Last Saturday evening, I dropped in to catch the last thirty minutes of the first week of CATS rehearsal at Paramount’s Rehearsal Hall at The Elks. The following day off on Sunday would be a very well earned break from what my senses were telling me; these beautiful, young athletes were meeting the limits of concentration and endurance. No, not one of them looked the least bit tired, mind you. It was the look of willful determination to ingest into their collective of mind and muscle memorizing this dance, registering the steps as their bodies flung through space. The height of jumps, the velocity of footwork, their relationship to each other in their groups turning then flinging themselves to the floor onto their backs contracting and rolling and arching their spines, necks, faces focusing their eyes on some far off point on an imaginary horizon. Yes! Imagine a full moon illumination of clouds streaking across a starred night sky as a tribe of creatures congregate ritually dancing Harrison McEldowney’s weaving of intricate patterns, partnering and lifting. There is energized urgency; importance to it. Indeed, as the story goes, this occurs only once a year and you can believe it; not a sight you see every day! A charisma, strangely emotional, pulls me in watching a communal undulation musically phrasing something stirring, almost fatal, about to happen; voyeur-like witnessing something private, in secret, at a remote, isolated place not meant for human beings…”The Jellicle Ball!”
Love & thanks,
Jim
P.S. For your tickets to CATS, click here.
(While you’re at it, why don’t you check out the rest of Season Four of Paramount’s Broadway Subscription Series?)