CATS Broadway Closing Night - Memory (Linda Balgord, 2000)

[@chrisjacobs7417]

Rest in peace Linda. An incredible talent gone too soon

[@chrisjacobs7417]

@@brettewilson her obituary said a sudden illness

[@sydneytollinchi452]

My first musical when I was 4, my mom took me to the last showing of Cats on Broadway. I can’t believe I was actually there, and now 20 years later I see this on KZbin from the night we were there. What a trip.

[@patwhite7970]

Great orchestra and Linda is fabulous. Not bad for a small town girl!

[@brettewilson]

Both her voice and the orchestra (especially between 5:09 and the very end) are so emotionally captivating! Their Syllabub (or Jemima) also has a lovely voice.

[@amazingstarzz]

A gem

[@andrewdittmar361]

Linda Balgord is fabulous. Saw her go on for Patti LuPone in Gypsy, among other roles

[@Broadwayriah]

did you ever manage to see her in CATS? I heard that people didn’t like her as Grizabella

[@andrewdittmar361]

@@Broadwayriah Yeah, I did. The last performance of Cats was invite only, but I saw the last open-admission show and a few others that last year. Honestly by the time Cats closed I think most people were so anaesthetized to what they were seeing onstage that it didn't really matter. I don't recall anyone being particularly unhappy with her performance? Cats is always a show that's hard for me to actually assess. By the 90s it was something of a joke in a lot of Broadway circles, which wasn't helped by some epically phoned in performances by even some incredibly gifted performers.

[@Broadwayriah]

ooh, yeah Linda did a good job as Grizabella but a lot of the newer fans do not like her due to her technique. By any chance were you also able to watch Lilias White as Grizabella?

[@andrewdittmar361]

@@Broadwayriah I am fairly certain, though I'd have to dig through old Playbills and theatre journals to confirm. Lillias White wasn't with the show particularly long, less than a year (versus 4-5 years for other Grizabellas), and she's publicly talked about hating the show, so I can't imagine her performance made much of an impact on me, especially compared to her performances in other showsm

[@Broadwayriah]

i see, well thank you for your insight. I appreciate it ☺️

[@ValtronW]

Omg this is the best the orchestra ever sound

[@anagasteyerchicagoera8216]

OMG Audio from this show exists ?

[@Broadwayriah]

yes and so does audio from the London closing matinee (the afternoon show before the closing night show)

[@Whylmao123]

@@Broadwayriah where

[@Broadwayriah]

@@Whylmao123With traders