Drat! the Cat!
A Musical Spoof in Two Acts, 16 Scenes.
Book and lyrics by Ira Levin. Music by Milton Schafer.
Opened October 10, 1965 at the Martin Beck Theatre
Closed October 16, 1965 after 8 performances.
PLAYBILL(General Information)
The original cast of this musical does not have a official cast recording although there is supposedly a recording that was made of a performance that was released long after the show closed. The recording that I will be referring to for purposes of this blog post is the 1997 Studio recording produced by Bruce Kimmel. The recording stars Susan Egan, Jason Graae, Judy Kaye, Bryan Batt, Jonathan Freeman, and Elaine Stritch.
OVERTURE(Overall Impressions)
First of all, let me say that I have no idea why this show did not make it on Broadway. I can only guess that it was overshadowed by all the shows around it. The previous year featured over 50 shows on the boards, but not many of them are names that are incredibly recognizable. The most notable names are Fiddler on the Roof, Golden Boy, The Three Sisters, Boeing-Boeing, The Odd Couple, Do I Hear a Waltz?, The Roar of the Greaspaint- The Smell of the Crowd, and a revival of The Glass Menagerie, but these are only 8 out of 55 shows that included plays like A Severed Head, Slow Dance on the Killing Ground, The Family Way, Diamond Orchid, Catch Me If You Can(not the one you're thinking about), A Race of Hairy Men! and many other titles that seem to have faded into the history books and the dark corners of IBDB. The season that included Drat! the Cat!, however, was filled with shows that just about anyone with any experience in theatre will recognize. Oliver!, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Man of la Mancha, You Can't Take It With You, Marat/Sade(sorry, I didn't want to type out the full title), Sweet Charity, Wait Until Dark, The Lion in Winter, and Mame were all treading the boards and making competition for Drat! so I can only assume that it was overshadowed by the shows around it and therefore never got the see past its first week after opening. It had everything going in its favor: book by Ira Levin(Deathtrap, Rosemary's Baby, The Stepford Wives), directed and choreographed by Joe Layton(Once Upon a Mattress[1959], The Sound of Music[1959], Annie[film], Thoroughly Modern Millie[film], 4 Tony nominations and 2 Tony Awards) and a cast that would make anyone jealous. Leslie Ann Warren and Elliott Gould lead a cast that included Jane Connell and Charles Durning in supporting roles. The story is a fun spin on melodrama and police drama complete with a love story between the unhappy rich girl turned cat burglar and the police officer who falls in love with the rich girl side of her dual identity, but has to capture the felonious side to make his father proud. Mistaken identities abound and this caper seems like it should bring nothing but fun and laughs. If the book is even half as funny as the music, I cannot understand why this show was not a hit other than being eclipsed by all the shows around it.
"She Touched Me" In the show, this song is sung by the male lead, Bob Purefoy, but in the years since, Barbra Streisand has changed all the pronouns and made this song her own(probably a gift from Elliot Gould). I think the song works just as beautifully as a male song and is beautiful and lyrical.
"She's Roses" A duet between Bob and his mother, Kate as Bob extols the virtues of the girl he loves. Although written as a duet, it could easily be converted to a solo number.
"A Pox Upon the Traitor's Brow" This is the opening song of Act Two and is some of the best patter and wordplay I have heard in a long time.
"It's Your Fault" The parents of the female lead try to figure out where they went wrong as parents. Very Funny.
"I Like Him" other than "She Touched Me" this song may be one of the most accessible songs in the show. Not an incredibly showy song, this could easily be a good audition song for a girl who doesn't need the kind of showing off that comes from "Astonishing" or "The Wizard and I" or the like.
11 O'CLOCK NUMBERS(Standout Songs)
As far as the music in the show, all of the songs are very good. It sounds like a typical musical of its time. All of the songs are very singable and fit very nicely in the voice. However, there are several songs that really stood out as exceptional."She Touched Me" In the show, this song is sung by the male lead, Bob Purefoy, but in the years since, Barbra Streisand has changed all the pronouns and made this song her own(probably a gift from Elliot Gould). I think the song works just as beautifully as a male song and is beautiful and lyrical.
"She's Roses" A duet between Bob and his mother, Kate as Bob extols the virtues of the girl he loves. Although written as a duet, it could easily be converted to a solo number.
"A Pox Upon the Traitor's Brow" This is the opening song of Act Two and is some of the best patter and wordplay I have heard in a long time.
"It's Your Fault" The parents of the female lead try to figure out where they went wrong as parents. Very Funny.
"I Like Him" other than "She Touched Me" this song may be one of the most accessible songs in the show. Not an incredibly showy song, this could easily be a good audition song for a girl who doesn't need the kind of showing off that comes from "Astonishing" or "The Wizard and I" or the like.
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