What scenes make you cry during CATS? Why?

Long time, no see, KID...

I know this may sound trite, but MEMORY will bring tears if done wrong or done fantastically right. Thankfully, I have never heard a Grizabella that sang off-key (SDSU, Man of La Mancha, 1977, Impossible Dream - the middle bridge that is the high part...), but... Chirssy Hammond (UK New London and Tour) did such a superb job that it actually was an emotional experience. She started the song soft and bitter, and then literally built up the song until she sang "Touch Me" with force. I actually experienced a level of catharsis during the three performances I witnessed.

In many ways, MEMORY is supposed to be the highest point, but I have always enjoyed a secondary moment when the cast does the VIVAT as Grizabella ascends to the Heavyside Layer.

Give us your scene(s) as well, my friend...

Rumblepurr
The Writer Cat.

I hardly cry when seeing cats cause I am so happy being there and see my favorite musical. But I feel really sad when Grizabella is rejected in the first act and the other cats are so stupid to her. I almost cry when she tries to dance like the other cats (is it at the end off act one, after her short memory?) its so sad and I almost want to run up to the stage and hug her...

The first I saw/heard of Cats was when I was in school, at something like age 7 or 8. One of the other classes dressed up and danced around to a CD in an assembly. Maybe because it was shortened for the assembly, maybe because they thought the kids would find the Heaviside layer hard to understand, they inserted a couple of their own lines which they sung near the end which said something about Grizabella dying, which at the time very nearly made me cry. But unfortunately I've only seen Cats live once (as an audience member), plus videos, and have never seen a version which moved me enough to make me cry. Yet.

Old Deuteronomy's song and first entrance. It brings back such intense memories of my father. Always gets me blubbing.

Apart from that - well, not a lot. I saw the show a number of times at the New London theatre and on tour, and although it was always beautifully done, only Old Deuteronomy, or rather the other cats' attitude towards him, catches my heart-strings.

No one's mentioned "Gus the Theatre Cat" yet? Seriously??? That's such a heartbreaking song with his resignation and being so painfully aware that he's close to death as well, an how things are changing and he can't get it back. Nathan Morgan's portrayal was the one that got me most in the heart, but Bronson Murphy is doing an INCREDIBLE job this season (I do hope he's on next season--he's someone that definitely got more comfortable in the role as it progressed).

I admit that "Memory" is usually one of my least favorite songs in the show... however, then I heard Kathryn Holtkamp, who's the current Grizzabella on the US Tour. The second time I heard her, I was first row. With theatre configuration, we were so close to the stage, our knees were getting bruised. When watching her, as soon as she hit the "Touch me" line, I was trying to find a way to not smear my make up since I went in cossie. My friend and I saw her side-glance at me, and the expression on her face changed ever so subtly as she realized she brought that emotion to my face. I will never forget that instance of a smile. I've heard her do Grizz 7 times now... and 7 times I've been blown away, and teary-eyed.

Once I cried at the end of the "Jellicle Ball" because the cast was so on it.

But on the other hand Gus/Growltiger has been a favorite number off mine ever since I first saw cats. Its two (or three if you count the ballade/opera pastisch seperate) parts completes eachother perfectly. Seriously, if you remove the growltiger part as they did in the movie youll get quite a boring and much to sad song, but together theyre just so great. But crying? Na, its just to good number for that...

I'm often about to cry during the overture, but that's because of joy.

During the shows itself, the only part the makes me cry is the final Memory, when I like the interpretation of the Grizabella performer. Which means not alsways... in April in Berlin, I cried, Femke Soetenga was fantastic. Let's see how it will be next week in Luxembourg !

Oh goodness. It's been forever since being on the CATS part of the forum, but Gus the Theater Cat is definitely a moment that immediately comes to mind. He's absolutely loveable; when I saw a touring production some years back I just wanted to jump out of my seat, go up on stage and give him a hug!

The bit after Memory, 'Upto the Heaviside Layer"... I like that bit.... the whole concept is just so powerful, it makes me cry

Holy crap, me too.

The CATS Overture makes me cry too. So does the opening of Lion King, interestingly.

I think I cry out of pure joy. Wow. Amazing, live theater can do that. Movies or videos or DVDs sure couldn't produce the same effect.

Kid