Meow for more: Cats charm the audience in Singapore with their spells, proven with repeated applauses, whistles and laughter. Courtesy of Diakonos

They sing, dance and steal the hearts of many - all purr-fectly. The Jellicle Cats score, leaving the audience meowing for more.

Whoever let these cats out at Singapore's Esplanade Theater, they made the right decision. Musical enthusiasts in Singapore (and neighboring countries) have been missing this Andrew Llyod Weber masterpiece since its debut here in 1993.

And because Cats was the first ever international musical to pounce onto the Lion City, it's about time to celebrate theater fever after more than 15 years.

"I think I was 12 when they first came here, and my parents couldn't afford to get me a ticket, so I couldn't watch the show," Singaporean Daniel Lim said.

"But now that I generate my own money, I could buy myself a ticket and could even pay one for my girlfriend," the marketing executive at a shipping company chuckled.

Lim is among some 35,000 people who have already bought tickets to the show, set from April 10 to May 3. This number, however, is likely to climb, and hit 50,000, according to the show's producer, Tim McFarlene, from The Really Useful Company. Back in 1993, he says, more than 45,000 tickets were sold.

This optimism seems to be on the right the track, as there has always been huge enthusiasm about every Cats performance. On that night's show, for example, nearly all the 2,000 seats were taken. Thousands of pairs of eyes were drawn to the show's iconic "junkyard" - a giant field for cats, stunning wardrobe and makeup, vibrant dancing, unforgettable songs and thrilling lighting effects.

Forget the idea of an onstage-only performance, Cats truly involves its audience in the drama scene. It was wonderful to see the cats of the Jellicle tribe step down from stage, and run from one corner of the audience to another and sometimes asked people to join the dancing.

No wonder the audience seemed to entranced by their spells, proven with repeated applauses, whistles and hard laughter.

Stars of the night? None other than the glamour cat Grizabella, rock star heartthrob Rum Tum Tugger, and Gus, the funny theater cat.

Grizabella, played by one of Australia's finest performers Delia Hannah, took the audience high whenever she sang the poignant song "Memory", which has been recorded by more than 150 artists, including diva Barbara Streisand.

There was nothing that com-pared with Hannah's outstanding voice that night, putting the theater into a deep silence whenever she sung.

Rum Tum Tugger, in the other part, was truly the attention stealer with whatever he did. Whenever he appeared, the attractive prankster wowed the audience with his sexy voice and smooth body moves.

As for Gus, short of Asparagus, he got the whole audience drawn into his imaginative stories and funny body language.

Any more highlights? Well, to be honest, each cat has its own characteristics, so without them all, this Jellicle fantasy would be hard to imagine.

The magical Mr. Mistoffelees, the serious big brother Munkustrap, the criminal Macavity, and, of course, the lovable patriarch of the Jellicle clan, Old Deuteronomy - all put different musical sensations onstage.

Within around two-and-a-half-hours, Cats has taken the audience to another world.

"I like the idea of humans playing the characters of cats," 10-year-old Anuki says. "It's quite different *from other musicals*," added the young Sri Lankan tourist who was introduced to Cats by her aunt Beneta.

"The show was perfect. Cats is very popular, even in Sri Lanka," Beneta said. "But we just don't have good theater buildings and facilities. That's why we couldn't have such a show like Cats in our country."

The much-beloved Cats is adapted from The Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, a 1939 collection of children's poems by Nobel Prize-winning poet and playwright T.S. Eliot. It actually lacks plots, but when Webber picked it up in 1977, he turned it out into a stunning musical, which first burst out into London's West End in May 1981. A year later, the musical made its premiere on Broadway.

This 29-time winner of numerous awards, including the Tony Awards and Laurence Olivier Awards, narrates the story of the Jellicle Cats clan that gathers once a year to choose a member to be reincarnated.

The musical showcases characters from all walks of life - metaphors of characters from different parts of society. Their stories are told through the poetry of Eliot and relationships are interpreted through the choreography.

After a 21-year run, Cats held the record as London's longest-running musical, until Les Mis*rables claimed the title in October 2006. It was also the longest-running musical on Broadway until The Phantom of the Opera beat its 18-year record, also in 2006.

Despite saying its goodbyes to the West End (in 2002) and Broadway (in 2001), Cats has continued to tour the world, entertaining millions of people in 26 countries and some 300 cities. It has also been translated into 10 different languages.

Just like its tagline "Now and Forever", it seems like Cats will always be here (and there) to stay. But hopefully, we won't have to wait for another 15 years for the next purr-fect performance.

Popular

Is Indonesia really ready to embrace dual citizenship?

Palm oil plantation-less mills lead to increase deforestation

Prabowo inaugurates construction of Majapahit palace replica