Last year he saw "Les Miz" and "Notre Dame de Paris."

Compared to those shows, he says he found the price for "Cats" to be quite reasonable.

"I spent 300 yuan for a front-row seat at an afternoon show. If I spent that much money at the other two shows I would have only managed a seat on the third level," he said.

However, Wang said he preferred the other shows because the plots have more drama.

"'Cats' has splendid sets, fun characters and audience interaction, which quite appeals to me. But I don't think it as melodic as "Les Miz" or "Phantom of the Opera" except for the famous song 'Memory'."

During the intermission, the cast members hovered around him. While Wang said he enjoyed the interaction, his girlfriend seemed to "freak out" when a cat first came close to her.

Although he resorted to the Chinese subtitles once in a while, Wang said he didn't think it was proper to have a Chinese version of the musical.

"The music seems to fit with the English rhymes. It must be hard to write Chinese lyrics in that case," Wang said.

For Song Yan, musicals are always associated with her time in New York.

A year ago she saw "Les Miz" and "42nd Street" on Broadway.

This time, her ticket came as a bonus from her company. She sat in the fourth row. "It is obvious that they regard themselves as real cats," said the 27-year-old banker.

"The actors are very professional in their performance. I can tell this from their attention to detail."

Song said she felt comfortable about the cats walking around, although she added children might feel a little scared by "human-size cats."

For 52-year-old corporate purchaser Chen Huiyi, the musical was quite a novelty. One of his clients gave him a ticket in the 10th row.

A fan of Peking Opera and other traditional art forms, he said he also enjoyed the show. "It is interesting. The costumes are funny and the dancing is jubilant. I still prefer Peking Opera because I know more about the back-ground and it is easy for me to follow. It seems that this musical is just for fun."

When a cat actor approached the audience during the intermission, Chen said he was startled at first. The cats seemed unaffected, just like their real-life counterparts.

"Some of the audience came up and touched the cats while others backed off. The cats didn't seem to mind that at all," Chen said.

"But I heard a baby cry in the show. He was probably scared."

Chen said he had to watch the subtitles during the performance as he does not speak English, something he called "not very comfortable.

"I wish there would be some Chinese musicals so that I don't have to be distracted by subtitles. I could get a better understanding of the meaning."

Zhang Li, a 17-year-old student, said she used her pocket money to buy a third-floor ticket.

"I watched 'Les Miz' with my parents last year and I thought it was great so I came to see this," she said.

"I like the song 'Memory' and I have heard it many times, but this time I got to know the context."

She said she wished she had more money to buy a ticket in the front rows so that she could be closer to the action.

"When my father took me to watch 'Les Miz' last year, he said it might benefit my English. But I don't think so. The musical is just for fun and relaxation, right?" Zhang asked.

(Eastday.com April 12, 2003)