I went to see the musical “Cats” this past weekend and thought I would share my enjoyment of it with you. Being both a writer and Literature major, I have read countless books and works by the most famous authors around the world. Why do I bring this up? Well, “Cats” is a musical of TS Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”, a set of poems which Eliot wrote for his godchildren. There really is not a story per say, but an introduction of several different cats throughout the musical.
Watching and listening to the musical does not need previous knowledge of Eliot’s works, but it really does help. Having read “The Waste Land” and “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”,I was able to pick up on Eliot’s distinctive voice in the poems, which only added to the overall experience.
So, if you have not read any of the poems, I shall paste the URLs below of some of the poems. After you make yourself familiar with them, I urge you to seek out a theater showing the play, or grab the DVD, or visit YouTube.
Poems: http://www.msgr.ca/msgr-9/elliot%20cats%20litter.htm
http://www.heatercats.com/poems/naming.html