Cats

Cats
National Tour
Buell Theater
Denver, CO 
April 23-28, 2019

The tagline of the musical Cats when it was on Broadway was “Now and Forever.” It certainly felt it played there forever, so much so that the show became a cliché. But when a revival surfaced in 2016, the show was reborn to a new Jellicle Life, captivating a new generation of audiences.

While the score and choreography are largely the same, the show has benefitted from some technical upgrades. The jacket worn by Mr. Mistoffeles was spectacular to watch as the light changed color. That certainly would not have been possible in 1981. The rapid onstage appearance of a train during “Shimbleshanks, the Railway Cat” was also impressive.

One change that was not quite as successful was the removal of “Growltiger’s Last Stand” and replacing it with “The Awefull Battle off the Pekes and the Pollicles.” The new addition was rather boring and seemed to slow the pace of the show.

While show has aged well, it was the incredible cast that made the show seem ageless. The choreography was nearly flawless performed. The musical direction brought gorgeous harmonies and meaning to the songs. “Memory” was especially thrilling, making this overdone piece seem brand new.

The current tour of Cats was the perfect example of how ma show in the right hands can stand the test of time. The plot is still thin, but the joyful singing and dancing brought the audience to their feet. It certainly felt like the Jellicle Ball will be with us “Now and Forever.”

Hello Dolly!

Hello Dolly!
National Tour
Buell Theater
Denver, CO 
March 27 - April 7, 2019

The national tour of Hello Dolly has been very successful due to the hit Broadway production and the show’s star Betty Buckley. So it was particularly disappointing when Denver Center announced that Buckley was only playing one of the two scheduled weeks in Denver. When the star’s name appears above the show title in the same font size, this is really unacceptable. Even worse was Denver Center’s decision to not publicly address the issue.

However, the show must go on.

Buckley’s understudy gave a solid performance, but it wasn’t extraordinary, leaving the audience to wonder if it would have been different had the star actually performed.

The rest of the cast was talented. Their voices were good and the acting on point. However, there was little heart in the performances. They were too slick to be meaningful making each one feel more like a caricature.

The sets and costumes were the stars of the show. The train pulling into Yonkers was an impressive work of stagecraft. Each scene was elaborately set with Harmonia Gardens living up the reputation of luxury. The costumes for the ensemble were colorful and sumptuous, but they didn’t ever outshine Dolly, they complimented her extravagant ensembles.

But the scene everyone would be talking about was the title song. The choreography was nothing short of spectacular. The combination of the talented dancers with the elaborate staircase was breathtaking to watch.

It’s always disappointing when a production over promises and under delivers as the company of Hello Dolly did with Betty Buckley. Without that expectation, this production would still have delighted audiences. But walking in with a sense of disappointment is not erased easily. And the performance was not enough to take the bitter taste away.