The Cat Concerto

Tom makes his entrance from the left side of the stage, dressed in an elegant white tie and tails. He takes his seat at the piano, gathering his concentration as the orchestra below him in the pit begins to warm up. He starts playing Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody.” Unknown to both Tom and the audience, Jerry is napping across several of the high-note keys inside the piano. As Tom plays, Jerry is awakened, leading to a chaotic series of events where he is struck by hammers, jostled by wires, and squeezed by Tom, who is determined to continue his performance while trying to get rid of Jerry. Jerry’s clever maneuvers add excitement to the performance, countering Tom with his own impressive musical responses. By the end of the concerto, the performance concludes with only one of the two animals remaining to receive the audience’s applause.