Nicholas Howey for CAT'S-EYE LLC's Production of 'Cats'.

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to see a performance of one of my favorite musicals, 'Cats'. This was my childhood! There are still makeup stains on my blinds! So, on one end of the spectrum, I may be a bit more critical than the average person when it comes to this production. However, on the other end of the spectrum, I am an actor myself, therefore I consider myself knowledgeable of the workings of theatre, thus creating more understanding as to why changes were made, and whether they were for better or for worse.

'Cats' is a musical made up of three primary elements -- singing, dancing, and acting. For a truly amazing performance, the cast must be entirely skilled at all three. However, for most, that's a bit much to ask. Some of the actors, including Lucy Horton (Jellylorum), Tug Watson (Munkustrap), and Philip Peterson (Old Deuteronomy) were excellent singers. Others, including Chris Mackenthun (Mistoffelees), Sarah Bumgarner (Victoria), and Stephanie L. Campbell (Cassandra) were beautiful dancers. And some still, such as Nathan Morgan (Gus), John Jacob Lee (Skimbleshanks) and Aubrey Elson (Sillabub) were wonderful actors, breathing life into these characters that may only be seen as 'part of the group' otherwise. In short, they may not have all been perfect, but each member of the cast brought something to the show that made it mesh together into something that an audience could give a standing ovation to.

Like every show, there were, of course, plenty of things that could be improved on. Some of the female singers' voices were far too squeaky, and their prioritizing of clarity often made the quality suffer. Some of the characters were unrecognizable, which wouldn't make a difference to first-time viewers, but meant a lot to long-time fans. Some of the singers overused their vibrato, and it was clear that most rehearsal time was spent with the choreography. Adam Steiner as Rum Tum Tugger was, to put it bluntly, horrendous, and it seemed like the entire show had been drained of the sex appeal that it once had, making it 'kid friendly', some of the characters acting so cute and fluffy that I'm sure Andrew Lloyd Webber just woke up in a cold sweat.

However, the bad parts were far outweighed by the good parts. The lighting was excellent, probably the best lighting I've seen for a show, using strobe lights and hanging lights in creative ways. The props and effects were amazing as well. Brian Bailey (Mungojerrie) was absolutely brilliant, with a strong voice and body. I later found out that he'd played Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, which certainly explained why I took such a liking to him. Mistoffelees' song was probably the highlight of the show, utilizing every part of the stage as well as all of the dancers. The actors singing in harmony gave me goosebumps, and even the curtain call made my heart swell.

As an audience member, it was awesome. As an actor, knowing how difficult it is to pull things like this off, it was astounding.