Highly Recommended
Music Theater Works’ production of CATS at Skokie’s North Shore Center for the Performing Arts is a nonstop “catcaphony” of frenzied feline fun.
With elements of musical theater, dance, opera and acrobatics there is definitely something for everyone.
Featuring oversized set pieces, designer Milo Bue gives us a cat’s eye view of their world. Presented in the smaller North Theatre of the Skokie venue it is the perfectly intimate size for this cabaret style production.
Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber conceived of this production based on his love for the work of T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats that celebrates the personalities and behaviors of cats.
Using much of Eliot’s poems nearly verbatim, Webber employs a variety of musical styles and movement disciplines to project the playful, often quirky and always entertaining nature of each of the cats.
From Puccini to Elvis – – with tap dancing cats, cats on pointe, chandelier swinging acrobatics and floor level tumbling, cats are in constant motion. They’re under the TV, on top of the table, climbing the lamp and popping up in the audience. With a cast of thirty performers, cats appear everywhere.
It is no accident that head cat wrangler Mandy Modic is both director and choreographer as this is a huge feat of synchronized movement.
The action is nonstop and requires a person with the ability to essentially stage an elegant circus performance while making it look like a cohesive theatrical presentation which Modic seems to do effortlessly.
Like a good ringmaster she has you looking everywhere and delighting you with every glance. In the massive chorus numbers, each performer is totally engaged in their own unique stage-business, ready to entertain whoever happens to be focusing on them.
The entire cast is remarkably talented in both voice and movement. I’m sure assistant choreographer Jordan Beyeler and dance captain Emily Ann Brooks (Carbuckety) contributed massively as there are a lot of steps to learn and a lot of dancers who need to learn them.
The challenge for some is the lack of a plot. When pressed for an explanation of its meaning Webber famously quipped, “It’s about cats.”
There is no actual storyline but rather a series of individual short vignettes showcasing the discernible personalities of each cat which further projects the well-known notion of these oddly independent creatures.
The musical highlight of the show is of course Webber’s magnum opus “Memory” sung tremendously by Ava Lane Stovall as Grizabella the aged former glamour cat, then later revisited in a poignant sweet reprise with the compassionate kitten Sillabub (Irene Lo). The other vocal standout is Old Deuteronomy played with soulful basso perfection by Sam Nachison.
Additional favorite musical numbers include the playful Mungogerri (Alex Villasenor) and Rumpleteazer (Madison Jaffe-Richter) notably responsible for several missing objects; Magical Mister Mistoffelees (Nick Johnson) the consummate showman – – part magician and part whirling dervish always available to entertain; and, hanging out at the stage door, Gus, the theater cat (John Cardone) who was once quite famous in his day.
Musical director Linda Madonia and her eight-piece orchestra aided by assistant Alina Lowenstein does a spectacular job with the Webber score and vocals.
The well-executed diverse wardrobe, hair, and makeup are a standout and no small task. The addition of the “cat cam” and on-stage TV (engineered by media designer Anthony Churchill) are a fairly recent addition offering an updated multimedia component with a vintage vibe.
This is a must-see for theater kids and dance students as well as anyone looking for an enjoyable, highly entertaining evening.
DETAILS: CATS presented by Music Theatre Works is at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, IL through March 29, 2026. Runtime is about 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission. For tickets and information visit musictheaterworks.com or call the box office at (847)673-6300.
Reviewer: Reno Lovison
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