Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber isn’t usually a fan of film adaptations of his cherished musicals, but a recent production sent him over the edge. After seeing the 2019 movie based on his musical Cats, he was horrified. He thought it was so awful and wrong that he became a dog person.
After watching the Cats film, Webber went out and bought his very first dog, who is trained to be a therapy dog. His new furry friend is a Havanese named Mojito, and the two have become inseparable. His cats are certainly jealous, but the puppy is here to stay. Mojito helped Webber overcome his embarrassment after seeing what his beloved musical turned into.
From Cat Lover to Dog Dad
During an interview, Webber described the film Cats as “off-the-scale all wrong.” When anyone asks him what he needs a therapy dog for, he tells them to see what Hollywood did to his musical.
“There wasn’t really any understanding of why the music ticked at all. I saw it, and I just thought, ‘Oh, God, no,'” Webber said. “It was the first time in my 70-odd years on this planet that I went out and bought a dog. So the one good thing to come out of it is my little Havanese puppy.”
According to Webber, his reasoning allowed him to register Mojito as a therapy dog without any further explanation or proof. However, by definition, therapy dogs don’t get to go everywhere with their humans unless granted permission by the businesses. They’re trained to comfort people at places like nursing homes, hospitals, and schools.
Even so, it’s clear that Mojito brings Webber a lot of joy. The pup has been an excellent companion to have around, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Webber has posted about him baking, playing music, and seeing productions with the dog by his side.
A Disappointing Film
While it’s hard for Webber to be impressed by an adaptation of his musical, he’s not the only person traumatized by Cats. The original musical was one of the longest-running productions on Broadway, but the new movie has awful reviews. It scored 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and 2.7 out of 10 stars on IMDB.
However, most reviews were less personal than Webber’s reasons, so not everyone needed a therapy dog after. Most viewers were disturbed by the animation, saying that the cats looked like someone put a full-body Snapchat filter on the actors. The film even had a lot of big names like James Corden, Jennifer Hudson, and Taylor Swift, but people still weren’t impressed.
Several actors from the 2019 Cats have defended the film in interviews, but their thoughts won’t change Webber’s mind. While he still loves his cats at home, he is now a dog lover too thanks to the unfortunate remake of his musical. Hopefully, Mojito has given his dad the emotional support he needs.
H/T: nypost.com
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via Whisker Therapy