Cats

"Cats! It's about cats. Singing cats, you'll love it." That's how the long-running musical is described by the character of Roy Cohn in Tony Kushner's Angels in America. And he's right—there's not much more to say than "Singing cats. You'll love it!" Smartly directed and choreographed by Marc Robin, this production at the Marriott Lincolnshire somehow brings something new to the Andrew Lloyd Webber masterpiece; there aren't any lulls as we move through song, dance, and drama toward the Jellicles' frenzied celebratory ball. It all culminates, of course, with the moving transcendence of "Memory," belted out by the once-glamorous Grizabella (a stunning Heidi Kettenring). I loved the musical as a kid, but this time around I got goosebumps. See it for the elegant score, Lloyd Webber at his best, as much as for the megatalent on display here—not only Kettenring, but Sayiga Eugene Peabody as the marvelous Mr. Mistoffolees and Jake Klinkhammer as the sexy contrarian Rum Tum Tugger, to name just a few in this cast of standouts.