bustopher

I've recently come across a copy of this recorded off-air on VHS and have digitised it. Naturally, in the process, I watched it again. And again. And then after I'd uploaded it to YouTube, again off Youtube to see if it worked!

This one really appeals to my humour, so perhaps I'm biased giving it a ten, but I couldn't give it less in all good conscience.

If you're an Aussie, you'll love it. If you're not, you'll love it too.

Search for 'Bonza (1989)' on Youtube, and you'll see what I mean.

I've just spent a productive two hours watching the late 2019 movie "Cats". Now I had read the critics panning it, saying they weren't real cats, and the story was weird.

Clearly they hadn't seen the live show, something I've seen many times from the original Sydney production at the Theatre Royal (where I spied British comedian Mel Smith in the audience) to Gosford Musical Society's to the UK video with Elaine Page and in the Big Top at St Ives showground, among others, amateur and professional.

I still know the lyrics pretty well, and was pleased that singing along - apart from a couple of sections (see below) was an easily achieved joy.

There were a few minor insertions of dialogue in between songs, which provided a bit more character exposition than what you get in the musical. They weren't obtrusive, and quite helpful.

*MOST* of the production is faithful to the musical, except many previous third person descriptions of a character sung by other cats now see those lines given directly to the character.

They changed the melodic structure of "Mungo Jerry & Rumpleteazer" for the worst, but made a few cuts here and there for the better.

There was a delightful addition of a song following "Memory" (first rendition) sung by a soprano which was completely new material for the movie.

In some places the lyrics are obviously drawn from parts of the original T S Eliot that Webber didn't use in the musical, but this only happened in a couple of places.

The sets apparently used modern CGI, and naturally much greater visuals than ever possible in a theatre. The look of the production is slick, and wardrobe and make-up are a real tour-de-force.

It's also a little bit darker with cats, especially Macavity, pushing their case to be reborn for a new jellicle life, and Old Deuteronomy's responses, something not in the musical.

With Judy Dench as Old Deuteronomy we miss the dulcet baritones of this role, but she plays the dramatic side impeccably which adds to the understanding of the story. Ian McKellen was Bustopher Jones, and did his song exceptionally well for an old salt.

There are certainly differences, but they are mainly related to transferring a live show successfully into a movie. If you've seen the musical you'll love it. The familiar "Cats" is all there. If you haven't, then you'll either "get it" and love it too, or miss the point, as a number of the aforementioned critics obviously did.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's score and Eliot's lyrics have always combined beautifully. Webber's highly syncopated arrangements appeal to all listeners of many genres.

This is what ensures any production of this highly original concept will border on masterpiece levels.

I absolutely loved it.

I was thinking the first couple of episodes were rather formulaic, not believable and a tad pedestrian. There are some ponderous issues raised, such as how an unknown woman from the bush (and not even a party member) becomes a senator to occupy a casual vacancy. Members who've been going to branch meetings for years will be extremely disappointed by the low entry price Alex had to pay to become a senator.

Another point I had incredible difficulty with was how an aboriginal rights campaigner ends up joining the Liberal/National government. Okay, I'm aware of Neville Bonner and even Ken Wyatt, but I still can't see why Mailman's character - completely upset over lack of indigenous services in the bush - could join the (now) government.

As the episodes proceed, however, and we get to know the characters, the emotional side starts to shine through, and the series massively improves. Not wishing to reveal spolers, I think the main change occurs when Mailman has to race back to her home town to deal with a pressing issue there. That's treated with humour and sensitivity, and humanises the character and the whole series.

Some of the political procedures shown are simply not correct, but perhaps the series can be forgiven for taking shortcuts. However, to a regular watcher of parliament, it grated on me a little about how someone can just stand up in parliament and make a statement or even move a motion without going through the correct procedural processes.

What's interesting is that most of the imagery in parliament house is shot in the new parliament house (Opened in 1987), but when we enter the House of Reps or Senate chamber, we find ourselves down the road at Old Parliament House. I suppose it was a lot easier for the locations manager to book old Parliament House than the new, or indeed for a set to be constructed.

Certainly a worthwhile watch, and I encourage people to not judge this on its first two episodes - it gets a lot better - but far from perfection as some reviewers here would have you believe.