I had the opportunity to see Cats live this evening. My seat was, perhaps, a bit too close to the stage (one row back in the orchestra pit which means about five feet from the stage) and the seat was a bit hard but, all complaints aside, it was well worth it. No doubt some of your are saying something like, "Well, duh!". I had no doubts going in that it was going to be worth it. Live theatre is not really my thing but I do appreciate it when it is done well. And this was well done.
When I do go to a live theatre performance, what I really like about it is that I can look at things in the background or off to the side. I don’t have to put up with what a director decided to show me on the limited window provided by a camera lens. Having the full breadth and depth of the action available is nice. People who know me well know that I often am not watching the foreground action in movies and television shows but rather I’m watching the background. That is something the stage allows the viewer to do effectively. It’s never out of focus or out of frame. For anyone like me out there, Cats has something for us.
I think the biggest reason live theatre is not my thing is cost. I can watch a movie on the big screen for a fraction of the cost of a good seat for a play. I also do not have to plan well in advance to get said good seat. Most of the time, I can just turn up at the cinema and watch a movie. Perhaps that makes the live production that much better when I see one, though, because it is a novelty.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening.