Meow!

CH and I caught the Cats musical at the Esplanade Theatres last Saturday. To be honest, I only recall the event on Sat afternoon! Can you imagine if I bought the tickets and forget to attend?! CH didnt remind me either because his hectic schedule left him no time to send me a reminder sms =S


I was greeted by this installation entitled You shine like Gold in the air of Summer, by Simponi, a group of 4 young women from Indonesia. The "laterns" were constructed out of recycled materials and vintage fashion. They looked really pretty and girly under the dimmed flourecent lighting of the Esplanade concourse. According to the description board, this installation seeks to reflect on the meaning of material, source and imagery.

Hmm. Intention and concept. Somethings artists can never run away with!


The installation also served as a perfect backdrop for a concert by Esplanade Presents.


I was surprised by the number of people at the Esplanade that day, although most of them were also coming for CATS.


If not for the musical, I guess I will never take a close look at this corner of the Concourse, which serves as the entrance for the theatre. The escalators lead us up to the Stall seats. This narrow but tall space is a stark contrast to the concourse foyer shown earlier.

CH finally arrived at the last minute before entry was denied! We then rushed to our seats and within seconds, the musical began.

Since it was my virgin experience to a musical performance, almost everything - from the set to the music to the cast and their costumes and make-up, amazed me! Call me a frog in the well, but the experience was definitely mind-blowing to my five senses. Almost immediately I recall my 1st year tutor, Joo Meng, who is a set designer. I never understood what he did and how it relates to architecture. My, my. So this is what a SET is all about. Forget about the secondary school-ish props and paper-like costumes. A real setting on stage is so complicated and detailed! It is also the most important tool to engage the audience, bringing them into the play. I think John Napier had done a great job for CATS.


Photography was allowed during the interval. In fact, some cats (the casts) actually appeared among the audience!

Im no drama student so I shant comment on the plot, though I have enjoyed it very much. I particularly liked Grizabella, the Glamour Cat, for her marvellous voice in "Memory". She is reaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllly awesome!

I also liked Tom, the cassanova of cats, who attracts female cats like bees to honey. It was really funny whenever he mesmerized his admirers with a swing of his tail.

My favourite song in the musical is not Memory, but the catchy Macavity! =D

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He's always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place -
MACAVITY WASN'T THERE!

To be honest, I thought the musical was not suitable to be a first for the ignorant me. It felt like a great leap from knowing nothing about musicals to watching and understanding an award winning internationally acclaimed musical like Cats. It forces me to read up and do research to comprehend and appreciate whats presented before me. Thank god I enjoyed this learning process and I will continue learning with more theatrical experiences to come!