Cats by Maynooth University Musical Society

Cats by Maynooth University Musical Society: 

Thursday 11th April 2024. 

Ok, so I’ve been listening, in recent days, to a lot of opinions about the merits of Cats, The Musical, most of them negative. “It’s a silly collection of cat stories!” “It makes no sense!” “What was Andrew Lloyd on when he put that together?” “There’s no story. No point to it!” Well maybe it’s because I’m a lot older and wiser than most of you, and have an immensely superior intellect, but I’m here to tell you that you are all wrong. So I’m going to use this crit to enlighten you. 

Cats is an exploration of the human condition, when you look below the superficial surface of the piece. God and Heaven are in there, in the shape of Old Deuteronomy and the Heavy Side Layer, and Satan is in there, in the form of Macavity, the cat that everyone fears, and who tried to remove God from his throne. But the day was saved by the magical Mr Mistoffelees, (could he be Jesus?). Believe in him, and miracles can happen. Everyone shies away from Mary (Grizabella) Magdalene, a bit of a rugged old fleabag who’s been round the block a few times and sings a lot about her Memories! But God sees the good in her, and we kinda know that she’s gonna make it to Heaven, don’t we? The big message here is not to judge a book, or a cat, by its cover. The story has crime-lords in there, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteaser, always up to mischief! Then you have the working man, represented by Skimbleshanks on the railway and Gus, a working actor. And there’s pop idol, Rum Tum Tugger, who the ladies all swoon over. And the unappreciated working mothers, Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, spokes cats for feminism, and that fat-cat, Bustopher Jones, self-indulgent and living of the fat of the land, repugnantly representing capitalism. 

Open your eyes, people! All of life is represented in this wonderful piece of theatre, presenting a story of good versus evil, rich versus poor, neighbour versus neighbour, all telling their stories in the hope of making it to Heaven. It is the story of Life itself…. Told by Cats! 

Does that help? Do you understand it better now? No… of course you don’t. It’s a whole bunch of poems about cats, that’s all. They’re very good poems, and they’ve been enhanced by some pretty decent music from ALW, but that’s it. A collection of Cat poems. 

But it was superbly brought to life by Maynooth University Musical Society, in a display of imagination, creativity, outstandingly brilliant choreography and dancing, amazing visuals, and astoundingly good individual performances. 

The geniuses behind this totally captivating fusion of drama, dance and song, were Director/Choreographer Gavin Murphy, Musical Director Ben Cully and Assistant Choreographer Amy Mulreid, each of whom took their respective disciplines and wrapped them together in a perfect blend of musical theatre magic. Ben ensured that everyone was thorough and disciplined in their music, including unbelievable harmonies for the chorus, and instrument playing performers showing their talents as part of the action. (A cat on a cello? Why not? They should get him on BGT. Simon Cowell would love him.) Gavin and Amy between them produced some of the most dynamic choreography I’ve seen this, or any other, season.

From the ever-changing patterns and styles of the Jellicle Ball to the specialized pieces of ballet, acrobatics, and sheer energy displayed by individuals, this was a terpsichorean showcase of massive proportions. Then there were the characterizations that were brought forth by the director, ensuring individuality, personality and precision in appearance. The use of the stage space was fabulous and ever changing, including the mingling in the audience areas. Every detail of the production was thorough and all absorbing. 

But most impressive was the director’s decision to not copy-cat (see what I did there?) the London/Broadway originals of the show by dressing his cast in painted, lycra body suits. Instead, he dressed them as real people, with cat make-up and gestures, making a point that cats do indeed have personalities that resemble humans, if we consider life from their perspective. I loved that Munkustrap sat centre stage applying his make-up as the audience entered. I loved that Alonzo flirted with me, asking to sit with me, or to meet me after the show, the tease! I loved that other cats were pouring Prosecco for members of the audience, and that some were playing games with mesmerized children. It was all gimmicks, but also essentially part of the overall emersion of the characters and their art. 

The open plan, circular stage, the cabaret style lay out of tables and chairs, the trapdoors, the mirrors, every unconventional detail was so well-worked and cleverly employed throughout the show, and it all worked because it was matched with an amazing lighting plot that allowed for dozens of special spots, shafts of moving lights, blasts of atmospheric colour, magical effects and hauntingly beautiful pictures being painted around the action. I don’t know how many radio-mics were used in the production, but everyone seemed to be amplified, and with the exception of maybe two or three lines all night, the sound was incredible. Balance with the orchestra was pretty perfect, as were sound effects. Did the set look stunning? Well, no, but it was functional and the whole concept worked brilliantly, and that’s what matters. 

With such a large cast, who were all excellent, I’ll try to limit my observations to a single line, or I’ll be writing all night. 

Joe Jennings as Munkustrap, intense, dynamic, perfect poise and attitude and a fabulous voice. 

Anna Bergin as Grizabella. Vocally outstanding. Beautifully acted, powerhouse performance.

Ellie-Anne Smith as Jellylorum, mature, resilient, good character, strong vocals.

Grace Nolan as Demeter and Molly Hackett as Bombalaurina, a dynamic, super-sensual dancing team, who sold the Macavity number brilliantly. Dynamic dancing and wonderful vocals. 

Taylor Dench as Rum-Tum Tugger. Cocky, comedic, charismatic. Sold his numbers with great confidence. 

Dan Lavelle as Skimbleshanks, athletic, balletic, effervescent in delivery of his song. Nadine Monks Gill as Jennyanydots, cute and cuddly, deliciously lazy, but full of fun. 

Molly Wilson as Mungojerrie and Eimear Molloy as Rumpleteaser. Oh my God! Words fail me. Their duet was nothing short of mesmerizing, belting out the lyrics while turning walkovers, double cartwheels, and all manner of acrobatic excellence. Feline flexibility and cat-like caricature at its absolute finest. Absolutely superb. 

Sam Lee as Old Deuteronomy, physically slight, but robust in character, authoritative and vocally strong.

Colleen Doyle as Jemima, sleek and sensuous, with syrupy sweet vocal quality.

Enda Keating as Gus, frail and fumbling in character, sensitive and serene in selling his vocals, and what an accomplished pianist. 

Lar Bathe as Bustopher Jones, quirky, pompous, and delightfully self-indulgent. Great delivery. 

Niamh Ready as Victoria, graceful, innocent, beautifully portrayed. 

Joe Keane as Mr Mistoffelees, balletic, elegant, magical and very polished.

Harry Kingsland as Alonzo, cheeky, lithe and energetic. A good dancer.

Shane Dornan as Macavity, quite menacing and enjoyed being the anti-hero. 

There were so many others, Cian Murray as Coricopat, Ryan Curtis as Rumpus Cat, Alison Kiernan Whelan as Tantomile, Éabha Brennan as Electra, Saibh Kelly as Cassandra, Katie Mai Mooney as Etcetera, Rubimae Hoskins as Carbuckety, Sorcha Malone as Bill Bailey, Claire O’Toole as Admetus, Louise Gilmore as Georgina and Emily Little as Plato, all of whom inhabited their feline characters with elegance and aplomb, and who, along with the remainder of the cats chorus, provided the backbone that kept the whole show together with amazing dancing and powerful vocals. 

What else can I say? Well, I could say it doesn’t have the history or intensity of Michael Collins or Evita. Nor does it have the comedy of Urinetown, The Addams Family or Cry Baby. It doesn’t have the Hard Rock of Rock of Ages, or the magic of Carole King’s Beautiful, nor the heartbreak and passion of Fiddler on the Roof or Big Fish, and even presented at its best, will it ever, as a show, stand the test of time as well as Oklahoma, The Sound of Music or The Pirates of Penzance? 

So many questions…. 

Sincere thanks to all involved for a most exhilarating and unusual night of theatre.

Peter Kennedy

Gilbert Adjudicator 2023/24

Photos by Paul Whelan (Griz by Simon Martin)