42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finest of all official CATS recordings in English, June 9, 2002
This review is from: Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)
This recording of CATS is what I consider the finest of all the official English recordings of the score of this classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. Compared to its London cast predecessor, I find this recording more spirited in nature, and better able to keep in tune with its quintisential Britishness. Notwithstanding revisions and rewrites, this cast does an excellent job at this, even with American accents that do not seriously jar the ear. And the recording quality, despite having a sense of theatrical atmosphere, tends to be a little too thick-textured, and sometimes clouded.
This fine performance boosts the stalwart Betty Buckley as Grizabella. Buckley is able to adopt the right kind of gorgeous voice in her portrayal of the fallen glamour cat, and she really is able to use this to great effect with her rendition of Memory. Elaine Paige may be regarded as the foremost interpreter of the role, but here Buckley is able to prove that she can hold her own against her arch-rival from the original London cast. Ken Page's portrayal of Old Deuteronomy is on the same high plain as Buckley's Grizabella, as he uses his sonorous voice to great effect in his solos. In particular, he gives a firm and commanding performance of The Ad-Dressing of Cats, and is warm, open and expansive. The rest of the cast is no less strong, especially the lower-level principals Timothy Scott, Harry Groener and Terrence Mann. Timothy Scott does a splendid job not only in his standout number but also when he sings Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, and Terrence Mann sings his Rum Tum Tugger passages (Mistoffelees and his standout number) with gusto and panache, and a tenderness during Old Deut's Theme. Anyway, they both characterise their cat characters with as much slickness as you could hope for. But special mention should also go to Harry Groener's Munkustrap, who can hold his own with Michael Gruber due to his immediacy, warmth and engaging nature.
The rest of the cast proves that it is as strong as the major cast. All the cats prove that they can shine not only individually but also as a group, except for a small number that I will not mention here. Anna McNeely's Jennyanydots, Bonnie Simmons' Jellylorum and Donna King's Bombalurina all show each cat shining vocally in this fine musical, and the choral contributions from all the cats are done with fervour and energy. But perhaps the standout cat is Stephen Hanan as Bustopher Jones and Gus: the Theatre Cat. His Bustopher Jones has an astute and truly aristocratic air about it, and his Gus and Growltiger are both superbly done. Gus has a melancholic air about him when Hanan relishes the nostalgaic past of Gus when he sings his passages. And his Growltiger is particularly fearsome and ferocious, with a laugh that could rival Satan and a powerful operatic voice in the Italian opera parody. The supporting orchestral accompaniment is nicely done too, and Stanley Lebowsky adopts near-perfect tempi that could perhaps have a little bit more spring and be a little more sprightly in some points.
Like the London recording, this CATS recording omits The Pekes and the Pollicles due to the need to accomodate space on record.
On the whole, I find this CATS recording an enjoyable experience and I feel more than prepared to recommend it to anyone who is just venturing out into the score. The nicely-done booklet contains a cast list, credits and an adequately-produced libretto. For those who don't want to spend too much money on this 2-CD set, there is also an abridged version available. But, I would say that because the music is so infectuous, this 2-CD set is rather compulsive.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
CATS, February 27, 2000
This review is from: Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)
WOW!I mean WOW!This cd is awesome!Ken Page is Old Dueteronomy!Betty Buckley is GREAT!But I would say that ELaine Page is a better Grizabella.Betty is good don't get me wrong.Harry Groener is a great Munkustrap(the best you can get)!Jellylorum is GREAT!The best one you can find.Bustopher/Asparagus/Growltiger all those characters being played by Stephen Hanan is the GREATEST you can find.He gives a crisp interpretation.Demeter could have been better.Also this recording has a great Mr.Mistoffelees sounding Caberatish(excuse the spelling).I also like the sound COMPLETE in it.Over all this recording sounds THE BEST AND IS THE BEST!Well see you at the Jellicle Ball!
Also Recommended:Les Miserables(Concert version),Jesus Christ Superstar(Australia version),The Phantom of the Opera(London Cast),Sunset Boulevard(American version),and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat(Canidian version).
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacular & Delightful, those Jellicle Cats!!, August 31, 2006
This review is from: Cats (1982 Original Broadway Cast) (Audio CD)
I saw "CATS" at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in July 1987 when I was 13, and it made an impression on me that is with me to this day. The songs, costumes and makeup were breathtakingly fantastic, and being a cat lover, I had an instant affinity for the subject matter. This soundtrack is SUCH a pleasure to listen to, and I never tire of it. Each and every song is performed with enthusiasm, emotion, and a sense of fun. My personal favorites are "MungoJerrie & Rumpelteazer", "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat", "The Jellice Ball" and, of course, "Memory". I also own the London Cast Soundtrack, and I despise it. The vocals are weak, unenthusiastic and almost indifferent. I definitely prefer Betty Buckley's interpretation of Grizabella to Elaine Paige's, and Ken Page gives a MUCH more heartfelt and robust performance as Deuteronomy than Brian Blessed does. To sum up, the Broadway version is the ONLY version of "CATS". It will always be a delight for the ears.
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