What is a Jellicle Cat?
The answer to that curious question was found in the 25th anniversary tour of “Cats” playing this weekend at the Peace Center.
In what began with eerily green eyes pouncing about the aisles in the prelude to a powerful rendition of “Memory” in the second act, “Cats” kept the audience interested, but underwhelmed.
“Cats,” based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T.S. Eliot and powered by the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, follows a troupe of cats and the quest of one older cat in particular, Grizabella, played by Anissa Hartline, who has lost the sparkle of her youth and now merely wants to be accepted by the others.
Friday’s production, while staying true to its intent to be an enjoyable musical, kept the cat in the bag as far as truly being an immersive experience.
A number of audio glitches, including inaudible performers because of microphones not being turned on at times, distracted from the overall impact of the musical and detracted from the otherwise excellent performance of the actors.
What was most understated to some audience members was the lack of enveloping audio. While Peace Center performances typically immerse the spectators in aural bliss, the melody that should have carried not only the story but the emotional response just wasn’t there.
The most notable performance of the evening was from Christopher Sidoli, who played Asparagus — a once famous actor who is now washed up and “palsy makes his paws shake.”
The character, costumed in what could have been easily mistaken for a kitty pinata, remembers how he once played the infamous Growltiger. He impactfully relates the story of a pirate’s romance with Griddlebone, played by Anissa Hartline, while the pair captured the audience with their vocals.
The audience finally got involved in the production with the introduction of Mr. Mistoffelees, a young tomcat reminiscent of the Cat in the Hat, who possesses magical abilities including the ability to create flash explosions.
A second, much more powerful rendition of “Memory” in the second act by Grizabella and Sillabub, performed by Samantha Shafer, continued to uplift the audience’s spirits and carried the performance to its finale.
“Cats” continues at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday. For tickets, contact the Peace Center box office at 467-3000 or at peacecenter.org.