The hit musical 'Cats' has had a slight makeover for its comeback performances starting in December in London. One of the traditional songs will now be a rap. The musical's writer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said he felt the musical needed to be updated to appeal to a new generation of theatre-goers. Lloyd Webber based his musical on a famous book called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by the famous British writer T. S. Eliot. It tells the story of a group of cats called the Jellicles, who have to decide which cat gets to come back to life after death. 'Cats' first opened in London's West End in 1981 and on Broadway in New York in 1982. It won numerous awards and ran for twenty-one years in the English capital.

The rap will be performed by the Rum Tum Tugger character, who is a rebellious street cat. Lloyd Webber said the original poem that the cat sings, written in the 1930s, has a strong rap rhythm. He joked that T.S. Eliot may have been the world's first rapper, saying: "I've come to the conclusion…that maybe Eliot was the inventor of rap." He added: "I think Rum Tum Tugger is going to have to become a street cat for today and he has to do hip-hop." The show's producer, Sir Trevor Nunn, explained the decision to include the rap. He said: "There is a whole generation of kids who haven't seen 'Cats' or discovered it. And there are certainly elements of the show that can be reinvigorated in very contemporary terms."

1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.All songs in the new version of the musical 'Cats' will be rapped.T / F

b.Rap has been introduced to get younger people to see musicals.T / F

c.The story of 'Cats' is based on an entry about cats in an encyclopaedia.T / F

d.'Cats' opened in New York a year after it opened in London.T / F

e.The rap will be performed by the cat who follows all the rules.T / F

f.The 'Cats' writer joked that a famous British writer was the first rapper.T / F

g.The writer of 'Cats' is also the producer.T / F

h.A guy called Nunn said parts of the show could be made more modern.T / F

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.When does 'Cats' start its new season?

2.Who does the writer of 'Cats' want to appeal to?

3.Who wrote the book on which 'Cats' is based?

4.When did 'Cats' first open in London?

5.For how long did 'Cats' first run in London?

6.What kind of street cat is Rum Tum Tugger?

7.When was the book the songs are based on written?

8.What did Lloyd Webber joke about regarding T.S. Eliot?

9.Who is Sir Trevor Nunn?

10.What did Trevor Nunn say could be reinvigorated?

答案

TRUE / FALSE

a F b T c F d T e F f T g F h T

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.In December

2.A younger generation of theatre-goers

3.T.S. Eliot

4.1981

5.21 years

6.A rebellious one

7.In the 1930s

8.He was the inventor of rap

9.The producer of 'Cats'

10.Elements of the show