REVIEW - HOW TO LIVE A JELLICLE LIFE

Ev’rybody wants to be a cat right? But what does it mean to be a Jellicle cat? Linus Karp tells all.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats premiered in 1981 in London, and a host of big names have slid into the furry costumes ever since, including Elaine Page and Nicole Scherzinger.

In 2019 a movie version of the musical was released, and it’s safe to say it was a flop. Despite its all star cast, the movie was torn apart by critics and was a box office bomb.

In How To Live A Jellicle Life Life: Lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical Cats, Linus Karp gives a Ted Talk style performance, which takes the audience through his encyclopaedia-like knowledge of Cats.

Using a PowerPoint and the liberal use of the Comic Sans font, Karp introduces each Cat, and explains that only one Cat can be the Jellicle choice and ascend to the Heaviside Layer. But who will it be? (Spoiler alert – it’s Definitely not James Corden, there are many jokes aimed at him, someone on the live stream even gagged when his name was mentioned)

This show may seem pretty niche, but I feel that even if you have no knowledge of Cats there’s still something for you to enjoy here. Plus Karp gives quite the comprehensive introduction to Cats, so you’ll definitely come out having learned a lot.

I have never enjoyed a PowerPoint as much as I did here. Karp is a charismatic and enthusiastic host, and is delightfully dressed as though he has come directly from a performance of the musical.

The performance is wonderfully punctuated with sound effects which add hilarity. This is a riotously funny show, filled with Cat related humour. How To Live A Jellicle Life Life: Lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical Cats is unique, innovative and very bizarre, everyone will love it – except maybe James Corden.

Disclaimer: I watched an online recorded version of the show. The show is on in-person at the Fringe this year, or the digital version is also available to stream.

{🎟 AD: PR Invite – Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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