Review: CATS at The Belmont Theatre

While “Cats” might not be everyone's favorite Broadway show, due to its limited plot and unusual format, there is no denying that the energy and talent of this cast, the creativity of the choreography, the always incredible staging/directing by Rene Staub, and live orchestra, gave  this production of “Cats” something for everyone. 

Based on the poetry of T.S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” loosely tells the story of an aging feline and her passing on into the heavens. With actors dressed in a variety of creative cat costumes, the majority of the show uses upbeat music and dance routines to introduce audiences to the myriad of cats. With a script such as “Cats”, audience members must rely on the pacing, music, dance, and the energy of the cast to tell the story and keep their attention. In this way, It is a challenging show to produce in any theater and a very brave choice for a community theater. 

Rene Staub has built a reputation at The Belmont Theatre for his creative and, at times, brilliant use of staging, props, and direction. “Cats” is no exception. The non-traditional narrative format leads to “Cats” being frequently criticized for having no real story. It is hard to put a finger on just how it was done, but the choreography (Sarah Logsdon), stage direction, props, and delivery, worked together creating, for the first time in my experience, an almost seamless (and dare I say clear) telling of this tale. 

The high-energy, wildly creative, and beautiful choreography by Sarah Logsdon not only set a wonderful pace, but cleverly utilized the unique individual talents of the dancers. While it was clear that many of the cast members are talented dancers, several stood out. Grace Richey (Victoria), Sydnee Bowers (Cassandra), and Claudia Yanss (Exotica) are all clearly experienced dancers who brought beautiful lines and amazing control to the stage. A crowd favorite was the duo of Donovan Molloy (Mungojerrie) and Cassondra Molloy (Rumpleteezer) with both dance and vocal talents to spare. Throughout many numbers, It was hard to take your eyes off these two technical dancers. Perhaps the dance number with the greatest audience cheers came from the remarkable tap routine and powerful vocals by Lea Coppola (Jennyanydots) and her back up team. In a show that relies so heavily on dance to tell the story, Logsdon’s choreography and the talents of her technical dancers, Emma Gaetjen, Sydnee Bowers, Claudia Yanss, Amelia Kwasjnuk, Mackenzie Buckley, and Josh Price, deserve much of the credit for such a successful production. 

The fun night of dance was matched by the incredible vocal talent of this cast. Lea Coppola's Gumbie cat was sassy and fun. Cassondra Molloy’s Vocal’s were only out-shined by her dancing. A powerful, deep, and heartfelt performance of Gus by Doug Eppler. Regular visitors to The Belmont Theatre may be familiar with the work and talents of Christopher Quigley, but even they will be amazed by his vocal range and powerful performance as Old Deuteronomy. A hidden gem, with far too few solos, was the remarkable dancer McKenna Spangler (Jemima) whose voice caused chills. Without question, the most challenging vocal performance of the evening falls on Julie Roda (Grizabella) who is tasked with singing the most iconic number of the evening, “Memory”, a song so well known that audience members were singing along (you know who you are). To date, Roda’s performance stands above any I have seen or heard before. Her tone and approach to the song outshines even the original Broadway performers. 

I often write, “If you come for nothing else, come for the…” For this production of “Cats” at The Belmont Theatre, come for it all. Talented young dancers, creative stage design, and many remarkable voices. This show is bound to sell out fast. To learn more about this and other shows at https://thebelmont.org/

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