How "hard" is Cats?

Heavylove · How "hard" is Cats?

Firist of all this is more of curiousity than me want to act in cats Laughing

Well I know its hard to compare anything but how hard is Cats to be in compared to other musicals?

Does all the different musical styles make it easier or harder? Is the cat movement fun or pain in the (you know)?

Whats the hardest/easiest/funniest part to do and why?

Is it hard or easy to learn?

If you can be that kind of singer/dancer/gender whats part would be youre favourite?

Toxic

Cats is one of the hardest shows out there.

most of the parts are on stage all the time and don't get a lot of rest during the show. not to mention the long dance section which is the jellicle ball. you really need the interval after that one.

if you are well trained the dancing should not do you any harm.
it's also the best training for you as you get to do all styles of dancing.

singing&dancing at the same time is always tough.

what I heard from friends in the show, the hardest part is the siamese dance. at that point in the show you are already really exhausted and then you have to do so many pliés, that really does no good to your weak knees...it looks simple but is really tough. the other thing is of course Misto, he's on stage most of the show and his number is around 8 minutes of dancing and that's hard.

the ball towards the end gets hard too, but at that point of the show you still got all your energy with you and can push yourself to the limits and that's fun.

is it hard to learn? well, if you're a talented dancer and are not ashamed to play a cat you will do well. it's a really unique choreography so you should remember it fast.
once you know the choreo and the positions, everything's good.

same goes with singing, if you have a good voice you have no problems with the songs. everyone gets the part they are able to sing or dance.

so yeah, Cats is tougher than other musicals for sure, the only show I think that's equally strenuous is Starlight Express, but that's another story being on skates and all that.

which parts would I want to play? geesh....any part that gets to dance a lot. I'd defo want to be a swing.... Wink

Heavylove

It looked like a lot to remember anyway. As for me I dont have the physics to do dancing and singing so I prephere to use my brain instead to what good that might be Laughing

Id guess its the writers job to figure out who is on stage and for how long and stuff like that... Mix up chorus, main part and number where one or two actor is on (like mungojerry and rumpleteaser) so the other can rest a bit.

Is Cats as enjoyed by the actors/dancers as it is by the audience?

Toxic

well just look at the hundreds of actors who keep returning to cats to do it again and again... those who return really love their job. you gotta love doing cats otherwise it will show and you know at once who doesn't like being a cat on stage. I've seen a few of those and they were gone after the contract was finished.

Cats is appreciated by those who love to do all 3 aspects at once, acting, dancing and singing. if you wanna do all 3 things then cats is for you.

again, Cats is a tough job, but all my friends loved being part of it and they miss doing it a lot.

Vladdi78

As far as Hector (the guy who saw CATS on Broadway every Sunday!) told me, the Mr. Mistoffelees-actors changed quite often. Maybe because this role needs a well trained and skilled dancer and you just can't to it for years.

I would agree that CATS is one of the hardest musical shows ever (and one of the most fun one, for both, audience and actors!). But there are also "variations" between the different productions. In Germany "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" was usually played at a high tempo, so that the two poor actors were short of breath at the end. One could really see that it is really hard work to dance at a high tempo AND sing well. At Broadway it was played slightly slower, so it wasn't that hard.

I also think that the actors do enjoy the show, that was at least my impression. Some of them use to "fool around" in the background discreetly so the audience won't get distracted from what's happening in the foreground. But the audience itself is also one of the main elements that can make the show be fun. The show one or two days before Christmas back in 1999 was so crowded at Broadway, that they sold standing room tickets. The atmosphere was ... nah. The applause was ok, but not more. The first performance after New Year's Eve was only filled 50%, half the theater was empty. But the crowd was soooo enthusiastic - it gave me a thrill! The Mr. Mistoffelees actor told me afterwards that this sort of audience gives you an extra "kick" (and you could see that just by looking at him dancing), which made the crowd be even more enthusiastic. Audience and actors wind each other up - it's a feeling I haven't had in any other show! Very Happy

Heavylove

So its thrue that actors can feel and be encuroged by an interesting and participating audience... I have always wounderd how much actors can see and feel the audience.

Is it "possible" for the right audience to trigger more interaction between actors and auidence (an important part of cats) or is that kind of things always in rehersed stuff? (Like a dutch Rum Tum Tugger I saw on youtube, he did amazing runs into the audience leaving me gaspering! and then I could imagine the ladys? "hited" by his interest...)

Heavylove	How "hard" is Cats? Firist of all this is more of curiousity than me want to act in cats Well I know its hard to compare anything but how hard is Cats to be in compared to other musicals? Does all the different musical styles make it easier or harder? Is the cat movement fun or pain in the (you know)? Whats the hardest/easiest/funniest part to do and why? Is it hard or easy to learn? If you can be that kind of singer/dancer/gender whats part would be youre favourite?
Toxic	Cats is one of the hardest shows out there. most of the parts are on stage all the time and don't get a lot of rest during the show. not to mention the long dance section which is the jellicle ball. you really need the interval after that one. if you are well trained the dancing should not do you any harm. it's also the best training for you as you get to do all styles of dancing. singing&dancing at the same time is always tough. what I heard from friends in the show, the hardest part is the siamese dance. at that point in the show you are already really exhausted and then you have to do so many pliés, that really does no good to your weak knees...it looks simple but is really tough. the other thing is of course Misto, he's on stage most of the show and his number is around 8 minutes of dancing and that's hard. the ball towards the end gets hard too, but at that point of the show you still got all your energy with you and can push yourself to the limits and that's fun. is it hard to learn? well, if you're a talented dancer and are not ashamed to play a cat you will do well. it's a really unique choreography so you should remember it fast. once you know the choreo and the positions, everything's good. same goes with singing, if you have a good voice you have no problems with the songs. everyone gets the part they are able to sing or dance. so yeah, Cats is tougher than other musicals for sure, the only show I think that's equally strenuous is Starlight Express, but that's another story being on skates and all that. which parts would I want to play? geesh....any part that gets to dance a lot. I'd defo want to be a swing....
Heavylove	It looked like a lot to remember anyway. As for me I dont have the physics to do dancing and singing so I prephere to use my brain instead to what good that might be Id guess its the writers job to figure out who is on stage and for how long and stuff like that... Mix up chorus, main part and number where one or two actor is on (like mungojerry and rumpleteaser) so the other can rest a bit. Is Cats as enjoyed by the actors/dancers as it is by the audience?
Toxic	well just look at the hundreds of actors who keep returning to cats to do it again and again... those who return really love their job. you gotta love doing cats otherwise it will show and you know at once who doesn't like being a cat on stage. I've seen a few of those and they were gone after the contract was finished. Cats is appreciated by those who love to do all 3 aspects at once, acting, dancing and singing. if you wanna do all 3 things then cats is for you. again, Cats is a tough job, but all my friends loved being part of it and they miss doing it a lot.
Vladdi78	As far as Hector (the guy who saw CATS on Broadway every Sunday!) told me, the Mr. Mistoffelees-actors changed quite often. Maybe because this role needs a well trained and skilled dancer and you just can't to it for years. I would agree that CATS is one of the hardest musical shows ever (and one of the most fun one, for both, audience and actors!). But there are also "variations" between the different productions. In Germany "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" was usually played at a high tempo, so that the two poor actors were short of breath at the end. One could really see that it is really hard work to dance at a high tempo AND sing well. At Broadway it was played slightly slower, so it wasn't that hard. I also think that the actors do enjoy the show, that was at least my impression. Some of them use to "fool around" in the background discreetly so the audience won't get distracted from what's happening in the foreground. But the audience itself is also one of the main elements that can make the show be fun. The show one or two days before Christmas back in 1999 was so crowded at Broadway, that they sold standing room tickets. The atmosphere was ... nah. The applause was ok, but not more. The first performance after New Year's Eve was only filled 50%, half the theater was empty. But the crowd was soooo enthusiastic - it gave me a thrill! The Mr. Mistoffelees actor told me afterwards that this sort of audience gives you an extra "kick" (and you could see that just by looking at him dancing), which made the crowd be even more enthusiastic. Audience and actors wind each other up - it's a feeling I haven't had in any other show!
Heavylove	So its thrue that actors can feel and be encuroged by an interesting and participating audience... I have always wounderd how much actors can see and feel the audience. Is it "possible" for the right audience to trigger more interaction between actors and auidence (an important part of cats) or is that kind of things always in rehersed stuff? (Like a dutch Rum Tum Tugger I saw on youtube, he did amazing runs into the audience leaving me gaspering! and then I could imagine the ladys? "hited" by his interest...)

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How "hard" is Cats?