Watching Cats.

Even though I've been working at the Cats merchandise booth in the CCP Main Theater lobby since the show opened, I only got to watch the show yesterday afternoon.Each of us working at the merchandise booth were given a chance to watch the show, and I scheduled mine on a weekend because I work at the booth during the weekdays.

I wasn't really counting on watching the show even before we got hired to work there, but of course, this was a big opportunity to watch it for free. So I guess I never made any expectations before I went inside the theater. I didn't even think about my seat. But to my surprise, when I checked my ticket the moment the stub was torn, I was right down there in the orchestra, 8 rows away from the stage! Great seats! Thank you!

The set was already a sight to see even during preset. And when the overture began, holy kamote, it was like a sound and light show as the Jellicle Cats came rushing onstage from different parts of the theater. My jaw dropped right in the beginning of the show. Holy kamote, I was in awe that much? Hahaha.

When the cats sprang into action, I envied how they were so light on their feet, and how their movements never affected the quality of their voice. And yes, for those who haven't seen it or haven't noticed it before, Lea was in the opening number, dressed as a different cat as part of the ensemble. She was pretty easy to spot, but I guess that would be pretty relative, as I was sitting that close.

I loved the energy of the cast (by now, I'm getting confused whether to write "cast" or "cats," hahaha), and I was pretty amused at how they made every character their own. Each cat was different, and even though every movement in the choreography had uniformity, they managed to create a certain nuance to reflect each of their cat's personalities.

Yes, I was in awe the whole time. My favorite among the cast would have to be Rum Tum Tugger. His presence onstage was awesome, and his demeanor reminded me of Tim Curry's Frank N. Furter from The Rocky Horror Show. But I have to say, John O'Hara, you rock!

What annoyed me especially during the first act, though, was the couple sitting beside me. They had their Blackberry on half the time, reading the synopsis online. When intermission came, their friend came up to them and asked, "Do you know what the story is?" I was about to tell them about buying the souvenir program when he said, "The program's mahal... 500." Oh-kaaay...So the couple handed him their Blackberry so he could read it.

Of course, there was also playtime during the last 5 minutes of the intermission. As the cats went off around the theater, everyone whipped out their cameras and phones, snapping pictures of the cats, but unfortunately, they were pretty hard to stop from taking photos when the show was about to resume. Hay, annoying. Ahahaha. Well, can't help it.

Then there's the Filipino translation of a verse from "Memory." The girl who sang it was sweet and sincere, and I love her rendition of it despite the fact that the language was foreign to her. And how about that Mr. Mistoffelees. His moves are amazing. Skimbleshanks is another character that stood out for me because of his somewhat poised demeanor, and of course, Munkustrap, and Grizabella.

Lea's voice was crystal clear as she sang "Memory" with such passion, and I have to admit that I had tears in my eyes when the Jellicle cats finally got around to accepting her again. Victoria's innocent touch to reach out to Grizabella had a certain beat that touched me as well.

The whole show was a feast for the eyes, from the set, to the technicals (would you believe there are even monitors in the house showing the conductor that the cast can see while they were performing?), to the performance of each actor. I know this is a bit late, but congratulations to the entire cast of Cats!

Lea, sorry I didn't get to drop by the dressing room. Got a little busy. Maybe later this week, perhaps.

One more week of performances to go.