A revamped revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber鈥檚 hit musical Cats opened on Broadway July 31 at the Nederlander Theatre, 34 years after the original production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre for an 18-year run.
We take a look at a handful of reviews for the Broadway original that starred Tony winner Betty Buckley as Grizabella. So, how does Leona Lewis鈥攖he revival鈥檚 Griz鈥攁nd the updated choreography from Hamilton鈥檚 Andy Blankenbuehler compare?
Read a sampling of critics鈥� first reactions to Cats in 1982 below:
The New York Daily News:
鈥淭he razzle-dazzle of Cats, a British cat cantata set in a junkyard that swept into the Winter Garden last night glittering like a few hundred Christmas trees, may be enough to keep you in your seat for two-and-a-half hours, if not exactly on the edge of it. But in spite of some effective moments, it makes for a strained and eventually wearing evening.鈥�
The New York Times:
鈥淭here鈥檚 a reason why Cats, the British musical which opened at the Winter Garden last night, is likely to lurk around Broadway for a long time - and it may not be the one you expect鈥�. The reason why people will hunger to see Cats is far more simple and primal than that: it鈥檚 a musical that transports the audience into a complete fantasy world that could only exist in the theater and yet, these days, only rarely does. Whatever the other failings and excesses, even banalities, of Cats, it believes in purely theatrical magic, and on that faith it unquestionably delivers.鈥�
Variety:
鈥� isn鈥檛 a great musical but it鈥檚 a great show and an smash. The latest extravaganza from the prolific and gifted British composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, takes Broadway legit to a new plateau of technologically enhanced spectacle and is an audience stampeder. It's good for a multiple-year run at the Winter Garden鈥�. If the musical theatre must continue its infatuation with concept shows at the expense of narratives with human dimension, it better have more like 颁补迟蝉.鈥�
