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Hit musical 'Cats' gets rap song (10th July, 2014)

The Reading / Listening - Level 6

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."

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 4 or Level 5

Sources

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/10951867/Cats-classic-musical-to-feature-a-rapping-cat.html
http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/andrew-lloyd-webbers-hit-musical-cats-gets-hiphop-twist-as-it-returns-to-west-end-9589096.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_%28musical%29

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. RAP: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about rap. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

makeover / comeback / traditional / appeal / generation / famous / awards / capital / performed / rebellious / rhythm / rapper / inventor / hip-hop / discovered / show

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. MUSICALS: What might these imaginary musicals be about? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	Basic story	What happens at the end?
"Dogs"
"Smile"
"World Cup"
"I Love You"
"English"
"QWERTY"

4. STAGE: Students A strongly believe musicals are better than operas; Students B strongly believe the opposite. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. MUSIC: Rank these with your partner. Put the best music for a musical at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• rap

• rock

• classical

• jazz

• R & B

• reggae

• country

• punk

6. MAKEOVER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "makeover". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

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

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	hit	a.	tempo
2.	traditional	b.	age group
3.	updated	c.	creator
4.	generation	d.	standard
5.	ran	e.	energised
6.	rhythm	f.	modernised
7.	conclusion	g.	incorporate
8.	inventor	h.	box-office success
9.	include	i.	deduction
10.	invigorated	j.	continued

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	The hit musical 'Cats' has had	a.	to be updated
2.	comeback	b.	poem
3.	the musical needed	c.	awards
4.	come back	d.	terms
5.	It won numerous	e.	a slight makeover
6.	the original	f.	of kids
7.	a strong	g.	to life
8.	the inventor	h.	performances
9.	a whole generation	i.	of rap
10.	in very contemporary	j.	rap rhythm

GAP FILL

The hit musical 'Cats' has had a (1) ____________ makeover for its comeback performances starting in December in London. One of the (2) ____________ songs will now be a rap. The musical's writer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said he felt the musical needed to be (3) ____________ to appeal to a new (4) ____________ of theatre-goers. Lloyd Webber (5) ____________ 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 (6) ____________ of cats called the Jellicles, who have to decide which cat gets to come back to (7) ____________ after death. 'Cats' first opened in London's West End in 1981 and on Broadway in New York in 1982. It won numerous (8) ____________ and ran for twenty-one years in the English capital.

generation
life
traditional
group
slight
awards
updated
based

The rap will be (9) ____________ by the Rum Tum Tugger character, who is a rebellious street cat. Lloyd Webber said the (10) ____________ poem that the cat sings, written in the 1930s, has a strong rap (11) ____________. He joked that T.S. Eliot may have been the world's first rapper, saying: "I've come to the (12) ____________ …that maybe Eliot was the (13) ____________ 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 (14) ____________ 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 (15) ____________ of the show that can be reinvigorated in very contemporary (16) ____________."

conclusion
decision
elements
performed
terms
original
inventor
rhythm

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	The hit musical 'Cats' has had a slight makeover for its ______
	a. comeback performance b. comeback performance is c. comeback perform ants is d. comeback performances
2)	Andrew Lloyd Webber said he felt the musical needed ______
	a. to be outdated b. to be updated c. to be update it d. to be updates
3)	appeal to a new generation ______
	a. of theatre-goers b. of theatre-go as c. of theatre-goes as d. of theatre-golfers
4)	decide which cat gets to come back to ______
	a. life after deaths b. life after dying c. life after death d. life after deathly
5)	It won numerous awards and ran for twenty-one years ______
	a. in the English capitals b. in the English capital c. in the English cap it all d. in the English cap it tall
6)	The rap will be performed by the Rum Tum Tugger character, who is a ______
	a. rebellious street cat b. rebelliously street cat c. rebellion street cat d. rebel on us street cat
7)	the original poem that the cat sings, written in the 1930s, has a ______
	a. stronger rap rhythm b. strong raps rhythm c. strong rap rhythm d. strong rap rhythms
8)	I've come to the conclusion…that maybe Eliot was the ______
	a. invention of rap b. inventors of rap c. inventory of rap d. inventor of rap
9)	Sir Trevor Nunn, explained the decision to ______
	a. include the wrap b. include the lap c. include the rap d. include the rapt
10)	elements of the show that can be reinvigorated in very ______
	a. contemporary items b. contemporary terms c. contemporary teams d. contemporary trams

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The hit musical 'Cats' has had (1) ___________________ for its comeback performances starting in December in London. One of the traditional songs (2) ___________________. The musical's writer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said he felt the musical needed to be (3) ___________________ to a new generation of theatre-goers. Lloyd Webber based his musical on a famous book called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" (4) ___________________ writer T. S. Eliot. It tells the story of a group of cats called the Jellicles, who have to decide which cat gets (5) ___________________ life after death. 'Cats' first opened in London's West End in 1981 and on Broadway in New York in 1982. It won numerous (6) ___________________ twenty-one years in the English capital.

The rap will (7) ___________________ 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 (8) ___________________. 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 (9) ___________________." He added: "I think Rum Tum Tugger is going to have to become a street cat for today and he (10) ___________________." The show's producer, Sir Trevor Nunn, explained the (11) ___________________ 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 (12) ___________________ in very contemporary terms."

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?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	When does 'Cats' start its new season?	6.	What kind of street cat is Rum Tum Tugger?
	a) September b) October c) November d) December		a) a cool cat b) an intelligent one c) a rebellious one d) one with nine lives
2.	Who does the writer of 'Cats' want to appeal to?	7.	When was the book the songs are based on written?
	a) cat owners b) younger theatre-goers c) vets d) dog lovers		a) in the 1930s b) last year c) 1962 d) 10 years ago
3.	Who wrote the book on which 'Cats' is based?	8.	What did Lloyd Webber joke about regarding T.S. Eliot?
	a) J.K. Rowling b) Shakespeare c) Fee Line d) T.S. Eliot		a) that we was a musical star b) that he hated cats c) he was the inventor of rap d) he was a cat in a past life
4.	When did 'Cats' first open in London?	9.	Who is Sir Trevor Nunn?
	a) 1979 b) 1980 c) 1981 d) 1982		a) a cat expert b) the show's producer c) a musicals critic d) a singer
5.	For how long did 'Cats' first run in London?	10.	What did Trevor Nunn say could be reinvigorated?
	a) 24 years b) 23 years c) 22 years d) 21 years		a) parts of the show b) pet shops c) musicals d) Andrew Lloyd Webber

ROLE PLAY

Role A – Rap

You think rap is the best music for musicals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their types of music. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock, classical or punk.

Role B – Rock

You think rock is the best music for musicals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their types of music. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rap, classical or punk.

Role C – Classical

You think classical is the best music for musicals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their types of music. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock, rap or punk.

Role D – Punk

You think punk is the best music for musicals. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their types of music. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock, classical or rap.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'hip' and 'hop'.

hip

hop

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

slight
felt
based
group
opened
ran

character
written
come
today
whole
certainly

RAP SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about rap in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

RAP DISCUSSION

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)	What did you think when you read the headline?
b)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'musical'?
c)	Do you like musicals?
d)	How do musicals in your culture compare with Broadway ones?
e)	How are musicals and operas different? Which are better?
f)	Is it a good idea to put rap in older musicals to make them more modern?
g)	Do you think more people will want to see Cats because it has a rap?
h)	Would you prefer to watch a musical or play?
i)	Do you think London and Broadway musicals are exciting?
j)	What's the best musical from your culture?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
b)	Who is your favourite character from musicals?
c)	Is there anything rebellious about you?
d)	Would you like to see the musical Cats?
e)	Is it possible the writer T.S. Eliot could have invented rap?
f)	What do you know about the history of rap?
g)	Is rap music?
h)	What is the appeal of musicals?
i)	Is it important for musicals to be "modern"?
j)	What questions would you like to ask Andrew Lloyd Webber?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B's QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

The (1) _____ musical 'Cats' has had a slight makeover for its comeback performances (2) _____ 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 (3) _____ to a new generation of theatre-goers. Lloyd Webber (4) _____ 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 (5) _____ 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 (6) _____ for twenty-one years in the English capital.

The rap will be performed by the Rum Tum Tugger character, who is a (7) _____ street cat. Lloyd Webber said the original poem that the cat sings, (8) _____ 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 (9) _____ …that maybe Eliot was the (10) _____ 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 (11) _____ 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 (12) _____ very contemporary terms."

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	punch	(b)	strike	(c)	smash	(d)	hit
2.	(a)	started	(b)	starts	(c)	start	(d)	starting
3.	(a)	repeal	(b)	appeal	(c)	peal	(d)	dispel
4.	(a)	basted	(b)	blasted	(c)	based	(d)	bashed
5.	(a)	go	(b)	live	(c)	come	(d)	refresh
6.	(a)	ran	(b)	managed	(c)	coped	(d)	imagined
7.	(a)	rebels	(b)	rebellious	(c)	rebellion	(d)	rebelling
8.	(a)	written	(b)	wrote	(c)	writing	(d)	writes
9.	(a)	condition	(b)	conclusion	(c)	concussion	(d)	conditional
10.	(a)	starter	(b)	maker	(c)	inventor	(d)	organiser
11.	(a)	putting	(b)	entrance	(c)	include	(d)	introduction
12.	(a)	as	(b)	at	(c)	on	(d)	in

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	The hit musical 'Cats' has had a slight rkvemoea
2.	comeback femraecsronp
3.	the dniartltaio songs
4.	appeal to a new oraegteinn
5.	It won eumounsr awards
6.	in the English aliaptc
Paragraph 2
7.	The rap will be eorepdrmf
8.	a irebleuslo street cat
9.	a strong rap tmhryh
10.	the oetvirnn of rap
11.	eeletnsm of the show
12.	in very ypecntaoormr terms

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	The rap will be performed by the Rum Tum Tugger character, who is a rebellious street cat. Lloyd Webber said the original
( )	in December in London. One of the traditional songs will now be a rap. The musical's writer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said he
( )	going to have to become a street cat for today and he has to do hip-hop." The show'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
( )	goers. Lloyd Webber based his musical on a famous book called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"
( )	producer, Sir Trevor Nunn, explained the decision to include the rap. He said: "There is a whole
( )	on Broadway in New York in 1982. It won numerous awards and ran for twenty-one years in the English capital.
( 1 )	The hit musical 'Cats' has had a slight makeover for its comeback performances starting
( )	cat gets to come back to life after death. 'Cats' first opened in London's West End in 1981 and
( )	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
( )	elements of the show that can be reinvigorated in very contemporary terms."
( )	generation of kids who haven't seen 'Cats' or discovered it. And there are certainly
( )	felt the musical needed to be updated to appeal to a new generation of theatre-
( )	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

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	had makeover hit has slight The 'Cats' a musical.
2.	One of the traditional songs will now be a rap.
3.	to Updated goers - theatre of generation new a to appeal.
4.	the called group story It the of of tells Jellicles cats a.
5.	cat come life which to to Decide gets back.
6.	sings that The the the original 1930s written cat poem, in.
7.	rapper have first may world's Eliot the been.
8.	rap decision to Nunn include explained the the.
9.	haven't generation who 'Cats' whole kids seen A of.
10.	that Elements can of be the reinvigorated show.

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

The hit musical 'Cats' has had a slight / slightly makeover for its comeback performances starting in December in London. One of the traditionally / traditional songs will now be a rap. The musical's writer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, said he felt / feelings the musical needed to be updated to appall / appeal to a new / newly generation of theatre-goers. Lloyd Webber based his musical / musician on a famous book called "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" by / as 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 / go back to life after death. 'Cats' first / fast opened in London's West End in 1981 and on Broadway in New York in 1982. It won numerous awards and saw / ran for twenty-one years in the English capital.

The rap will be performed by the Rum Tum Tugger character / characteristic, who is a rebellion / rebellious street cat. Lloyd Webber said the original / originated poem that the cat sings, wrote / written in the 1930s, has a strong rap rhythm / rhythms. He joked that T.S. Eliot may have been the world's first rapper, saying: "I've come to the introduction / conclusion…that maybe Eliot was the invention / 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 / play hip-hop." The show's producer, Sir Trevor Nunn, explained the decision to include the rap. He said: "There is a whole / entire 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 / teams."

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Th_ h_t m_s_c_l 'C_ts' h_s h_d _ sl_ght m_k__v_r f_r _ts c_m_b_ck p_rf_rm_nc_s st_rt_ng _n D_c_mb_r _n L_nd_n. _n_ _f th_ tr_d_t__n_l s_ngs w_ll n_w b_ _ r_p. Th_ m_s_c_l's wr_t_r, _ndr_w Ll_yd W_bb_r, s__d h_ f_lt th_ m_s_c_l n__d_d t_ b_ _pd_t_d t_ _pp__l t_ _ n_w g_n_r_t__n _f th__tr_-g__rs. Ll_yd W_bb_r b_s_d h_s m_s_c_l _n _ f_m__s b__k c_ll_d "_ld P_ss_m's B__k _f Pr_ct_c_l C_ts" by th_ f_m__s Br_t_sh wr_t_r T. S. _l__t. _t t_lls th_ st_ry _f _ gr__p _f c_ts c_ll_d th_ J_ll_cl_s, wh_ h_v_ t_ d_c_d_ wh_ch c_t g_ts t_ c_m_ b_ck t_ l_f_ _ft_r d__th. 'C_ts' f_rst _p_n_d _n L_nd_n's W_st _nd _n 1981 _nd _n Br__dw_y _n N_w Y_rk _n 1982. _t w_n n_m_r__s _w_rds _nd r_n f_r tw_nty-_n_ y__rs _n th_ _ngl_sh c_p_t_l.

Th_ r_p w_ll b_ p_rf_rm_d by th_ R_m T_m T_gg_r ch_r_ct_r, wh_ _s _ r_b_ll___s str__t c_t. Ll_yd W_bb_r s__d th_ _r_g_n_l p__m th_t th_ c_t s_ngs, wr_tt_n _n th_ 1930s, h_s _ str_ng r_p rhythm. H_ j_k_d th_t T.S. _l__t m_y h_v_ b__n th_ w_rld's f_rst r_pp_r, s_y_ng: "_'v_ c_m_ t_ th_ c_ncl_s__n…th_t m_yb_ _l__t w_s th_ _nv_nt_r _f r_p." H_ _dd_d: "_ th_nk R_m T_m T_gg_r _s g__ng t_ h_v_ t_ b_c_m_ _ str__t c_t f_r t_d_y _nd h_ h_s t_ d_ h_p-h_p." Th_ sh_w's pr_d_c_r, S_r Tr_v_r N_nn, _xpl__n_d th_ d_c_s__n t_ _ncl_d_ th_ r_p. H_ s__d: "Th_r_ _s _ wh_l_ g_n_r_t__n _f k_ds wh_ h_v_n't s__n 'C_ts' _r d_sc_v_r_d _t. _nd th_r_ _r_ c_rt__nly _l_m_nts _f th_ sh_w th_t c_n b_ r__nv_g_r_t_d _n v_ry c_nt_mp_r_ry t_rms."

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

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 ts 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"

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

Thehitmusical'Cats'hashadaslightmakeoverforitscomebackperformancesst
artinginDecemberinLondon.Oneofthetraditionalsongswillnowbearap.Them
usical'swriter,AndrewLloydWebber,saidhefeltthemusicalneededtobeupdate
dtoappealtoanewgenerationoftheatre-goers.LloydWebberbasedhismusic
alonafamousbookcalled"OldPossum'sBookofPracticalCats"bythefamousBrit
ishwriterT.S.Eliot.IttellsthestoryofagroupofcatscalledtheJellicles,whohavet
odecidewhichcatgetstocomebacktolifeafterdeath.'Cats'firstopenedinLondo
n'sWestEndin1981andonBroadwayinNewYorkin1982.Itwonnumerousawar
dsandranfortwenty-oneyearsintheEnglishcapital.Therapwillbeperformedb
ytheRumTumTuggercharacter,whoisarebelliousstreetcat.LloydWebbersaid
theoriginalpoemthatthecatsings,writteninthe1930s,hasastrongraprhythm.
HejokedthatT.S.Eliotmayhavebeentheworld'sfirstrapper,saying:"I'vecome
totheconclusion…thatmaybeEliotwastheinventorofrap."Headded:"IthinkRu
mTumTuggerisgoingtohavetobecomeastreetcatfortodayandhehastodohip-
hop."Theshow'sproducer,SirTrevorNunn,explainedthedecisiontoincludethe
rap.Hesaid:"Thereisawholegenerationofkidswhohaven'tseen'Cats'ordiscov
eredit.Andtherearecertainlyelementsoftheshowthatcanbereinvigoratedinv
erycontemporaryterms."

FREE WRITING

Write about rap for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner's paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Compare and contrast rap and rock. Which do you prefer? Why?

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google's search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about rap. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. RAP: Make a poster about rap. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. 'CATS' RAP: Write a magazine article about the new rap in the musical 'Cats'. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against it.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to a rap expert. Ask him/her three questions about rap. Give him/her three of your opinions on it. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

A Few Additional Activities for Students

Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

Also...

Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

News
Warm ups
Pre-reading / Post-reading
Using headlines
Working with words
While-reading / While-listening
Moving from text to speech
Post-reading / Post-listening
Discussions
Using opinions
Plans
Language
Using lists
Using quotes
Task-based activities
Role plays
Using the central characters in the article
Using themes from the news
Homework

Buy my book

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ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

F

b

T

c

F

d

T

e

F

f

T

g

F

h

T

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	hit	a.	box-office success
2.	traditional	b.	standard
3.	updated	c.	modernised
4.	generation	d.	age group
5.	ran	e.	continued
6.	rhythm	f.	tempo
7.	conclusion	g.	deduction
8.	inventor	h.	creator
9.	include	i.	incorporate
10.	invigorated	j.	energised

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

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

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

d

2.

b

3.

d

4.

c

5.

d

6.

c

7.

a

8.

c

9.

b

10.

a

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Hit musical 'Cats' gets rap song (10th July, 2014)

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