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VictoriaTWC

Is this Griz and Old D? Regional woes...

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635198934,00.html



Whoa...or Growltiger or Griddlebone?

Presented in Centerville, UT

http://www.rodgersmemorial.com/rmt/index.php

More articles:

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635195783,00.html


Purrs,
VTWC
Belle

OMFGLOLBBQ1111!!!!

THEY'RE NOT THE ORIGINAL COSTUME DESIGNS!!!!!

Everyone point and laugh!


/sarcasm
Bill_Calhoun

Belle, play nice Razz

I would guess that they are Griddlebone and Growltiger; the guy has an eyepatch on, and though people are known to change costumes and characters slightly, I think making Old Deuteronomy be blind in one eye would be a bit too much Very Happy
Pounce

That brief article was interesting.
Quote:
Rodgers Memorial Theatre has brought in professional choreographer Janet Gray to turn actors and singers into larger-than-life felines...
"The original Broadway (and London) productions were very ballet based," Gray said. "But that takes a lifetime of training."
So she's taken the double-cast ensemble — directed by Ron Jewett — and is developing each role around each performer's individual talents.
And, instead of focusing on ballet, Gray is using other dance genres, such as soft-shoe, disco, vaudeville and jazz. This will give the usual Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday cast a slightly different chemistry than the Monday-Wednesday-Friday cast.
For instance, playful Rum-Tum Tugger will be given an Elvis persona by Monte Garcia, but is patterned more after Bon Jovi when played by Jason Gordon, who has a slighter build than Garcia.
Trent Brown, who plays both Mr. Mistoffelees, the conjuring cat, and the villainous Macavity, is more gymnastic, while Michael Hernandez, in the alternate cast, is studying dance at Weber State University.

Wow, that sounds...interesting. But in additional to a profressional choreographer, they should have looked for a professional costume designer. I mean...

I assume RUG grants the rights but maybe they should be a bit more picky? Confused
Etcetera Kitten

Hummm, good question. Looking quickly at the pic, I'd say that the guy that plays Old Deut also plays Growtiger. That looks quite like it anyways. I find those costumes funny. It kinda reminds me of the first Cats "costume" (well, I wouldnt really call that an accurate, authentic looking outfit) my mom made me for Halloween when I was 12.

At least they try! As long as the singing and dancing are good, why not?
Pounce

Etcetera Kitten wrote:
At least they try! As long as the singing and dancing are good, why not?

That's sort of the point. It looks as if various acting troupes are taking on CATS when it really should be undertaken by dance companies. What gives CATS added difficulty is that it also requires the dancers to sing as well. These same dancers are also familiar with costumes and makeup. I really question the wisdom of acting companies thinking they can learn dance in just a few weeks or even months. Inevitably, acting troupes have to keep the choreography simple.
Drumdraper

I'm tempted to go to a regional wearing one of my own costumes and show them what people can do if they put their minds to it, but then that would be considered mean.
MsJellicle

Quote:
Trent Brown, who plays both Mr. Mistoffelees, the conjuring cat, and the villainous Macavity, is more gymnastic, while Michael Hernandez, in the alternate cast, is studying dance at Weber State University.


Talk about wanting to be in the limelight! He kidnaps Old Deuteronomy in one guise, and then conjurs him back again in another! LOL!

On a side note, I have to admit I like the costume that Griz/Grid is wearing (not neccessariy for CATS, but nonetheless).

~MsJ
pkitty663

WOAH...that must be a heck of a fast costume change...but what about the make up? o.o
pkitty663



The queen on the right with the red hair kind of reminds me of poison ivy lol...poison ivy cat...that's awesome..[/img]
darkmage

In the name of all that is holy, WTF were they thinking?!?!?!

pounce wrote:
I really question the wisdom of acting companies thinking they can learn dance in just a few weeks or even months. Inevitably, acting troupes have to keep the choreography simple.


I agree with you. Straight acting is fine, but companies that do that need to stick to stuff like Arthur Miller, Shakespeare, etc.

That having been said, Cats is a difficult show to cast because they need actors that can dance AND sing. Most people have an easier time doing one or the other. Most of the dancing in Cats is actually pretty basic, with a few exceptions, like Misto's Conjuring Turns and Vicki's solo. The timing is the hard part. The Jellicle Ball is what? 150 bpm? And they're doing a movement on every beat? That's tough, even for a skilled dancer, but it can be learned. The movements themselves are fairly simple.

Singing's another thing. I don't expect actors to sing like Pavarotti, but if they can carry a tune, that helps. A lot of people who are straight actors can neither dance nor sing, so I question the wisdom of some of the companies that are trying to do Cats. They might pull it off, but it won't be very good. Confused

And changing it for actors' skill levels? I'm sorry, but I'm from the camp that says if you can't do it right, don't do it at all. I find it fundamentally WRONG that they're changing parts just for the actors. If they can't hack it, they need to cast someone else who can. Confused
Tuggers_Babe

Is that the lion out of The Wizard of Oz? LOL

x Tuggs Babe x
OldDeuteronomy

OMG. Running Time: 1 hr 45, You call that "CATS" ???? Try 15 mins over the total running time of Starlight Express.
Etcetera Kitten

Lol wait, I just read Pounce's reply and I think I've been missing something there. Those guys ARE dancer/singers? right?

And yes I do agree that people that only act should not take on Cats, and then try to learn to dance in a few weeks. I can't dance and I assume it, well I try to haha...
Belle

You could probably get away with having non-dancing singers and non-singing dancers, and teaching the singers basic movements to be masked by the dancers (and teaching the dancers basic melody lines to sing!). But a company without at least 50% fully trained dancers doing Cats sounds like a disaster! We all know that it's not a plot-driven show, it needs the music and dancing and spectacle to work.
BroadwayMungojerrie

Okay...this is my take on it, wholly my opinion as a director/performer/fan of the show:

1. Cats CAN be done without many (but you still need SOME) strong male dancers. The beauty of this show is that you can cast most (but not all) of the male roles with females. The makeup, wig and costume are your best friends here because they completely transform and disguise either a male or female actor, rendering most almost completely unrecognizable to everyone, even themselves. You can, with a few simple tricks of makeup and costume, turn female performers convincingly into Male Jellicles. The one thing this show can NOT do without is SINGERS. This is a deceptively easy sounding score to the layman. It isn't. It's not Opera, but it's a tough "sing and move" score, I'll tell you that. Try singing "Mungo & Rumple" while doing even SOME of their choreo from the DVD. NOT an easy task, and you MUST have trained and experienced singers to do this show justice.

2. That being said, you MUST have a core of males (4-5?) that can dance, and MUST have the rest of the men be able to move decently. Not great, but decently. You can have a core of legit dancing jellicles, and if the cast as a whole are good singers, who get the show, understand how to be in cat character and react in cat character, it CAN be done. You can combine everything and use tricks of character, movement, choreography, staging, stage lighting and blocking to create a production that while certainly not up to "professional" or "legit" dancing standards, can thoroughly entertain 90% of all theatregoers who see it and come into the venue with an open mind about the show to begin with.

3. I am all for keeping the cast at or below 30. You could get away with no more than 25-30, AT THE MOST. I hate trying to please everybody by not controlling your cast size or quality. 15 chorus cats doing nothing else but licking themselves for 2.5 hours and occasionally singing is repulsive to me.

4. I would cut "Pekes & Pollicles", but keep "Growltiger". I am a purist, and a fan, and I want to see the show, uncut, OF COURSE. But, If I had to cut something *wink*...it would be "Pekes & Pollicles", IMHO.

5. This show has to be approached from the perspective of "Yes, we CAN." not "How can we?" That's the only way (along with careful and good casting) you can lick the problems and roadblocks detractors and people who say (with all due respect to them, please) "This show is BEYOND "community" or "regional" theatre...only "Professionals" may attempt "Cats".

Just my .02

Remember...."Jellicles CAN, and Jellicles DO".
(A quote Which would be on the back of all of my production t-shirts if I were directing "Cats", btw. LOL)
Cool
Pounce

But look what can happen if the cast is not highly trained in dance

http://youtube.com/watch?v=4zyvI0n3Y00&search=CATS%20musical

Most school and regional productions look like that. Confused

So the moral of the story is...please....CATS is a show for professionals only!...do not attempt to perform CATS at home!...you may attempt some dance steps at a theater but only under close supervision of a professional choreographer! Evil or Very Mad And make sure the stage is well-padded and you wear appropriate safety harnessess, goggles, and helmets! Wink And don't wear a tail! You'll just poke someone's eye out! Just pretend all the breeds are manx...right then, enjoy the show! Smile
Idiosylph

I honestly think the show could be done well by a performing arts school. We just have to look at the show Billy Johnstone directed for proof of that. Granted, it does take a well-funded performing arts school to do it, but high schoolers can do it. But one thing that a performing arts school has is good dancers. The regional I was involved in drew a number of the chorus kitties, and a good number of the main characters from the Govener's School for the Arts, as well as the equity/non-equity professional performers.

In fact the weakest part of our show was the costumes. But I think I've mentioned them enough that I don't need to go into it again.

But I will agree that you can't skimp on the talent either in dance or in voice.
Gwen

The only problem I think for a lot of people is this: how many people can actually AFFORD to have training? I think highschools could do it as long as it doesn't come off all hokey and wobbly...
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