Is CATS really still on Oasis?!!

[hucifer]

When I went on Oasis back in '17, I had read allllll the negative reviews on Cats. Even read two positive ones. Said to myself, "Don't care. I'm going to see it for myself and make up my own mind."

 

I made a deal with myself that if I hated it, I would only leave at intermission because, well...RUDE.

 

So it starts and I'm amazed. The set, the costumes, the performers...oh my goodness, top-notch. I loved how they came down the aisles and made you really feel like part of the show. I thought, those Negative Nillies were wrong, that this is fabulous, blah blah. I'm watching people leave and I'm thinking, "RUDE."

 

I think I lasted twenty, MAYBE thirty minutes. It wasn't even a conscious decision. My legs straightened up and walked me right out the door, in the middle of the first act before I could think myself back to my seat. I couldn't even hold out for intermission because, well...AWFUL. If I could summarize the plot to Cats it would sound something like coughing up a hairball.

 

Some time later into the second act...I walked back into the theatre at the top, where I cannot be seen by performers, to see if it redeemed itself somehow. By now the theatre is 25% full. They are singing "Memories." I stand there for a few minutes before my legs gave up on it a second time and walked me back out of the theatre. 

 

I'll be back on the Oasis in February 2023, and while I'm a sucker for punishment, this is one bad accident I don't care to witness again.

[John Reid]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:00 AM, poocher said:

Well, there is no “grease is the word” in the original.  A mediocre musical was reinvented in an infinitely worse version based on the movie with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.  Their characters were not the leads in the original show but Stockard Channing who played the ACTUAL female lead was deemed not a big enough star.  So they rewrote the show to feature N-J including changing the music to give her more to sing including Hopelessly Devoted 🤢 and You’re the One that I Love.  The show itself is about turning a nice girl into a slut to get a boyfriend and another hoping she isn’t pregnant because she puts out.  Nice family entertainment.

This is not how I recall the casting and I base this on knowing a Broadway cast member at the time.

Stockard Channing was not in the Broadway show.

Randee Heller (Soap, Karate Kid, Madmen) had the Broadway role of Rizzo at the time.

When the movie was being cast, it was determined that Randee did not have the star-power for the movie at that time. Stockard Channing was cast for the movie.

Unfortunate; Heller was a natural Rizzo.

[poocher]

I meant Rizzo was the lead female role in the stage musical.  When the MOVIE version was cast, Stockard Channing did not have the star power of the marginally talented Olivia Newton-John so the show was rewritten to give ON-J a bigger role including adding new songs.  Hence the dreadful “Grease is the word” (a disco number for a 50’s show?!?) and “Hopelessly Devoted”.  Most people know the show from the movie and have never seen the original stage version which was the better of the two.  Still not great or family oriented but better.

I know Stockard Channing was not in the Broadway cast.

Edited May 6, 2022 by poocher

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, poocher said:

I meant Rizzo was the lead female role in the stage musical.  When the MOVIE version was cast, Stockard Channing did not have the star power of the marginally talented Olivia Newton-John so the show was rewritten to give ON-J a bigger role including adding new songs.  Hence the dreadful “Grease is the word” (a disco number for a 50’s show?!?) and “Hopelessly Devoted”.  Most people know the show from the movie and have never seen the original stage version which was the better of the two.  Still not great or family oriented but better.

I know Stockard Channing was not in the Broadway cast.

 

I like Hopelessly Devoted

[John&LaLa]

11 hours ago, hucifer said:

When I went on Oasis back in '17, I had read allllll the negative reviews on Cats. Even read two positive ones. Said to myself, "Don't care. I'm going to see it for myself and make up my own mind."

 

I made a deal with myself that if I hated it, I would only leave at intermission because, well...RUDE.

 

So it starts and I'm amazed. The set, the costumes, the performers...oh my goodness, top-notch. I loved how they came down the aisles and made you really feel like part of the show. I thought, those Negative Nillies were wrong, that this is fabulous, blah blah. I'm watching people leave and I'm thinking, "RUDE."

 

I think I lasted twenty, MAYBE thirty minutes. It wasn't even a conscious decision. My legs straightened up and walked me right out the door, in the middle of the first act before I could think myself back to my seat. I couldn't even hold out for intermission because, well...AWFUL. If I could summarize the plot to Cats it would sound something like coughing up a hairball.

 

Some time later into the second act...I walked back into the theatre at the top, where I cannot be seen by performers, to see if it redeemed itself somehow. By now the theatre is 25% full. They are singing "Memories." I stand there for a few minutes before my legs gave up on it a second time and walked me back out of the theatre. 

 

I'll be back on the Oasis in February 2023, and while I'm a sucker for punishment, this is one bad accident I don't care to witness again.

 

You lost credibility when you said you walked out during Memory. 😉

 

 

[John Reid]

1 hour ago, poocher said:

I meant Rizzo was the lead female role in the stage musical.  When the MOVIE version was cast, Stockard Channing did not have the star power of the marginally talented Olivia Newton-John so the show was rewritten to give ON-J a bigger role including adding new songs.  Hence the dreadful “Grease is the word” (a disco number for a 50’s show?!?) and “Hopelessly Devoted”.  Most people know the show from the movie and have never seen the original stage version which was the better of the two.  Still not great or family oriented but better.

I know Stockard Channing was not in the Broadway cast.

I get what you are saying now. I transposed "star power" to the wrong person.

[poocher]

5 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I like Hopelessly Devoted

Hey, I like you because you are a fellow Cats fan, don’t ruin it!!!

[John&LaLa]

14 minutes ago, poocher said:

Hey, I like you because you are a fellow Cats fan, don’t ruin it!!!

 

I like the high notes.

 

I also like There Are Worse Things I Could Do by Rizzo.

 

On a side note, I really never knew the lyrics to Greased Lightning until I saw the sing along version playing at the Freedom pool in the afternoon. 😱🤣🤣

[volk904]

My opinion is the full Broadway shows like Cats are just to long for cruise ships. We saw Hairspray on the Symphony in November and it was ok but again to long.  Seem lots of shows over the years but Jersey Boys is still my favorite.  

[baelor]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

I also like There Are Worse Things I Could Do by Rizzo.

 

Probably my favorite song in the musical.

[poocher]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I like the high notes.

 

I also like There Are Worse Things I Could Do by Rizzo.

 

On a side note, I really never knew the lyrics to Greased Lightning until I saw the sing along version playing at the Freedom pool in the afternoon. 😱🤣🤣

And Worst Things is an original song but think about those lyrics too.  Like I said, not a family show!

[Funkytown83]

I am on Oasis now and Cats is (again) canceled due to “technical” reasons. Entertainment sucks on Oasis, also no Aqua show! Only the two bands in the MusicHall are pretty good. Also the ship isn’t in a good condition overall. Lot’s of cleanliness issues everywhere! We have just been on Allure last week and she was in much better condition!  Just saying… On a positive note, the service in MDR is excellent and the weather is beautiful. 

[molly361]

I would like to see cats put on other ships as well😇

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, volk904 said:

My opinion is the full Broadway shows like Cats are just to long for cruise ships. We saw Hairspray on the Symphony in November and it was ok but again to long.  Seem lots of shows over the years but Jersey Boys is still my favorite.  

 

Jersey Boys is 2 hours 30 minutes. I think Mama Mia is close to that. CATS is about 90 minutes

[John&LaLa]

55 minutes ago, poocher said:

And Worst Things is an original song but think about those lyrics too.  Like I said, not a family show!

 

They should do HAIR

[poocher]

🎶When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars🎶

[LorraineP]

58 minutes ago, molly361 said:

I would like to see cats put on other ships as well😇

PLEASE “NO”

[jk04]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

They should do HAIR

Happy Birthday, Abie Baby should go over real well 

 

1 hour ago, poocher said:

🎶When the moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars🎶

Love that song.  Also love 'Easy to be Hard'.

[John&LaLa]

2 minutes ago, jk04 said:

Happy Birthday, Abie Baby should go over real well 

 

Aren't they using a body suit on Wonder?

[jk04]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Aren't they using a body suit on Wonder?

Are they doing Hair over there?  I assumed that would be very politically incorrect....

[poocher]

But sooo much fun!!’

[John Reid]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Jersey Boys is 2 hours 30 minutes. I think Mama Mia is close to that. CATS is about 90 minutes

It only seems like an eternity!

[John&LaLa]

13 hours ago, jk04 said:

Are they doing Hair over there?  I assumed that would be very politically incorrect....

 

No, an Aqua Show number

[jk04]

8 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

No, an Aqua Show number

Ahhh, gotcha 

[cruizzing]

When rumors of "Book" were swirling for Odyssey, it made me think of "Book of Mormon". But not sure that it would appeal to the target audience.