There Is a Live Tom & Jerry Musical Happening in Buenos Aires

You know when someone has the idea to turn something into a musical, and you’re like “Seriously? That would be super weird!” And sometimes it works and sometimes it just … doesn’t? Well, in Argentina, a live, musical version of the classic Hanna Barbera cartoon Tom & Jerry opened and judging by the costumes (and, apparently, reviews) this was definitely one of those times when it did not work. Unless this was really at a Six Flags and was not a full-length, expensive stage production … oh, never mind. That’s what it was.

According to the synopsis (translated from Spanish):

Under the direction of Leandro Panetta, Tom, Jerry, Spike and the gang go on stage, recreating classic cartoons with songs, chases, jokes, games and stunts. Tom and Jerry travel from opera to medieval times, then run and chase from the living room into the garden. Actors, dancers, singers and acrobats on stage guide to the public in this magical world where Friendship is always the result of each and every encounter …

Well, here’s Problem #1: Tom and Jerry are not friends. Every cartoon is focused on Tom trying to kill Jerry and Jerry making Tom look like an idiot. So there’s a major flaw. And also, neither Tom nor Jerry talk on a regular basis, so what are they singing? Yes, I know, sometimes they talk, and it’s always weird, at least for me. So a musical that has them singing? Even weirder.

The show drew from some of the best-known T&J shorts, such as The Two Mouseketeers and The Cat Above and the Mouse Below. And the Anchors Aweigh dance number when Jerry danced with Gene Kelly was awesome, and they included that, too. But the magic of that was that Gene Kelly was dancing with a cartoon, who was doing an identical dance. So, trying to put a man-sized guy in a mouse costume … already, that’s not going to work. It’s just not going to work.

So, yeah. We would not advise booking a flight to Argentina for this one.

(Cartoon Brew)