This fine performance boosts the stalwart Betty Buckley as Grizabella. Buckley is able to adopt the right kind of gorgeous voice in her portrayal of the fallen glamour cat, and she really is able to use this to great effect with her rendition of Memory. Elaine Paige may be regarded as the foremost interpreter of the role, but here Buckley is able to prove that she can hold her own against her arch-rival from the original London cast. Ken Page's portrayal of Old Deuteronomy is on the same high plain as Buckley's Grizabella, as he uses his sonorous voice to great effect in his solos. In particular, he gives a firm and commanding performance of The Ad-Dressing of Cats, and is warm, open and expansive. The rest of the cast is no less strong, especially the lower-level principals Timothy Scott, Harry Groener and Terrence Mann. Timothy Scott does a splendid job not only in his standout number but also when he sings Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer, and Terrence Mann sings his Rum Tum Tugger passages (Mistoffelees and his standout number) with gusto and panache, and a tenderness during Old Deut's Theme. Anyway, they both characterise their cat characters with as much slickness as you could hope for. But special mention should also go to Harry Groener's Munkustrap, who can hold his own with Michael Gruber due to his immediacy, warmth and engaging nature.

The rest of the cast proves that it is as strong as the major cast. All the cats prove that they can shine not only individually but also as a group, except for a small number that I will not mention here. Anna McNeely's Jennyanydots, Bonnie Simmons' Jellylorum and Donna King's Bombalurina all show each cat shining vocally in this fine musical, and the choral contributions from all the cats are done with fervour and energy. But perhaps the standout cat is Stephen Hanan as Bustopher Jones and Gus: the Theatre Cat. His Bustopher Jones has an astute and truly aristocratic air about it, and his Gus and Growltiger are both superbly done. Gus has a melancholic air about him when Hanan relishes the nostalgaic past of Gus when he sings his passages. And his Growltiger is particularly fearsome and ferocious, with a laugh that could rival Satan and a powerful operatic voice in the Italian opera parody. The supporting orchestral accompaniment is nicely done too, and Stanley Lebowsky adopts near-perfect tempi that could perhaps have a little bit more spring and be a little more sprightly in some points.

Like the London recording, this CATS recording omits The Pekes and the Pollicles due to the need to accomodate space on record.

On the whole, I find this CATS recording an enjoyable experience and I feel more than prepared to recommend it to anyone who is just venturing out into the score. The nicely-done booklet contains a cast list, credits and an adequately-produced libretto. For those who don't want to spend too much money on this 2-CD set, there is also an abridged version available. But, I would say that because the music is so infectuous, this 2-CD set is rather compulsive.

9 of 9 found the following review helpful:

CATS  Feb 28, 2000
By David Kaufmann
WOW!I mean WOW!This cd is awesome!Ken Page is Old Dueteronomy!Betty Buckley is GREAT!But I would say that ELaine Page is a better Grizabella.Betty is good don't get me wrong.Harry Groener is a great Munkustrap(the best you can get)!Jellylorum is GREAT!The best one you can find.Bustopher/Asparagus/Growltiger all those characters being played by Stephen Hanan is the GREATEST you can find.He gives a crisp interpretation.Demeter could have been better.Also this recording has a great Mr.Mistoffelees sounding Caberatish(excuse the spelling).I also like the sound COMPLETE in it.Over all this recording sounds THE BEST AND IS THE BEST!Well see you at the Jellicle Ball!

Also Recommended:Les Miserables(Concert version),Jesus Christ Superstar(Australia version),The Phantom of the Opera(London Cast),Sunset Boulevard(American version),and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat(Canidian version).

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

Spectacular & Delightful, those Jellicle Cats!!  Sep 01, 2006
By Jennifer Feather
I saw "CATS" at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in July 1987 when I was 13, and it made an impression on me that is with me to this day. The songs, costumes and makeup were breathtakingly fantastic, and being a cat lover, I had an instant affinity for the subject matter. This soundtrack is SUCH a pleasure to listen to, and I never tire of it. Each and every song is performed with enthusiasm, emotion, and a sense of fun. My personal favorites are "MungoJerrie & Rumpelteazer", "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat", "The Jellice Ball" and, of course, "Memory". I also own the London Cast Soundtrack, and I despise it. The vocals are weak, unenthusiastic and almost indifferent. I definitely prefer Betty Buckley's interpretation of Grizabella to Elaine Paige's, and Ken Page gives a MUCH more heartfelt and robust performance as Deuteronomy than Brian Blessed does. To sum up, the Broadway version is the ONLY version of "CATS". It will always be a delight for the ears.

10 of 11 found the following review helpful:

This is how you address a cat.  Jul 28, 2000
By Matthew Murray
Few musicals divide audiences as much as this one, but I think this is a great CD. Though it isn't complete--one full song, and some significant portions of dance music aren't included--it is a marvelous representation of the show. The music feels perfectly matched with T.S. Eliot's poems, and allows their childlike lightheartedness and fun to shine through. Betty Buckley's rendition of the show's most famous song, "Memory," is still unmatched in my opinion. The cast is wonderful straight across the board, but with Betty Buckley giving the show's most famous song, "Memory" what remains its best performance ever, how can you not have Cats in your cast recording library?

7 of 7 found the following review helpful:

Enough of this Broadway vs London stuff. Let's add Australia to the picture  Jul 01, 2006
By Lana "The Angel of music"
Like most people, I've been torn between London and Broadway for a while. I'll admit, I'm fond of both London and Broadway, but some songs I like on Broadway more than London, and vice versa. However, when I bought the Australian recording, it turned into my favorite CATS recording, hands down. They have EVERY song in there, (Growltiger's Last Stand, and Battle of the Pekes and Pollicles) Anyhow, here's my biased opinion on which of the three recordings dominate in certain songs.

Overture - The overture is pretty much the same

Jellicle Song for Jellicle Cats - London

Naming of Cats - Australia

Invitation to the Jellicle Ball - Broadway

Old Gumbie Cat - London but Australia's is pretty darn good

Rum Tum Tugger - I'm not very fond of London's version or Broadway's. I'd have to say Australia, but Broadway is just as good.

Grizabella - London

Bustopher Jones - London

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer - Australia. This version has a very interesting Mungo and Rumpel

Old Deuteronomy - London or Broadway

Jellicle Ball - London

Grizabella: The Glamour Cat - Tie

Memory - Okay, Elaine Paige is about as good as it gets. But Debbie Byrne from Australia delivers a heart felt Memory also.

Gus: The Theatre Cat - Australia

Growltiger's Last Stand/The Ballad of Billy McCaw - All are good

Macavity: The Mystery Cat - Australia

Mr. Mistoffelees - Australia. The Australian Rum Tum Tugger is a lot better. And while I'm a huge Sarah Brightman fan, and you can hear her overpowering in this song, I still say Australia wins here.

Memory - Moment of truth. I love Elaine Paige. Her Memory is as good as it gets. However, some would say that Elaine's version is too soft and sweet, and isn't bitter and cold enough. This song could go both ways. Betty Buckley certainly expressed rage and power in this song, but maybe too much. In my personal opinon, Elaine's version is too soft, and Buckley's version is too cold. Debbie Byrne is a perfect medium, and she expresses remorse, sorrow, pain, anger, and loneliness in perfect harmony. I'd have to say Australia.

Journey to the Heaviside Layer - Not much of a difference. Tie between all three.

Ad-Dressing of Cats - Broadway. THANK GOD FOR KEN PAGE.

See all 104 customer reviews on Amazon.com