The Dramatic And Theaterical Elements Of The Musical 《CATS》

《CATS》 was an extremely successful musical. However, the experts doubted the show would succeed. The drama was adapted from a long poem written by a late famous poet. Not only it was difficult to express the play by using a poem format, there was not enough torturous plots to captivate the audience. There weren't any complex characters or relationships, no intense drama conflicts, and lacked profound thoughts.Furthermore, the characters and society are "cats" and "the world of cats." Nevertheless, the famous musical composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber,who is also the producer of 《CATS》, firmly believed that a musical can also touch people by its atmosphere, not just its drama. As a result,《CATS》 succeeded because of its excellent music and staging. It also provided a new idea for the world's musicals.Dramatic and theatrical nature is indispensable for a drama. 《CATS》 is an exception to that rule,isn't it? The writer considers that as long as the music and the stage expression can provide the rich theatrical atmosphere, those elements can compensate for the lack of a dramatic script. And therefore the musical would succeed.This article looks into the creation of 《CATS》 from all aspects. It analyzes the potential for dramatic and theatrical elements via its script, music, stage-espression (which includes acting, singing, dancing, set design,costumes, make-up, lighting, and sound effects). All these elements illustrate how 《CATS》 was in a high level of sophistication.