The film adaptation of Cats is, to many, a nightmarish, almost hallucinogenic journey through the deepest caverns of the uncanny valley. The CGI human-cat hybrids are already unsettling to the average viewer, but the film's deeply bizarre and confusing narrative doesn't help to ease the audience. It's no surprise then that those who have suffered through Cats have tried to desperately make sense of the nonsensical happenings and unexplained phrases like "Jellicle cat" or "the Heaviside Layer." Instead of silliness and whimsy, these concepts have evoked unsettling questions regarding existentialism and the afterlife.

This panicked attempt at rationalization has led to a surprisingly well-thought-out Reddit post by user Whoofph. The interpretation posits that the plot of Cats is actually a wildly intricate metaphor for the concept of the seven deadly sins, and that each vice has a corresponding character in the film. Furthermore, the Jellicles all exist in Purgatory and, through their song and dance performances, must prove to Old Deuteronomy that they are worthy of atonement to enter heaven, defined in the film as the Heaviside Layer.

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Almost all of the cats who attempt to ascend to the Heaviside Layer with their musical numbers fail because they are unable to overcome their temptations. Only Grizabella, played by Jennifer Hudson, is able to recognize her envy for the fame and glamour the other cats have. Through her acceptance of her faults, she gets to ascend to heaven at the end of the movie. Idris Elba's Macavity, try as he may to tempt the cats to ensure his duplicitous victory, fails in his conniving plans. Despite his attempts to eliminate the competition, he counts out the triumphant return of Grizabella, the ex-partner he spurned years ago causing her fall from grace.

It is important to note that Whoofph has admitted to having never seen the original stage production, and thus bases this theory entirely on the film. However, the changes made to the musical's plot and characters do not necessarily contradict the thesis. The corresponding roles in the stage version still match up to each one of the seven sins, and the performances of high judge Old Deuteronomy and the evil, conniving Macavity are also the same.

The main difference is the role of Bombalurina, played in the film by Taylor Swift. Although Swift's version acts as Macavity's henchman, Bombalurina plays a significantly larger part in the stage version, where she proclaims her hatred of the antagonist. Still, she is portrayed as mischievous and seductive in both, pointing to lust as her assigned sin.

Furthermore, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Broadway powerhouse who created and composed the original stage production, has a history of writing musicals regarding religious themes, often retelling Biblical stories through his own quirky viewpoint. One of his first musicals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, puts a psychedelic pop twist on the "coat of any colors" story from the Book of Genesis.

Another early Lloyd Webber work, Jesus Christ Superstar, began as a rock-opera concept album. Beyond its contemporary style, Superstar takes an unconventional approach to the New Testament by placing Judas front and center and portraying the infamous betrayer in a sympathetic light. Lloyd Webber's history of drawing creative inspiration from religious themes gives a little more legitimacy to this strange fan theory about an already weird piece of musical theatre history.

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However, Cats the musical is based on a book of children's poems called Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by literary legend T.S. Eliot. Each poem in the collection contained a humorous explanation for the names and personalities of Eliot's fantastical cats, so trying to weave these ideas into a singular plot was bound to result in something nonsensical. Although Lloyd Weber put added his own ideas into his adaptation, its origins suggest a lighter explanation than the dense fan theory.

Cats Trailer 2019 https://twitter.com/universaluk/status/1151960883343581188 Credit: Universal Pictures UK

In addition, this theory assigns the sin of wrath to Growltiger, Macavity's henchman who doesn't actually perform a musical number. Here, the theory begins to fall apart. If the Jellicles are putting on a show to atone for their sins, why is wrath excluded? This also raises some questions about the other cats' performances. Why is James Corden's Bustopher Jones a metaphor for gluttony while Ian McKellen's Gus the Theater Cat has no corresponding sin?

The seven deadly sins has been a popular concept for fan theorists, and other properties including Gilligan's Island, Friends and Spongebob Squarepants have inspired similar ideas. It's both tempting and easy to draw correlations between an ensemble cast and the Christian concept as the vices reflect behaviors everyone is has been guilty of at some point. The idea of connecting characters to each of the seven sins is so popular that it inspired an entire manga and anime series. This new Cats fan theory, despite its convincing merits, is thus one in a long tradition of impressively elaborate and admittedly fun, but ultimately trivial speculation.

NEXT: Cats vs. The Lion King: Which Singing, CGI Felines are Weirder?