So you think you can prance?

If you were not too careful, you could have just stumbled upon a feline at your feet. Indeed, it was a poignant occasion.

That tribe of cats, called the Jellicle Cats, were there for a Ball which happens once a year and at the Ball, one cat is chosen to be reborn. In the interim, the felines have much to sing and dance about.

At Chowdaiah Hall on Sunday, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running musical ‘Cats’, based on ‘Old Possum’s Book of  Practical Cats’ by TS Eliot, took a rebirth with the exemplary performance of students from different Bengaluru schools.

Directed by Judy Bidapa, it had haunting music by Maya Mascarenhas and stellar choreography by Brinda Jacob-Janvrin.  

As the curtains rise, you are welcomed to the imaginary world of cat kingdom — with cats of all shapes and sizes, of different colours and whiskers and of different ages and characteristics.

The students, transformed into cool cats, pranced around and catwalked in twos. Notwithstanding the heavy costumes and makeup, they performed in sync and deservedly grabbed applause. The anthems and rhythms, varied as they were, were safe in the young hands. Or shall we say throats?

Every time the lonely Grizabella, the Glamour Cat, steps on the stage, the audience couldnt stop applauding. Her rendering of the much-loved ‘Memory’ will stay long in one’s mind. She yearns for days past and sings about the hard times she faced. She who left the tribe to an outside world now longs to get back to her tribe.

But it’s not just Grizabella that leaves a spell on the crowd. The splits by the blonde cat, the pranks of Jennyany Dots and the antics of Bustopher Jones, the fat cat, among others cannot be forgotten. Skimble Shanks, the tiny railway cat, is larger than life and cannot leave you unaffected. The young performers matched the steps to the music with complete ease. There perhaps lies the success of the musical. 

The characterisation is detailed and worked hard at. But so are the names of the cats. Frankly, the ensemble completely succeeded in converting the stage into a mystical world.

Elliot’s poetry, and thereby the musical, have always been appreciated hugely for its lyrical superiority. And on Sunday evening, it was yet again. Presented by Next Level Sport and Entertainment by arrangement with Really Useful Group Ltd, in aid of St Mary’s Orphanage, this was one set of cats who left the audience curious after every act. The audience might just be tempted to go back to Elliot’s verses yet again.