the film’s director, refused to join the project unless Dench was cast in the lead role. Dench withdrew from the competition at the last minute after rupturing her Achilles tendon. For those who are familiar with the story, her appearance here has a lot of resonance.)
Grizabella (Jennifer Hudson), a bedraggled cat who is known as the “Delta Dawn” of the cat world and is shunned by the rest of the cats because of her disreputable past, serves as the film’s other central figure, alongside Victoria. Grizabella performs “Memory,” a show-stopping song based (loosely) on T.S. Eliot’s poem Rhapsody on a Windy Night that is a highlight of the show. It’s a song about memory and moonlight, and, to be honest, I’m a little lost trying to figure out what she’s so upset about in the first place. However, the song is primarily about the music rather than the lyrics: it is written for a major voice and has a slow build up to a thrilling finish. (“Tooouch meeeeeeeee!” she sang, and the entire audience practically erupted when she hit those notes on “Tooouch me”). Hudson does not fail to impress, infusing the lyrics with rage and pathos throughout. See what she does with the phrase “I must wait until the sunrise.” When Grizabella sings that, Hudson’s Grizabella is enraged. Hudson makes sense of her character, personalizes the character, and sings her heart out in a cat suit, all while donning the outfit. (This is a plus.)
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In the case of “Cats,” the film suffers from a problem that is common in contemporary film musicals. The musical doesn’t have faith in the audience, and it doesn’t believe that the dancing will be exciting enough to keep us entertained on its own. There are a lot of dance numbers in “Cats,” and Hooper spends a lot of time cutting around, changing angles, flying up to the ceiling, and manipulating the images to make them look better. Dancers’ ability to maintain a sense of sustained movement is taken away from you, as is the simple pleasure of watching them dance. When you go back in time and watch musicals from the 1930s, it becomes immediately apparent how much we have lost. Watch as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers choreograph the dance in real time is permitted on this tour. The camera pans around them. The takes are quite lengthy. There are only a couple of sustained shots in “Cats,” but they stand out for the sheer pleasure they provide the viewer. When Hayward performs a large circle around the room, with the camera following her, it is a lyrical moment of graceful fluid movement, and the scene is one of my favorites in the film. She is given the freedom to do the beautiful thing she knows how to do, and we are fortunate enough to be able to witness it.
Although there isn’t nearly enough of that in “Cats,” I found the film to be entertaining for what it is. “London’s Got Talent” is a cat-centric version of the popular television show.
For more personality quizzes check this: Bloodshot Quiz.
