Andrew Lloyd Webber | CATS-SELECTIONS FROM | CD

Full title: Cats: Selections From The Original Broadway Cast Recording.
Music composed by Andrew Lloyd Weber. Based on a book by T.S. Eliot.
"The Jellicle Ball" and "Memory" have been specially recorded with a different orchestration than that used in the theatre. The version performed on stage is found on the complete original Broadway cast recording of CATS.
Principal cast includes: Betty Buckley (Grizzabella); Ken Page (Old Deuteronomy); Terrence V. Mann (Rum Tum Tugger); Timothy Scott (Mr. Mistoffelees); Anna McNeely (Jennyanydots); Bonnie Simmons (Jellylorum/Griddlebone).
Recorded in New York, New York in October 1982.
Personnel: Ethan Fein (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Edith Wint, Jeff Zahn (cello); Albert Regni (flute, piccolo, tenor saxophone); Hank Freeman (flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Victor Paz (piccolo, trumpet, flugelhorn); Ray Shanfield (clarinet, bassoon, baritone saxophone); Mark Perchanok (oboe, English horn, oboe d'amore); Ross Konikoff, Ron Tooley (trumpet, flugelhorn); Dick Berg, A. Robert Johnson (French horn); Gerry Chamberlain, Douglas Purviance (trombone); Keith Herrmann (piano, synthesizer); Benny Aronov (electric piano, synthesizer); Barry J. Eastmond (synthesizer); David Katzenberg (electric bass); Paul Pizzuti (drums); Jack Jennings, Jim Ogden (percussion).
Director: Rene Wiegert.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's epic Cats takes its characters from T.S. Eliot's book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Though the book contains no narrative structure, Webber has created one, although what drew audiences to the theatre in droves was the charm of the feline characters, not the tale of what happens to them. The score is rather fetching but simple, with moments of elegance, as in during the now-standard "Memory." The longest-running musical of its time, Cats is at times overrated, but as a whole it retains the charm that attracted audiences. This highlights CD contains the finest cast recording of Cats in a sampled form. For those who want only the major songs, this is a fine investment, but for those looking to recreate the experience of seeing the show, the full compilation would be a better bet. ~ Sarah Erlewine

• Format: CD
• Genre: Showtunes / B'Way
• Genre: Musicals & Cast Recordings
• Released: 12/07/1993
• Released: 12/7/1993