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Wednesday, 19 May, 2010 3:06 AM

'CATS' is now open at Detroit's Fisher Theatre through May 23

The beginning of the play begins with strobe lights, artificial smoke and cat eyes everywhere. It is midnight and the cats come down the aisles of the theatre. What looks like a spaceship goes up in the air with the theatre lights streaming to the ground.

The stage is set as a garbage dump or junkyard. All the cats come into view and sing. They call themselves the Jellico cats. The cats meet once a year to rejoice at their Ball.

Gumby Cat rolls out of a discarded old oven in the junkyard. This cat doesn't do much and just sits and sits all day.

RumTum Tugger Cat like attention and goes into the audience and chooses a guest to dance with in the aisle.

Bustopher Cat walks up the steps to the stage. He is a hugh 25-pound cat who likes to eat cabbage and rice pudding at the Pubs he frequents.
Grizabella Cat left the tribe of cats and wants to return. However, at this point, she is not accepted and scampers into the night.

All of a sudden the sirens come on and the cats run away leaving an empty stage.

There is no talking, only singing, acrobats and dancing. Grizabella sings the last song at the end of Act One--the famous song called "Memory."

Act One lasted one hour and 10 minutes with an intermission of 15 minutes.

Act Two begins after the Jellicle Ball and Gus, the theatre cat, appears. He dreams of the days when he was acting on stage and wants to perform again.

There is a set change when a curtain came down and Gus was on a pirate ship set as he remembered from the past days of acting. Several other cats are introduced and the Leader cat decides which cat will be reborn into a new Jellicle life. It is Grizabella and she recalls her Memory of how things used to be. She is finally accepted back into the tribe.

"CATS" is at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit for eight performances from May 18-23, 2010. Tickets are now on sale from $29 to $69 at the Fisher Theatre box office, by phone at 1-800-982-2787, all Ticketmaster outlets and at Ticketmaster.com.