Purr-fect dancing

After becoming pretty tired in its old incarnation, and then having its reputation trashed by a misguided movie, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats has made quite the comeback at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, mainly thanks to the choreography of director Drew McOnie (‘lifts the source material to a new level’ Times). All the critics, to  a greater or lesser extent, praised the new production, not only for the continuous dancing but also the costumes, set and performances. The main criticism remains that the basic story is ‘absolute nonsense’ (Independent).

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

5 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

Marianka Swain for LondonTheatre told us: ‘Regent’s Park boss Drew McOnie now directs and choreographs a bold, contemporary, exhilarating revival that banishes all thoughts of the nightmarish 2019 movie. It is, in short, a purr-fect rebirth.’ She noted that Gillian Lynne’s original choreography was ‘virtuosic’: ‘McOnie honours her legacy while finding his own fresh language: earthier, infused with commercial, contemporary, street dance and acrobatics, as well as feline touches, from undulating, slinking bodies to the dancers curling up in a big sleepy pile. Tellingly, his company wear knee pads rather than leg warmers, and there’s no fur here: the costumes are more like sleek running gear’.

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

James Hall for the Telegraph wrote: ‘this version of Cats wisely focused on the dancing and the darkness. And so it should have. Because the big issue with Cats, and it’s sadly an intractable one, is its plot. Or, should I say, lack of it (…) So Cats relies on characterisation and choreography. Lots of it.’ And that’s what he got: ‘Standout performances came from Jaydon Vijn as a rock ‘n’ roll Rum Tum Tugger ­– all leather, tassels, tousles and attitude – and Elliot Broadfoot as the corpulent bon vivant Bustopher Jones’.

City AM‘s Adam Bloodworth commented: ‘It’s looser and more naturalistic than the pirouetting gang in the film, and thank goodness for that. The ensemble were presumably told “act like Cats!” rather than “do some ballet as a Cat!” and that was a great instruction indeed. After all, they are delicate, ingenious animals, and as you would with your own pet, you end up glued to watching these intuitive creatures prowl across Sami Fendall’s pleasingly minimalistic moon-shaped set.’

Louise Penn for Broadway World remarked  on the appearance: ‘The set and lighting are excellent for the setting, although I still miss the rubbish dump and strings of coloured lights of old. Here the stage is dominated by a large metal structure that suggests the moon, and an industrial-style floor. The lighting is always a highlight in any Open Air Theatre production, and tonight was no exception, with warm glows, intriguing shadows, and flashes of pyrotechnics.’ She concluded: ‘The final verdict has to be that this is an accomplished production that is worth your time if you like dance, cats, or the score which remains one of Lloyd Webber’s best. At nearly 50 years since he first toyed with Old Possum, and 46 years since its first appearance as a song cycle at Sydmonton, Cats still has the claws, the purrs and the attitude.’

WhatsOnStage‘s Sarah Crompton liked ghe new approach: ‘The costumes are both stylised and cleverly textured; fake fur is used sparingly. The makeup is glittery and unreal. It’s all silkily performed.’ She noted: ‘things tend to proceed at a stately pace as the cats, in Sami Fendall’s design, assemble in sleek body suits and tails around a great bronze spiral where they can prowl and sit and pose as the action (what there is of it) unfolds. McOnie’s movement for the cats is sleek and balletically delicate; their bodies unfurl slowly, each motion from the tip of their fingers to the points of their feet, mimicking the way muscles run gently through real cats’ bodies, rippling beneath the skin.’

Donald Hutera for The Times said: ‘McOnie’s Cats is a triumph of staging — polished and fluid, with wall-to-wall choreography that at its best lifts the source material to a new level. A large, fiercely committed cast also do their utmost to mitigate the piece’s sometimes cringeworthy whimsicality, redeeming it after the disastrous 2019 film adaptation.’ He praised the cast: ‘it is the slithery, gymnastic actor-dancers inside and behind the fuzzy, sparkly garb and make-up that animate the action. They are an outstanding ensemble.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar approved but with reservations: ‘These animals, directed and newly choreographed by Drew McOnie, are more balletic and graceful than those in the 1981 original and the production definitely reclaims the musical’s reputation from Tom Hooper’s film (…) they dance and dance and dance through the flimsy and patchwork story of “Jellicle cats”‘. The negative side to this was: ‘It results in some lovely expressive scenes but makes the structure even more disjointed, with less of a story to bind it.’ Add to which: ‘Some of the movement between cats has a slow, ritualistic quality which verges on corny and slows the pace considerably’.

’after the horrors of the film, this is a night of eccentric but undemanding fun’ said Time Out’s Andrjez Lukowski. He noted: ‘The biggest difference between the two incarnations of Cats probably lies in the choreography – high energy and aerobic in the original (by Gillian Lynne), sinuous and twitchy under McOnie.’ He found: ‘a lot of it is really quite good, especially in the second half when it’s dark and the set and lights look loads better. The ethereal, glittery ‘Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer’ section is lovely; stage vet Gary Wilmot is a treat as the doleful but slyly egotistical Gus the Theatre Cat; Dianté Lodge’s monstrous Macavity is a brimstone-whiffing treat and Jet Yau’s Magical Mister Mestophiles has both one of the best songs and a slightly gratuitous but extremely fun set of B-boy dance moves.’

This was the final view of The Independent‘s Alice Saville: ‘McOnie is all about the dancing, and exciting as the choreography often is here, he lacks the consistent vision to rein in this show’s daftness and make it make sense for new generations. As it is, your ability to enjoy this show depends on your tolerance for watching performers prance about in unitards, intoning absolute nonsense as though they’re imparting the deepest secrets of the universe. Things work better in the second act, after the sun sets – this musical is the kind of warped affair that should be conducted under the cover of darkness, and I mean that with the greatest of affection.’

Critics’ average rating 3.8⭑

Value Rating 48 (Average rating combined with typical ticket price)

Cats can be seen at the Open Air Theatre until 19 September 2026, then touring. Buy tickets directly from the theatre openairtheatre.com/whats-on

If you’ve seen the new production of Cats, please leave your review and/or rating below