Cats (Tour – Birmingham)

Making a seemingly welcome back to Birmingham, the feline friendly Cats prowls onto the stage of the Hippodrome.

Still playing to packed out houses, this Andrew Lloyd Webber, T S Eliot and Trevor Nunn collaboration is a testament the British musical that essentially is about not much at all. The storyline is, at times, weak with plot but the music and choreography (by Gillian Lynne) are enough to let it get by; it’s surprising to think that this show has lasted for so long.

Sophia Ragavelas musters through Cats’ most iconic song, Memory with some emotion and a heartfelt plea but something in the direction and staging falls flat. The climax of the show turns out to be a somewhat anti-climax through no fault of her own.

The beautiful orchestra headed up by Anthony Gabriele echo around the auditorium with some of the most recognisable melodies in musical theatre; the absolute highlight of the show.

This production seems to have lost its spark and the cast seem a little tired. A tired production of not so brilliant musical is never a recipe for a great show; if you’ve got a spare evening then it’s worth it for the wonderful orchestra but not much else.