Disclosure: Dutch Apple provided me and my family tickets to see CATS.
Now through June 29th the Lancaster Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre presents CATS! The theatrical sensation that if you haven’t seen yet- you must, it is an experience you that you will never forget. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS is a unique, spectacular musical with fantastic costumes and electrifying dancing that has young and old cheering!
There is no better place to see CATS for the first (or tenth) time than The Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre. There are 384 seats inside that are all with in 50 feet of the stage. No matter where you sit, you will not have an unobstructed view because there are no pillars in the theatre. Plus for convenience, there are no steps in the theatre, seating in a variety of table sizes and free parking.
The show is just a part of the package at Dutch Apple. You also get dinner! A salad bar with six specialty salads, fresh rolls, a hot buffet meal and over 15 desserts including Turkey Hill ice cream, cakes and pies are all available before the show starts.
CATS has a pretty hard to understand plot that revolves around the Jellicle Ball. The Jellicle Ball is held once a year by Old Deuteronomy. He makes the “Jellicle Choice” about which cat will be reborn into a new Jellicle life. But to be honest, the story line is not what makes CATS amazing. The show is. The cast preforming at Dutch Apple consists of 19 people that work together amazingly! Each and everyone of them acts like a cat during the entire show. They scratch their ears, lick themselves, rub up against other cats and even hiss! A few of them even peruse through the theatre during the show- allowing you to pet them.
From far away the make up is fantastic, but up close it’s phenomenal! John White knocked costume design out of the park. Combine that with Brandon Miller’s wig design and you literally transform a person into a fabulous looking cat!
CATS really is for all ages. We brought three of our children with us. Here’s what they thought.
CATS really is for all ages. We brought three of our children with us. Here’s what they thought.Emmitt is two. He was the one I was most concerned about taking to the show. The show is about two and a half hours, which I have never tried to have him sit still for. He made it through the entire first act with out a peep- the cats on stage were entrancing to him! During the intermission we went out to the lobby and let him run off some energy. We brought him back in before the second act and he seemed a bit restless stuck in his seat. Our waitress was kind enough to bring us a handful of saltine crackers for him to munch on. The minute the second act started he was entranced yet again! If your two year old can sit through a movie, I highly suggest bringing them along with you. Ask for a table in the back (E section) just in case you need to sneak out and let them run around for a bit!
Carlee is four. We took her to Disney last year and she was petrified of all the characters. The first time she saw one of the CATS was in the dark at our table. One of them was crawling around the back of us towards the stage and happened to pop her head up right in front of Carlee’s face. She screamed bloody murder! I thought it was over for us then. But she got herself together and watched the show. She had many questions during the show, all of which were easy to answer. No other cats scared her during the show because I made sure to warn her when one was crawling around. After the show we met two of the CATS in the lobby and once Carlee was able to see that they were people- she even gave one a hug! She has not stopped talking about CATS since the show and keeps asking to go back!
Blake is eight. He actually knew a few of the songs from his elementary music class and was amazed at the dancing. He has been trying to learn how to walk on his hands like the CATS since we left and made sure to grab one of the programs before we left and plans on using it for show and tell Tuesday to show all his friends about what he got to do this weekend! He has also decided that this year, for Halloween he wants to be a cat!
If your pondering what to do this weekend or trying to make summer break plans I highly suggest you check out CATS. It is a family friendly show that will leave you with life long memories!
All images courtesy of Dutch Apple Theatre.
This show looks amazing! I didn’t think my 6 yr old son would sit through something like this but after reading this and how your kiddos did I’m thinking he would be just fine!
looks like so much fun!! love hearing the kids’ reactions 🙂
That’s so amazing! I’ve never seen Cats, but have always wanted to. I didn’t even realize it was for kids! Fred and I may actually drive up that way since it’s not too far from his parents. Hello date night!
I was there years ago to see Grease, and we had a great time. I’m a little further away now, but it’s still very doable for us. Thanks for reminding me! I’m going to tell my husband we need to go soon.
I can’t believe I’m almost 40 and I’ve never seen Cats! I’d love to see it some day, they all look amazing. I loved reading how your kids liked the show, good to know.
What a cool experience! I have always wanted to see a CATS performance live on stage and had no idea that they tour other areas of the country aside from Broadway.
Great review! You make me want to see it! Can’t believe one of the cats scared your daughter!
You are so lucky to have gotten to see ‘Cats’ in person! I really wanted to get to see singer Taylor Dayne when she played Grizabella. My whole family has loved ‘Cats’ ever since my youngest sister saw it on PBS. She would ask us to play the “Kitties” VHS tape, which is what she called ‘Cats’. Then she would act out all the dance moves! The whole show is so amazingly well done it’s hard to pick a favorite character or song.