Based on the book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot and developed by musical theater wunderkind Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cats is a musical that has been entertaining audiences worldwide since it was first staged in 1981.
One of the longest-running Broadway shows in history (it was THE longest until Webber's own The Phantom of the Opera surpassed it in 2006), Cats tells the story of the Jellicles, a mysterious tribe of cats who have to pick one cat to ascend to what is essentially Heaven, in order to start a new life. It received numerous "Best Musical" awards in its original run and was a bonafide cultural phenomenon, earning millions of dollars and turning the song "Memory" into a genuine hit.
The show's been re-staged several times in major capacities, leading up to its current run again on Broadway, which has managed to draw hundreds of people. Recently, among those people was someone with a service dog, and while the rest of the audience may have been having the time of their lives, the pooch decided to let the cast know just what he thought of their performance...
The performance of Cats had only just gone into its opening number, but the as-yet-unnamed service dog was already very displeased with the performance, especially with the character Bombalurina, played by actress Mackenzie Warren. It was so incensed, in fact, that it decided to give them a piece of its mind the only way a dog knows how: by storming the stage and heading for Bombalurina herself.
That's right folks, the dog was so convinced it was watching actual cats during a performance of Cats that it became upset and ran down the aisles towards the offending felines, focusing specifically on chasing Bombalurina. It's either the most primal example of "nature vs. nurture," or a testament to the quality of the costumes used in the show.
Fortunately, the incident seemed to be contained fairly quickly. According to a spokesperson who spoke to the New York Post:
"In the storied history of "˜Cats,' this is the first time one of the actual cats was involved in an incident with a dog. We're pleased to report that no animals or humans were harmed in the dust-up, and the performance continued without a hitch."
Are you surprised that a dog wasn't exactly enjoying Cats?