December 7, 2002 Raleigh, NC

December 7, 2002 -- Raleigh, NC

I was to start this trip report with a quick dedication to my Mom, first and foremost. (If ya don't wanna read this, and ya probley don't, go ahead and skip to the next paragraph.) My mother is honestly the most awesome person on the face of this planet. Originally we bought two tickets for the Saturday night performance of CATS in Raleigh, but when a new friend of mine...Kaysha...and I agreed that it would be awesome to see it together (she having not seen it before, but as much of a musical nut as I am) my mom was kindhearted enough to give up her seat for a new ticket we bought further back in the balcony. Mom likes the balcony better anyway, but she was still awesome to do a think like that. You rock, Mom!

Okay, moving on. Kaysha and myself sat in the third row back in the orchestra section. A strange thing about the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium is that, unlike most theatres I've been to, the orchestra section is not the section directly in front of the stage. When buying the tickets I asked specifically for the orchestra section thinking that, but low and behold! There is another section in front of the orchestra level called the dress circle. I'd never heard of a dress circle before that! I felt thoroughly ripped off, but there wasn't much I could do about it. They were still fairly good seats.

As though the show wasn't enough to be excited about, all that day while driving up to Raleigh (four hours from where I live, which I got to drive...yeehah!) Kaysha and I would fake our British accents at every restaurant or gas station we stopped at, saying we were from Richmond, England whenever someone asked. (We're Pimpernel fans, okay? Go Douglas!) People seemed to believe us. A harmless joke, I know. We were just having fun. We kept it up until we were at the theatre.

Once there we couldn't be stopped. We arrived an hour early, exploring the elaborate lobby that I knew well from seeing Scarlet Pimpernel and Chorus Line there previously. It wasn't too incredibly fancy like old opera houses, but the chandelier designs, the huge cement columns, and the enormous double staircase inside really makes a spectacle. Thirty minutes prior we got into the auditorium and to our seats. Excited as we both were, the waiting only made it that more unbearable. Kaysha got out her book and started sketching the set...I wrote down some notes in my book...and finally the lights went down.

Kaysha had the aisle seat. We weren't sitting close enough to the stage to get any attention from the cats during the show, but coming down the aisle during the thundering Overture (and I do mean thundering!) was Jellylorum, Tumblebrutus, and Sillabub. I can't really be sure if it was them, because it was really dark, but I am certain Sillabub stopped right next to us, only she paid more attention to the opposite side of the aisle. (Why do they always do that to me?)

I'm going to stop right here to say something I really think I should. I don't know what they did, or why, or who did it, but the music alone for this one CATS performance was completely and utterly outstanding. It was loud, for sure, probably louder than any show I've heard before, but...cripes! It was so powerful! There were just a few things like an electric guitar solo during the Overture, drums during the Jellicle Ball, and several other parts where the music was absolutely fantastic. It made me think, too, because it's been my experience that the band for shows hardly get as much adoration from fans as the performers themselves do, but I've got to say that night the orchestra really shone. Way to go, guys!

Okay, what things did I notice? A lot, actually. No CATS show is ever the same. When I go to see my favorite show of all time I want to take in everything and not forget a single detail, but of course that's impossible (insert curse word here) so I'm going to try and do the best I can. I took notes during Intermission and after the show, so that's what I'm going on here...

Oh boy...who to praise first? Munkustrap! Of course! In every tour show I've seen before Munkustrap was played by Grant Turner, and quite well. This being the first show I would see with an entirely new cast (except for Tugger and Gus) I was eager to see if the new Munkustrap would hold up to my extremely high expectations. Well, he did. I was worried at first, because when a certain Joshua John Edwards started singing on the Prologue, I noticed that his voice seemed deeper than any other Munkustrap I've heard. Perhaps he was a baritone, or just a tenor with an incredibly wide range, but his singing voice was fantastic. There were a few parts, I winced to notice, where his voice seemed to crack - mostly on the higher parts where Grant Turner did wonderfully - but I blame that on the cold weather. He was a fantastic dancer, too. And tall! Jeez! When he stood up to Grizabella...to use a metaphor Kaysha would probably like: Gandalf and Frodo.

He and Mungojerrie had a hilarious exchange during one of the Macavity scares. Munkustrap crawled downstage center, on all fours, like he was scoping out the audience. Mungojerrie dove beneath him and stood up on his fours as well, then started shaking his backside or something. Munkustrap looked really irritated and jerked back. Audience laughed. Good moment.

During the Mating Dance I can remember making it a point to watch Victoria and Tumblebrutus in the center. I'd always tried to watch them before, but for the obvious reasons Bombalurina and Alonzo always managed to catch my attention. What is with those two, anyway?! Well, I watched them this time. Gorgeous. Even if it is a more sensual part of the show. While I'm talking about them I want to go ahead and say that Victoria and Tumblebrutus were both excellent dancers. I mean fantastic! Victoria seemed to slack a little on her solo dance, or at least changed a few things, but during every other part of the show I just noticed...the way she moved...incredibly strong and graceful. And Tumblebrutus! Man! He didn't stand out much throughout the entire show, but then during the curtain call he came out, did about three backflips and two more with no hands in a row...whoa! I wanna do that! Congrats to Collin Rand.

Alright, I don't know what the deal was, but during the Moments of Happiness, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were sitting together downstage right. Nothing unusual. But then Mungojerrie leaned his head down against Rumpleteazer's shoulder and started biting her shoulder fur...weird. She didn't seem bothered, but...it was strange to see. Also talking about RumpleT, she was a great little dancer (even though she didn't go through with the two-person cartwheel during their song), but her singing was...well...she needed to work on her breath support. Her voice was really shrill and cute for her character, but it was kind of obvious she was gasping for breath. She staggered her lines a lot with Mungojerrie. But she was understudy, which brings me to another point.

There was an unhealthy amount of understudies in the show that night. Rumpleteazer; Alonzo; Pouncival, who didn't stand out in any way whatsoever; Sillabub, which was spelled Sillibub on the sign in the foyer; Grizabella, who was being played by the usual Jennyanydots; and Jellylorum (spelled Grittlebone on the sign...grrr!) who was being played by an understudy who also doubled as Jennyanydots. Whoa...yeah. Elizabeth Inghram did a really great job as Jenny and Jelly in the same show. I don't think anyone else noticed (probley not) but Cassandra took her place in singing with Bombalurina and Demeter on the Gumbie Cat song. Since she was playing two characters, that's the only reason I can think of to explain why her microphone was louder than anyone else's in the first few songs. (Could be wrong, y'know...) But her voice was beautiful to listen to.

Okay, next praise person...uhh, Deuteronomy! Yeah. Man, he didn't seem all that impressive during the show, but on the very last song (Addressing) he really blew the roof off the house. It wasn't just his microphone, either. That Martin Hurt could sing! He got the most applause during the curtain call. I could tell. Heheh... Grizabella, really Jennyanydots (Staci Rudnitsky), on the other hand, was a little disappointing. What I did like about her voice was that she sounded very desolate on her lower notes, like a real Grizabella, but when it came time for the climax verse in Memory not only did Sillabub drown her out, but the music did, too. Oh well.

So who is Munkustrap's mate? Personally I don't think he should really have one, and if he does then Demeter, but at this particular show I saw for the first time Cassandra nuzzling him after the cat fight. It didn't appear as too...outlandishly...touching, but then neither did Alonzo and Demeter, who didn't nuzzle at all.

Skimbleshanks did his kicks! They weren't as good as John Sechrist's, but at least he did them! Adam Lendermon! Woohoo! Eat your heart out Warren... Okay, no more about that.

Did I skip Tugger? Whups...heh. Good old Stan Stanley. I've made fun of his name before (kinda like Jean Valjean) but that guy never ceases to amaze me. His singing sounded deeper than before, but he could still hit those higher notes at the end of his song. Audience loved `em. All he had to do was walk forward during the curtail call, even after it was over, and they erupted. Present company included.

Also some rare compliments to the technical aspects of the show. All of the light cues, most noticeably on Mistoffelees's song, were on perfect time. So was Macavity's sound and lights when jamming the wires together on top of the car. (That's the first time I've ever seen that thing work right on the tour!) Bravo for stage managers and techies!

I guess I don't have to say how great a dancer Ryan Jackson was as Mistoffelees. Phew! Man! McCree O'Kelley was an excellent original, very balletic, but Ryan Jackson had a different sort of quality to his dancing. He seemed more down-to-earth, not quite as expressive as McCree (of course I wasn't sitting as close, either), but it was still incredible. And Victoria...! Oh, I already mentioned her. Another great dancer was Bombalurina. Jeez, her kicks were so high! We're talking parallel to the rest of her! She and Demeter both had nice jazzy voices. They didn't sound quite right for musical theatre, but the quality of it with the way the music was played during the Macavity song was a brilliant combination.

Oh, speaking of Macavity...Karl Warden. I'm going to admit that I was ready to give Macavity up for lost after seeing so many performances of CATS where he was a vast disappointment (except for Keith Wilson on Broadway). But Karl Warden renewed my hope in the character. Awesome dancer, really! So powerful and energetic. There were some changes in the cat fight dance, a few beats added I think, but I was so riveted with watching him that I can't quite remember what it was. It was a pity, though, that his microphone was turned off or something, because I could see his laugh from where I was sitting but couldn't hear a thing over the music. Oh well. Still good! I also loved his Plato. During the curtain call, when some of the cats were running through the audience and others were playing around up on stage, it looked like the tom kittens were having a hand-standing contest or something. It was quite humorous, actually. Alonzo and Demeter had some kind of spat downstage center, but I didn't see it because I was watching Plato, who had his tail up in his hands playing it like a guitar and singing into it. Tugger-wannabe! Haha! Man, his expression was hilarious.

Oh, jeez, I just now remember this. Odd place to put it, but oh well. William Hartery was still there as Gus. Kaysha had never seen the Growltiger song played out, so she loved it, and I don't really know everything he changed but his Bustopher was the best it's ever been. When he fell back over the hat he made this noise...it sounded kind of like a lip buzz...that I'd never heard done before. Oh yeah, it was funny. And his growling-snort kind of thing as Growltiger, his laughs, his walk as Gus, and then when Jennyanydots/Jellylorum was singing his song - flirting the entire time - his gestured towards with his spoon that was a little, well, suggestive. But she seemed to like it.

It was the first show where I actually hollered out during the standing ovation. That was fun. Heheh... Kaysha and I stuck around in the auditorium, drawing or writing, until the finale music had ended and the auditorium was pretty much empty. My throat was already hurting, which I blame on either the smoke from the Heaviside trip or the cold weather outside when Kaysha, Mom, and I walked out to the stage door yelling all sorts of things once we got away from the crowd. "CATS Rules!" mostly. We went around to the back to find the stage door - which in the cold weather there weren't many people out there - and I managed to meet Mistoffelees, Victoria, Tugger, Grizabella, and the Dance Captain. It was kind of a funny situation. Tugger signed an autograph with the other family there and went ahead and asked us if we wanted any. He looked kind of hurried to get out of there, so I said no. He left. Grizabella (actually Jennyanydots) and the dance captain left right when we got there, although they were awfully nice to talk to. That's another thing...see, I haven't asked for any autographs in the last few CATS shows I've gone to. Actually talking to the performers themselves make autographs seem a bit...redundant. I know I've said that before, but I meant it. Victoria I gave a poster like the one I made for Grant Turner before, and she showed it to Mistoffelees. Of course I didn't know he was Mistoffelees until he started to walk away. I glanced at Kaysha, then almost ran after him shouting: "Misto!" Yeah, I felt stupid, but Kaysha had a drawing she wanted to give him. Putting it lightly, he loved it.

Alright I confess!!! This time I did steal the sign off the door! *hides*

So we walked back to the car and I drove us back to the hotel in a certain state of bliss. Didn't get to sleep until about three in the morning and we went home the next day. I had a dream that night, not about CATS specifically like I usually do, just that we went and saw it again the next day. I begged Mom to let us (heck, did it before in Charlotte...came to see the show Saturday, spent the night, said to heck with it and saw it again the next day) but we really had to get home, so I had to be content with the fantasy. But, man, just the one show was worth it. I'll never forget how awesome that music was...or Tumblebrutus's flips at the very end...or Plato doing the tail-guitar.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: CATS rules!