Cats 2019: Every Song Ranked From Least To Most Horrifying
8. Gus: The Theatre Cat
Ian McKellen shines in this almost autobiographical song that seemed written for him, except as a cat, but there are elements of this sequence that just make it too off-putting to leave off.
For one thing, Ian McKellen's Gus The Theatre Cat is first seen drinking out of an oversized bowl by, you guessed it, lapping it up like a cat would. For another, Ian McKellen's cat is named Asparagus, which makes you question the entire song they had regarding the naming of cats at the beginning of the film - whether Gus only coincidentally shares his name with a vegetable, or whether he goes only by the name humans gave him. But that's too much thought to put into this film.
The last, and most disturbing moment in the song has to be when Judy Dench's Old Deut shows her approval for Gus's performance by lifting her leg in the air. This is after she watches him perform with a vague... sexual air that makes the whole thing all the more questionable.
But overall, it's undeniably fun to watch Ian McKellen be the international treasure that he is.