So much for velvet paws: The musical “Cats” is where things really get going in the world of cats. Even if melancholy and emotions always resonate with hits like “Memory”. “The cat is not a play object, it demands attention and respect,” it says at the end of the spectacle.
Dresden (dpa/sn) – The musical “Cats” took the hearts of the audience by storm on Wednesday at the beginning of the summer performances in the Semperoper Dresden. After two and a half hours the applause and cheering didn’t end. Viewers were able to experience the original London production of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic, with lyrics by T.S. Eliot. Right from the start, the cats mingled with the audience and populated the hall from time to time.
A good 40 years after the play’s premiere, the production from London’s West End proved to be a fresh and animal delight. “Cats” is based on the poetry collection “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by cat fan and Nobel Prize winner T. S. Eliot (1888-1965). Director Trevor Nunn had created a total work of art from this template and the music by Lloyd Webber. It still fascinates people to this day. According to statistics, “Cats” have so far seen more than 73 million people in over 30 countries.
In Dresden, the public has the opportunity to do so until August 7th. The play is performed in the opera house every day except Mondays, and there are two performances on each of the two weekend days. After Dresden, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt will follow as a tour stop at the end of the year. In winter 2023 it will be Basel, Baden-Baden and Stuttgart’s turn. In Dresden, 85 percent of the tickets are already gone. After the premiere success on Wednesday, the influx should not stop. On Wednesday there were ovations and rhythmic applause – even after the cats had long since disappeared into Dresden at night.
