I regret to inform you that I am now a Cats convert.

For years my parents have been trying to convince me that Cats was a good musical and that I would like it. I wholeheartedly disagreed, purely on principle. I mean, come on, it's a musical about singing cats doing whatever it is that cats do. What even is the plot? Seems to me like an excuse for people wearing spandex to grope an audience for two hours. I wasn't entirely wrong. It was a musical about nothing really. There wasn't much of a plot other than introducing different cats who are all a part of some sort of cat squad known as the "Jellicle Cats". The only plot line I can muster is that the Jellicle Cats meet once a year to decide which cat is going to go to heaven and be reborn (because cats have 9 lives, get it?).

Act one did not have me convinced. I was ready to call my mom to gloat over the fact that I didn't like the show. I heard a little girl behind me say "Mom, when are they going to speak?". I can say that act one did have a tap dance number and a very good overture. Which, if you know me, are two of my favorite things. I will also say that the performance as a whole was very impressive. The singing, dancing, and set design were excellent. However, I still found the show a bit slow and a little pointless. But then, something extraordinary happened: act two.

Act two was nothing short of magical. First we were introduced to a "theatre cat" and the whole troupe of cats re-enacted a dog fight which I loved. I found myself saying, "The theatre cat saved the show!". Then, there was a railway cat with a very catchy song. This time the cats made a railway train out of garbage and I said, "No! The railway cat saved the show!". But nothing prepared me for our last introduction. A "cat" hopped onto stage dressed in sparkling black and suddenly his outfit lit up and all the lightbulbs on stage lit up too! The cats then sang what was, in my opinion, the most fun and catchy song in the show. I was in love.

I don't know how Andrew Lloyd Webber did it, but by the end of the show I was on my feet. I walked out of the theatre raving. Honestly, Cats still probably isn't for everyone. Shout out to the guy who left during bows and said, "I can't take another second of this." However, for theatre nerds, Cats has it all. It's a musical, an operetta and a ballet! You may sit through act one in a daze of confusion and some regret. But I promise you, act two will convert you just like it did for me. As someone who rallied against Cats for years, I can wholeheartedly say I promise you will love it! If you told me five years ago that I would be writing this, I would have laughed at you. You're just going to have to take my word: Cats is worth the price of admission.

Cats the Musical is currently running on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre. http://www.catsthemusical.com/broadway