CATS
KILWORTH HOUSE THEATRE, LEICESTERSHIRE UK - 2019
★ THE FIRST REIMAGINED NON-REPLICA UK PRODUCTION OF CATS SINCE THE 1981 ORIGINAL
★ TOP 50 SHOWS OF 2019: MUSICAL REVIVALS - THE STAGE ★★★★★
DIRECTED BY NICK WINSTON
LIGHTING DESIGN BY JASON TAYLOR
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEMS PHOTOGRAPHY
“Radical approach and outstanding delivery”.
“Nick Winston’s production dispels at a single magnificent stroke those habitual audience demurrals that, however showy and extraordinary it is, Cats doesn’t really have a story.”
“He plants it in a near-derelict London Underground station during the Second World War, with a toppled train and the faded figure of Britannia trampled underfoot. Cats emerge from myriad ducts and pipes. Exquisitely feline in their movement and make-up, they represent a colourful cross-section of British society – from milkman, engine driver and Boy Scout to glamour girl and schoolchild. This community makes a cohesive whole, suggesting but never labouring notions of survival and pulling together.”
“With no digital fur technology in sight, Nick Winston’s radical re-imagining of Cats continued the trend of making Lloyd Webber’s work feel fresh and exciting again. Locating the show in a near-derelict London Underground station during the Second World War, there were fantastic performances as well as breathtaking choreography. It was a production that made you forget how familiar Cats has become. Move over Taylor Swift.”
The Stage ★★★★★
★ Top 50 Shows Of 2019: Musical Revivals - The Stage ★★★★★
“There’s some incredible work that has gone into this set – a dilapidated train lies in the rubble of an abandoned London tube station circa 1940. Philip Witcomb has created an invigorating spectacle for our feline companions to exist within.”
Musical Theatre Review ★★★★
“If your idea of Cats is leotards, feline face paint and an oversized rubbish dump, as per the original London production nearly 40 years ago, then it’s time to revisit those preconceptions. This show has been completely rebuilt, with a spectacular original design by Philip Witcomb.”
“Witcomb’s set is a rundown Underground station during the war, complete with a full-sized, partially derailed tube train, and it becomes a thrilling playground for the characters to perform their breathless routines. There’s much less in the way of whiskers and fur – these are more hinted at than made literal – and the costumes reflect wartime themes. So we get Munkustrap dressed in airman’s uniform, Mr Mistoffelees doubling as a cheery milkman and Rum Tum Tugger as a grey-marketeer spiv.”
Stagereviews.co.uk ★★★★
“T S Eliot’s ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’, upon which the show is based, was published in 1939. Fitting then, that Philip Witcomb’s set design beautifully evokes wartime London. We are thrust into the murky world of a dilapidated underground station with a derailed tube carriage centre stage, around which the cats slink and slide. It’s a stunning backdrop to the expertly choreographed dance routines which are performed with energy and precision throughout. The personalities of the different cats are more distinct than in previous productions I’ve seen, helped by wonderful costume design (Philip Witcomb, again). In place of the more traditional leotards, we have a host of characters including a woolly tank-topped schoolboy, a milkman, an engine driver, a neckerchiefed scout and a wing commander. The effect is to create a real sense of a ‘cat community’ – these felines are pulling together in a time of national crisis.”
“A slick, sexy ‘Cats’ which fits beautifully in the stunning grounds of Kilworth House.”
Theatrewippet.co.uk