Closing thoughts on Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Hey guys! For those of you just joining, my name is Miren. I’m a teenager born and raised in Manhattan who loves Broadway, and here on Encore By Miren, I share my unfiltered takes on the latest shows, interview people from the industry (coming super super soon!!) and give you a look at Broadway from the perspective of an NYC teen!

Up next is my review of Cats: The Jellicle Ball.

Now, if you know me at all, you know I owe my whole entire life and both of my "Broadway awakenings" to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Back in the good old days of 2018, I went to see School of Rock six whole times, got all the cast signatures at the stage door—and it was the exact show that inspired me to get into theater in the first place! And don’t even get me started on the revival of Sunset Boulevard—Tom Francis is absolutely mental, Nicole is incredible, Grace as Betty is amazing... that whole cast is the best.

So believe me when I say it breaks my heart to say this, but... I really did not like this show.

Background

Let’s be real: the original Cats doesn't have a plot. It’s just a bunch of random cats introducing themselves and getting ready for the "Jellicle Ball". But when I heard about Cats: The Jellicle Ball, I was actually super excited. The concept of turning Cats into a runway drag show made SO much more sense to me! Giving each performer a drag persona and a category to compete gives the show a purpose and a reason for everyone to be introducing themselves.

Because I’d embarrassingly never seen a production of Cats live before, I went in hoping for a modern rendition where Andrew Lloyd Webber and the team would fix the original’s mistakes—updating the dialogue, tweaking the lyrics, and actually giving us a real plot to follow.

The Production & The Cast

I will say this: the energy in the room was definitely there, and the talent was insane. The entire cast did a fantastic job, the costuming was so cool, and everyone’s vocals were incredible. But at the end of the day, high energy without a plot kind of goes nowhere.

I was just so disappointed that they didn't modernize it more. They basically kept the exact same structure as the original Cats, but just added screens in the background showing the drag themes. There’s only so much a cast can do with flawed material. ALW’s music is obviously great, so if they had just changed up the lyrics and modernized the storyline, this could have been something truly amazing. Instead, it just left me feeling super confused.

Overall…

All of the actors and actresses involved are wildly talented, but the show itself just falls flat because it refuses to fix the plot issues of the original. Since it’s closing very soon, I’m just going to be totally honest with you guys: I don't even think it's worth seeing. I'm going to be real....I did leave at the intermission and i'm not ashamed of it beacuse it wasn't worth my time. Save your money for The Lost Boys or Hamilton instead!

What’s your favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber show? Let me know in the comments below!

Rating: 4/10