Cats The Musical

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angelenroute
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Cats The Musical

Post by angelenroute »

As many of you may have already heard, Cats is returning to Broadway. The First Preview is tonight, July 14th, 2016, and two former Billys (Corey Snide - BETM London and Giuseppe Bausilio - BETM Broadway/International Tour/Chicago) are in the cast. You can see them both in these great new photos/story:

http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/ne ... 77770.html

I spent an arm and a paw on an Orchestra ticket for tonight's Furst Preview, and I'm SO excited!!! Though it's not fair to post a professional review until the show opens, I'll happily regale you with my unprofessional thoughts sometime this weekend. :D

-Sean

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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angelenroute
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Re: Cats The Musical

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It's hard for me to put into words just how perfect my night at Cats the Musical on Broadway was last night. The evening began with an "Oh my God" when I realized my Row B seat in the Left Orchestra section was actually a front-row seat, and the night ended with the super-sweet Giuseppe Bausilio bringing us in through the stage door past all the fans for a private view of the set.

And the show? It was INCREDIBLE!!! I cried four times, mostly from happiness. The eerie, other-worldly feel of it all gave me chills up and down my spine, and I was in shock at what I was witnessing on the stage. Some of you have seen this show before in its earlier reincarnations. I had not. So I just want to say: I get it now. I get why it's such a great show and why it ran for almost 18 years last time. It is just a thing of pure beauty from start to finish, has so many cool numbers throughout the show, and the cast was absolute perfection besides.

I got to see Leona Lewis as Grizabella (she is so gorgeous in person, by the way, and has a gorgeous voice as well!), Ricky Ubeda (Season 11 winner of So You Think You Can Dance...also super cute in person), and TWO former Billys as well!

Corey Snide was just a little kid in London in 2007 when Andy and I saw him perform the title role there, but now he's 22, a recent Juilliard graduate, and I have to say, he looks amazing in his costume! He seems to know it, too! Corey--true to his reputation!--was smiling more than the others, and with very good reason. The whole audience was filled with big smiles throughout the show. And then of course there was the incomparable Giuseppe Bausilio, all of 19 years old and starring in his fourth Broadway show already! (CATS, Aladdin, Newsies, Billy Elliot). Giuseppe is a force to be reckoned with on stage (and off), and his strong dancer's body makes him easier to recognize, so fear not if you think you won't be able to pick these two out on stage!

But beyond these mere mentionables, I was floored by every...single...member of the cast. I have NEVER--NEVER!--seen an ensemble of dancers work together like these performers do in this show. NO ONE was left out of the limelight. NO ONE! Every single one of them had their time and place to shine, and honestly, I don't think I've ever seen a show quite like this before.

As we stood together on the stage last night, peering out at the empty house and around at the beyond-incredible set (the word incredible doesn't even do it justice), I said to Giuseppe, "This is going to be BIG. Like...REALLY big." He nodded with a look of awe and said, "Yeah, I'm starting to get that impression, too."

Back out on the sidewalk, I was hoping to catch Corey, who I'd seen as Billy in London in 2007, but never again since the curtain came down on that show. He was out signing autographs earlier, but the crowd was so thick, I didn't get a chance. Please, I thought, please come out again (no one else was coming out twice). The stage door opened a few minutes later and past the security and a policeman, I saw him. It's such a strange thing for me, I don't mind saying. He's been my photo on this Billy Elliot The Musical forum for so long, and I've been a fan of his online for years, so seeing him in person again actually had me feeling really nervous. I handed him my Playbill as he was still talking to others, so I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but as he handed it back to me with a smile, I told him I'd seen him "as Billy back in 2007, and not again until tonight. You were wonderful!" He seemed genuinely touched by that, which made me very happy of course, and I felt so happy to have finally met him!

So, listen. It's a musical about cats, obviously, but with each new number, they're painting a story about how cats are all quite like humans in many ways. Some get into fights with each other, some travel tightly in pairs, some like hugging the spotlight, some are just fun-loving, life-of-the-party types, and some are very old and wise. With each new cat's introduction, you fall more and more in love with the whole show, and the strange world you're gazing into. You don't realize it's happening, but at some point very early on, the music has hypnotized you. You're in an open-mouthed place of unfamiliar awe as the choreography dances you into a mesmerizing dream. Magnificent, huge Broadway numbers--mostly huge because of the music and catlike choreography--lift you up into the clouds and the moonlight, until your imagination is soaring high above the stage. And all at once it's over, and you're shaking your head with tears, grateful for what you've just witnessed, and floored that a musical about cats could ever be so incredible.

It is, though. It really, really is. And it's back. It's back on Broadway right now, and this memory will absolutely be one of your best.

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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Re: Cats The Musical

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Great review, Sean!! Sounds like a wonderful theatrical experience.
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angelenroute
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Re: Cats The Musical

Post by angelenroute »

NEW VIDEO AT LAST!!! :D

Look for Giuseppe Bausilio and Corey John Snide, as well as Leona Lewis and the rest of their catsmates:

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/27/ca ... dway-video

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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Re: Cats The Musical

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Exciting! I'll be seeing it next Thursday, August 4th. Can't wait!
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angelenroute
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Re: Cats The Musical

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You can see Corey and Giuseppe together (they share a dressing room) in the little video Giuseppe just posted to his Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/giuseppebausilio/

Happy Opening tomorrow to both of them and the whole cast of the Broadway revival of Cats!

"Good writers define reality; bad ones merely restate it." -Edward Albee
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CJ-Rochester
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Re: Cats The Musical

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NewYork.com tweeted this great photo of Giuseppe at the curtain call from opening night:

https://twitter.com/NewYorkcom/status/7 ... 0170340353
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Re: Cats The Musical

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The cast of CATS performed a special medley today on Good Morning America, broadcast from the Neil Simon theater. I'm excited to be seeing the show for myself tonight!

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/cast-ca ... ook_widget
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Re: Cats The Musical

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Leona Lewis will only have a very short run as Grizabella. She departs October 9th. Mamie Parris will be the next to take on this iconic role.

http://www.playbill.com/article/broadwa ... grizabella
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Re: Cats The Musical

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