Search - Walter Charles, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Trevor Nunn :: Selections From Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast)

Shortened to purr-fection - but with a quibble or two

Yi-Peng | Singapore | 09/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Because of the careful abridgement of the complete 2-CD set of the CATS Broadway Soundtrack, a cheaper version of the show has been presented here on this disc. In one foul swoop, the entire essence of the musical is captured in an hour-long condensed version, making this the purr-fect introduction to generally the evergreen long-running musical and specifically the best English-language CATS soundtrack in the world. All the major songs and scenes are included, and every cast member is given a chance to shine here. Betty Buckley's portrayal of Grizabella gives me the impression that she is better than Elaine Paige, and the former's gorgeously-sung rendition of "Memory", presented here, is convincing and powerful enough to make you feel that the Tony award she won in 1983 was well-deserved. Up to her standard is Ken Page's sonorous Old Deuteronomy. He is a perfect fit on the role, and his sonorous, bell-like voice gives the character the deserved reality. He gives a breathtaking rendition of "The Ad-Dressing of Cats." The rest of the cast, Timothy Scott, Terrence Mann, Harry Groener, Anna McNeely and Stephen Hanan, among others, who all do justice to their portrayals of the respective cats, all are given a deserved place on this disc, even those who don't feature very often in the musical itself such as Stephen Hanan's Gus: The Theatre Cat, whose portrayal of the part is MUCH better than Sir John Mills. However, this release fails to provide a good packaging, with the absence of a libretto. Yet I still recommend that you should buy this version of the show, then go on to the complete 2-CD set. This single CD is enough to introduce the beginner to the musical, and the Broadway cast is able to capture the quintisential Britishness of the work. I know that the Broadway production has closed, but don't forget to relive the "Memory" again and again!As an aside, I have knocked off one star from my rating because of the poor packaging. Also, I would like to say that there are some small cuts in "Skimbleshanks" and "Macavity," but because these cuts came into effect on the Vienna cast CD, I don't think I ought to let this affect my overall rating."

Great!

maeve_kelsey | California | 05/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since I didn't have enough money to get the full version at the time, I opted for Selections From Cats hoping I would still get a good deal. It turned out I did! The few songs actually omitted from this version were far from classics. In this version you get all the memorable songs. There is the super famous Memory, performed very beautifully by Betty Buckley. You get Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats, which is another famous song from the musical. Plus the sexier Macavity, the energy packed Rum Tum Tugger, the upbeat Skimbleshankes, e.t.c. All the famous cats are here, and as I already stated, the only songs not included are the stuff like overtures and of course the boring Growltiger's Last Stand. This musical made Andrew Lloyd Webber super famous, and if you claim to be a musical fan and do not have this or the full version in your collection: What are you thinking?"

CATS

maeve_kelsey | 12/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm Jakob Balen,someone obsessed with CATS.Here are the songs.



Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats.10/10.

Solo Dance.8/10.

Old Gumbie Cat.5/10.

The Rum Tum Tugger.5/10.

Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer.8/10.

Old Deuteronomy.10/10.

The Jellicle Ball.8/10.

Grizabella the Glamour Cat.9/10.

Gus the Theater Cat.6/10.

Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat.10/10.

Macavity The Mystery Cat.10/10.

Mr.Mistoffelees.10/10.

The Journey To The Heaviside Layer.10/10.

The Ad-Dressing of Cats.7/10."