With movie theaters shut down, there's plenty more time to reflect on the film outings that 2019 gave us. Perhaps none went quite as viral as Tom Hooper's Cats, which was a film adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name. The movie quickly became infamous due to the wild visual effects, mystifying plot, and the rumors of the #ButtholeCut. While this conversation made Cats a movie you had to see to believe, Broadway legend and two-time Tony winner Patti Lupone has refused to screen it. And now she's explained why.
Patti Lupone is an icon of musical theater, whose talents have also extended to film and television. Given her Broadway background, it seems logical that Lupone might have gotten a Cats screener, and the opportunity to see how that particular musical was adapted for the big screen. But it turns out she's not interested in seeing who becomes the Jellicle choice, as she recently explained,
I will never watch it. I just saw the revival of it and walked out after the first act. I saw it originally in London and hated it, so I'm not surprised that it bombed onscreen. From one to 10, how about zero.
Well, that was honest. Patti Lupone isn't one known for mincing words, so her opinion about Cats is as blunt as one might expect. Lupone wasn't a fan of Cats as a stage musical, so she's not exactly gobsmacked that the film adaptation was such a critical failure. As such, she won't be creating any memories of Andrew Lloyd Webber's feline-focused show anytime soon.
As Patti Lupone told Andy Cohen on a home edition of Watch What Happens Live!, she was able to see Cats long before it became an infamous movie musical. In fact, she saw it in the West End, presumably before it transferred to Broadway. But the stage version of Cats failed to impress the Evita icon, and she left at the show's intermission. As such, there's no chance of her sitting through the ill-fated movie.
Despite not being interested in the Cats movie, Patti Lupone has been making plenty of headlines recently. She's been posting plenty of home content from isolation, and going viral in the process. She's given hilarious tours of her basement, which never fails to get plenty of attention on social media. That's likely what inspired Andy Cohen to bring her onto Watch What Happens Live!, although she's been an in-person guest of the show on a number of other occasions.
Patti Lupone is also gearing up for the upcoming premiere of Ryan Murphy's upcoming show Hollywood. Set to arrive on Netflix shortly, Lupone will play a character named Avis, which will mark the third Murphy show that she's appeared in. Patti previously appeared in American Horror Story: Coven, and most recently Pose.
Cats is currently available to watch via video on demand, DVD, and Blu-ray now. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
