As you read this, I am on my way to New York City to see the new Disney Broadway play, Aladdin. My daughter, my aunt, and I will be spending three days roaming around the city. While I won't be blogging over the weekend, there will probably be some new photos on my Instagram account and I will be posting about our travels next week. Until then, enjoy this preview of the show.
Music review: Cats - Journey to the Heaviside Layer
Artist: The cast of CatsAlbum: Cats soundtrack (1982 Broadway Cast) Release date: 10/82 Video link: Via YouTube
Lyrics: Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer
Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer
Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer
Up, up, up, past the Russell Hotel Up, up, up, up, to the Heaviside Layer About the song: A lot of people think Cats doesn't have a storyline. That's untrue. Cats is about a group of cats getting together to decide which of them will be reborn into a new life. A majority of the songs are simply introductions to the various cats who are in the running for the big rebirth.
Journey to the Heaviside Layer is the big piece for the play. Yes, Memory is the most famous song but Heaviside Layer has the biggest production value. The choice has been made and now that cat (I won't give spoilers!) is basically going to heaven. In most productions, this song has a lot of smoke and white lights coming from the ceiling as Old Deuteronomy and the chosen cat are lifted to the ceiling. It's a quiet song. There aren't a lot of lyrics and the singing is very hushed. This is a religious experience for the cats. As such, the song is set as a sort of hymn. Sadly, this is not the ending song for the musical. In my opinion, it should be but I wasn't consulted when the play was written.