Review+of+review

Review of a Review on “Cats” I read //The// //New York Times’// review of the Broadway musical “Cats” by Andrew Lloyd Weber. The review is titled “Review: Does ‘Cats’ Have Nine Lives on Broadway? Two, Certainly,” written by Charles Isherwood. I loved this review from the moment I read the title, captivating me from the start; I thought that the title was a clever way to incorporate the fact that the show is a revival. Isherwood begins the article by talking about how catchy the music is, providing an excerpt of lyrics from one of the songs, encouraging the reader to listen to the music and experience its greatness. Next, he recaps certain elements of the show such as the set design and names of the production team (designer, director, choreographer, etc.), briefly outlining each of their contributions. Then, Isherwood goes on to give positive accolades to Webber and his score, calling him a “musical magpie,” a description that I appreciated. Lastly, he comments on the cast, praising several principle members for their performances until reaching Leona Lewis. Ms. Lewis plays the “celebrated” role of Grizabella, or more well known as the famed cat who sings “Memory.” He explains how her voice brought a wonderfully unique element to the song but that he “couldn’t help thinking that she was really going to hijack the tire and fly to Las Vegas to open for Britney Spears,” in his words, indicating that she didn’t capture the emotion of the song in her performance. This was his only negative opinion in the review, and was a mildly adverse assessment at that. Overall, I very much enjoyed all the positive things that Isherwood had to say about “Cats,” and I am now motivated to see this tremendous show on my next trip to New York City. On the topic of Leona Lewis, after watching several videos of her as Grizabella, I wholeheartedly agree with him in saying that her performance did not encompass the depth of the role adequately, rather she had a name that the producers knew would sell tickets; everyone would surely pay the big bucks to see this British phenomenon star on Broadway. I loved Isherwood’s ability to be brainy //and// intelligent in his commentary on “Cats.” After reading this primarily favorable review, I was inspired to look up videos of the performance and hope to eventually see the show live on Broadway.