Andrew Lloyd Webber has joined the vocal gang of Cats detractors. The 72-year-old composer, who wrote the musical that became a cultural juggernaut in the 1980s, opened up about his thoughts on the 2019 film in The Sunday Times.
He threw director Tom Hopper under the bus: “The problem with the film was that Tom Hooper decided, as he had with Les Mis, that he didn’t want anybody involved in it who was involved in the original show. The whole thing was ridiculous.”
The film version of Cats starred Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, Judi Dench, James Corden and was widely derided by critics, fans and even the stars themselves.
Dench told Vogue she looked “like a battered, mangy old cat.” Dench added, “A great big orange bruiser. What’s that about?”
Corden said he hasn’t seen it but that “I had the loveliest time making that film. It took me six days and I loved every single second of it. So I think you’ve got to be careful not to decide – you’ve got to decide things on your own personal experience. And I had a really great time. So I don’t regret it at all, because I decided to do it in the same way that I’ve decided to do many things. Some have worked, and some haven’t.”
