\ud83c\udfad NEW! Ft. Myers\/Naples Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll admit it: I\u2019ve never been a CATS fan.<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfad NEW! Ft. Myers\/Naples Theatre Newsletter<\/p>\n
For years,\u00a0CATS felt like one of those shows I respected more than I enjoyed. The thin plot, the surreal premise, the endless parade of dancing felines – it never quite worked for me. But the current production at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre managed to do something unexpected: it made me actually enjoy\u00a0CATS.<\/p>\n
![\"Review:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4325.jpeg\" "\\"Review:")
Much of that success comes down to the cast. This is an athletic, high-energy ensemble that fully commits to the physical and stylistic demands of the show. The choreography-heavy score requires performers who can sing, dance, and maintain larger-than-life feline personalities simultaneously, and this company rises to the challenge.<\/p>\n
Among the standouts,\u00a0Caleb Summers<\/a>\u00a0brings swagger and rock-star charisma to Rum Tum Tugger, owning the stage with confidence and a playful sense of mischief.\u00a0Dalton Bertolone<\/a>\u00a0provides a strong center as Munkustrap, guiding the Jellicle tribe with authority while anchoring the show\u2019s storytelling. Jacob Medich<\/a> as Old Deuteronomy brought a powerful presence, and an even more powerful voice.<\/p>\n The emotional heart of the musical, of course, is Grizabella.\u00a0Abigail Aldridge\u00a0delivers a moving performance that builds gradually toward the show\u2019s most famous moment, the ballad \u201cMemory.\u201d Her interpretation is heartfelt and powerful without feeling overdone, making the character\u2019s longing and redemption land with genuine emotional weight. The moment between her and Sillabub (Quinlyn Kessler) as they sing together is a beautiful, powerful scene.<\/p>\n Director and choreographer Amy Marie McCleary makes effective use of the dinner theatre space, often sending the Jellicle cats weaving between tables before gathering onstage for the Jellicle Ball. It\u2019s an immersive touch that makes the audience feel like part of the Jellicle\u00a0troupe\u00a0rather than passive observers. Costume Designer<\/a> John P. White brought the cats to life on stage with terrific costumes.<\/p>\n At its core,\u00a0CATS\u00a0is less about story and more about spectacle, music, and movement – a celebration of personality and theatricality. This Broadway Palm production embraces that fully, leaning into the energy and fun rather than trying to force the show into something it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n I walked in a\u00a0CATS\u00a0skeptic. I walked out a fan. And that might be the most impressive trick this Jellicle\u00a0tale\u00a0pulls off.<\/p>\n CATS is now playing at Broadway Palm through April 4. For tickets and more info, follow the link below.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reader Reviews<\/p>\n To post a comment, you must register<\/a> and login<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udfad NEW! Ft. Myers\/Naples Theatre Newsletter Get all the top news & discounts for Ft. Myers\/Naples & beyond.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":186609,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-186608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186608"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186608\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Review:](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4648.jpeg\" "\\"Review:")
The production also benefits from a strong supporting company.\u00a0Lucas Dickson\u00a0dazzles with the technical brilliance required for Mister Mistoffelees, while\u00a0Matthew Green\u00a0brings charm and personality to Skimbleshanks. I also really loved Mungojerrie (Nate Walsh) and Rumpleteazer\u00a0(Rachel Lou Redding). The entire ensemble works tirelessly, delivering impressive dance numbers that keep the momentum alive throughout the evening.\u00a0<\/p>\n