"Cats" on its eighth life, but still feline groovy

Perhaps more than any other Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, "Cats" belongs to the stage.

Steven Spielberg tried but gave up on turning it into a feature-length cartoon.

While director David Mallet did film it as a 1998 straight-to-video production, starring Elaine Paige from the original 1981 London production, it just didn't translate to celluloid.

Yet "Cats" continues to draw overflow crowds wherever it's staged. The current production at Issaquah's Village Theatre, which is billed as the first locally produced version in the Pacific Northwest, already has added a couple of extra shows (Nov. 29 and Dec. 6) to accommodate the holiday demand for tickets.

And in January, it moves to the Everett Performing Arts Center for a shorter run.

Directed by the Village's resourceful artistic director, Steve Tomkins, this version of "Cats" often seems less like a musical play and more like an elaborate Halloween costume contest.

The true stars are costume designer Melanie Burgess, who somehow makes hoop skirts and robes look like natural feline attire, and makeup artist Emily Stanifer, who does subtle wonders with ears and whiskers that appear to become more expressive as the show goes on.

Theater review


"Cats," by Andrew Lloyd Webber, through Dec. 31, at the Village Theatre, Francis J. Gaudette Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah; $24-$48 (425-392-2202 or www.villagetheatre.org).

What "Cats" doesn't have is a story or even much of a structure.

While it boasts an impressive literary pedigree (the lyrics and characters are taken from T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats") and it pretends to be about something (the ritual reincarnation of a cat chosen by a clan's oldest member), the show has all the shape of a series of vaudeville acts.

Not all the costumes or makeup jobs are equally impressive, and some actors wear them more effectively than others. Some look like they've painted their faces and zippered themselves into a cat suit. Others plug their personalities into their costumes, fluidly blending soul and appearance.

Marc delaCruz's gracefully impish Munkustrap is perhaps the most spectacular example, dominating the show's first half with his agile dancing — and his playful contributions to one of Webber's more memorable numbers, "Old Deuteronomy."

Jason Ohlberg's Mistoffelees and Eric Brotherson's Rum Tum Tugger magically make the costumes seem part of their skin, while Karen Kaiser embraces the decaying beauty of Grizabella, who introduces the show's one hit ballad, "Memory" (which is then reprised and reprised).

The tap-dance number is a knockout, the dance with somersaults draws spontaneous applause and the set alone (perhaps the most gorgeous junk-filled alley in existence) almost stops the show.

That's clearly enough for "Cats" fans, who gave the show a standing ovation on opening night.

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com