Macavity-Chanhassen

Hello all, Here's the inside view of those questions.

1.How did Griz go to the Heavyside Layer?

>>She does indeed go through a stage door. We are not doing the original staging of "Cats". We don't have the budget for a flying tire. So, instead, the brick walls of the alley part into a field of smoke and lights (London fog, and ethereal vapors?), and Grizabella's personal "heaven" (a stage with curtains, lights, and a personalized "Grizabella" placard) lifts her into the distance and vapors of the heaviside layer. (The building itself has no fly space -the area above the stage where curtain are supposed to go- so we can't fly a tire.)

2.Was the choreography the same?

>>nope, but SDPaul is right, we do pay tribute to various choreographers from the history of musical theatre. from Jerome Robbins' "West Side Story", to Bob Fosse's "Sweet Charity"

3.Was there speaking parts?

>>Not exactly, But some of Sir Andrew's music has a spoken quality,like "recitative" of opera.

4.Was there Growltiger's Last Stand?

>>No, for time constraints (we are a dinner theatre- that's 2 hrs for dinner and a 2 hr show- much too long to be sitting comfortably. And see #1 above - no place to put a whole ship.)

5.Was Mungo&Rumpel fun?

>>I think they are, and most performances they get some "hoots & whistles" from a joyful audience.

6.Did Munkustrap or Alonzo fight McCavity?)I know the correct spelling is Macavity)

>>Mukustrap (Keith Rice) and Macavity (Me) fight it out in front of the yowling cats. We also have taken our fight from the classics of musical theatre. see if you can find the parts that are like the knife fight of "West Side Story", and which part is similar to Agnes DeMille's choreography of the dream fight between Curly and Judd in "Oklahoma". In the end Macavity shorts out the electricity in the alley and make his escape.

Hope that helps. I'm sorry I haven't stopped by in a while, but I am happy to answer what I can about our unique look at the "Cats" phenomenon.