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jelliclekay · 2 months

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Kay Sees Regional Cats

I saw my first regional Cats production the other day! It was so exciting to go see a local theater production of Cats. I'll be honest, I don't really pay much mind to the regional production bootlegs of Cats that exist on YouTube. But when I learned a theater only an hour from me was putting on Cats, I knew I had to go, especially since the US tour ended and there's been no news in site of any official production picking up anytime soon.

My expectations were fairly low- I knew going in it was just a small community theater doing the show, and it obviously wasn't going to be anywhere near the official production. That said, the performance was incredible and blew my small expectations totally out of the water. This is going to be a long write-up of all my thoughts on the vocals, dancing, and character interpretations, so thank you for anyone who decides to read my ramblings!

Here's a photo of the set and the cast list.

One thing you may notice is, well, how many cats there are. From my understanding, the performing arts center who put this on combined their theater department and their dancing department. The majority of the cats were played by young dancers who only appeared on stage during the heavy dance numbers. Yes, there were many kids in this show.

In fact, all the vocals were done by and really only by Munkustrap, Tugger, Demeter, Bombalurina, Jemima, Old Deut, Jelly, Jenny, Skimble, Griz, Bustopher and Gus.

Costume wise, the unitards and warmers were the weakest part. Very faded looking unitards with normal winter-wear warmers rather than the standard Cats warmers. The wigs and makeup were all London replica, and a lot of the wigs were so nice. I assume most of them just looked up their characters and did whatever makeup first popped up on Google.

The Munkustrap was incredible, by far the best Munk vocally that I've ever seen. I could not rave enough about him. He did everything perfectly, and I would love to see his performer go on to play him in an actual official production.

Jenny was so fun, and she actually stayed in her Gumbie coat the entire show. She would frequently just nap during numbers.

Demeter slept during Tugger's number and looked annoyed and hissed at him when he tried to interact with her during it. Queen shit, honestly.

Bustopher and Gus were played by two separate performers, which meant Bustopher got to hang on stage the entire time! Also, he had his giant spoon.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer did not sing their song. They were both played by dancers, while Bomb and Munk sang the song in the background. It was an interesting choice, but like I said, I love Munk's vocals, so I was happy to hear more of him.

The Jellicle Ball itself was cut down significantly. There was no pas de deux, and they didn't do the part where Griz shows up halfway through. This was probably my biggest disappointment for the entire show, but I also wasn't all that surprised.

A change that I really loved and would love to see implemented was Old Deut AND Jemima staying to listen to the Memory prelude.

During Moments of Happiness, Old Deut himself reached out and led Jemima up to sing her lines. The Jemima had a BEAUTIFUL voice as well.

Jelly and Gus were SO good. Her voice was perfect for the character, and it was so nice getting to see a performer who wasn't John Anker Bow as Gus. This production did Gus Pekes. Demeter and Tantomile were the lead Peke and Pollicle, which I thought was cute. Also, they added a fun bit where Gus got a hairball when he came out as the Rumpus Cat.

A small detail was that Griz was in the back basically the entire time singing along. Seeing her hiding away, but still singing along with everyone made her character feel even more tragic.

Macavity didn't kidnap Old Deut persay as much as he just led him away with a giant cat toy. It was so silly (in the most positive way possible)

The Macavity number was interesting, and not in a bad way. Demeter and Bomb took turns singing into a microphone and would physically push one another out of the way. As someone who wishes the professional productions would have Demeter and Bomb be Meaner to one another, this really scratched my itch for them to be more catty to one another.

During the Macavity fight, Tanto and Cori were the ones who led Demeter to safety. Ships were the farthest thing from my mind when watching this production, but Demeter and Tantomile were so close in this production. and I just really loved that, and it makes me wanna make them close in my hcs now.

Tugger helped Munk fight Mac!! And it was bad ass!! I loved it. More Tugger fighting please and thank you

I don't really have much to say about Misto. He was played by a younger dancer, and the solo was about what you would expect from a regional production. It was still fun to see, and just sparked so much joy just hearing the song in general.

Griz sang directly to Demeter for a lot of Memory. Her voice was great, no complaints there. I honestly thought they were going to have Demeter be the first to touch her, but that honor was given to Old Deut and Munk instead.

The Ad-Dressing really got me. I already get emotional whenever I hear the song normally, but hearing it live even at just a regional production after so long almost made me break down. The cats all came into the aisles too!!

And that was my experience at regional Cats! All in all, it was so much better than I expected, and I had such a fun time. If there's ever a local theater doing Cats near you, definitely go and check it out. Supporting local theater is important, and who knows, you might be completely blown away by some of the performers you see. I know I was!

#feel free to ask any questions about anything i didnt cover #this was just an overview of things i noticed and really liked but im sure ill remember more #cats the musical

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miasiegert · 7 months

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How Cats Casting Often Works (Summer Stock)

So due to request, explaining how casting works for many regional productions of CATS. NOTE: I am not discussing ANYONE I work with, anyone I've worked with past-tense, any production I've done. This is a general explanation of how summer stock works and how incredibly difficult it is for the director/choreographer to make decisions. Because, surprisingly, the director doesn't get auditions for each character! They have to choose from already cast actors! WHAT? Yup, that's Summer stock!

The actors are contracted to do about four shows for a theatre to last for their summer season. This is subject to change, sometimes actors have to leave (injury, illness, Broadway offers (yes, that happens!)), but for those shows the bulk of the actors are already cast! So someone can't hold auditions for Mistoffelees or Victoria. They need to go with who's already there (very talented! But they might have different skillsets!)

The director needs to assess the actors, some of whom they know, many of whom they don't and see reels but a lot of instagram, and they must compare them to the entire summer stock cast to decide what's best.

For example, if someone is not a singer but a great dancer, they might be someone like Mistoffelees, Victoria, Pouncival. If someone's got an incredible belt, they might be Bombalurina. Usually Bombalurina and Cassandra are coin tosses and REALLY hard decisions (you really need a good actor for Cass to be so aloof and hold the poses). If there's a soprano, usually the more classically trained one who is not a dancer will be Jellylorum. If someone's an incredible tapper, they'll be Jenny!

You get the double threats for the ones who dance and sing (Munkustrap, Skimble) and those might be some that'd be considered for different roles--Mungo and Rumple are always double-threats but often triple threat because of acting. If someone's a rock singer, they'd be Tugger because it's HARD to do that. If someone can turn and has a strong ballet/jazz background, they're Mistoffelees (which is how one can end up with a 6'2" Mistoffelees and very panicked costume designers who have 3 weeks to create TWO full new costumes from scratch to fit their height! What, no, I'm not talking about us, what gave you that impression?).

Then there are triple threats, ones who can dance, sing, AND act, like Demeter and Munkustrap. Those are HARD roles. It doesn't always end up like that because of who's available, which is NOT shade towards any actor--when contracted for a season, they are given the best possible role to highlight their ability.

For Macavity, it's usually one of the largest dancers because of the Munk and Alonzo lift and someone who is a very lyrical mover.

This does not mean that Plato will do the lift with Victoria in the Ball. The lift goes to the person who is the best at doing lifts in the cast. US Tour V had Eddie (who was Alonzo) doing the lift because he was the best. One of the Australian tours had (surprisingly) Tumblebrutus do the lift! Yes, really!

In the US, Mungo and Rumple are usually the same size for the double cartwheels and we are very confused as to major height differences in the UK. I mean clearly it works but it's significantly harder when one's not as balanced so that's taken into consideration (Mungo NEEDS to do some tumbling).

Ensemble is where it's REALLY tough. A lot of times people assume the ensemble members are the ones who are hidden/not as good. That's absolutely false. The ensemble members ALWAYS are swings and understudy multiple roles. They need to be prepared to jump in on the spot in case of illness or injury, such as an onstage injury (there was a horrific one on the US Tour once where Pouncival had to take over during Mistoffelees as the actor broke his foot during the turns). A lot of the BEST dancers are put in the back and random spots because in order to make a good show that's cohesive, you need to have what looks like a fully in sync production. The ensemble holds everyone together and are critical for the show to be a success.

Cats is one of the rare shows where, with the fandom, since they're all their own characters, they are recognized for each thing but often not the why!

Also some characters might randomly be seen because some of the wonderful donors might have walk ons! Without donors, many regional productions would not exist! So if you see a cat that's maybe sitting around in the background, catting around, not dancing/not singing, you should 10000% appreciate them because without them, there'd be no show! Patrons are super important and it's an honor to give them some GREAT costumes to wear (and super fun for them to be cats!)

I hope that helps explain how casting works in many productions of summer stock and how difficult it is! Also did you know most productions only have one week to rehearse??? Wichita had three weeks, I believe, but most are only one, it's true!!!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Also I saw the comment asking about how we make warmers; I don't know how to reply to a reblog (sorry I am not smart at social media). Some day, we can go through a basic tutorial. But learn how to cast on/cast off, knit, purl, and stretchy decrease (tutorials online). It's SUPER easy, just time consuming... oh so time consuming. As for fluffy warmers, we use a LOT of different yarns, always at least double-strand, sometimes quadruple, lots of eyelash yarn, and while David does NOT do this, for my warmers, I will always use scraps if I'm doing the strays. Cats are mottled IRL. They won't be consistent. David likes having three colors per costume. I... am a bit more wild... yet strangely it's my muted costumes that people seem to be talking about here (buttercup Jellylorum for example!). Oh. And always Magical Misto will have black leg warmers with purple sparkles hidden in them. That's my thing. I give characters certain colors. Misto is purple, Tumble is blue.

BACK TO WRITING! I made today's deadline but PUSHING ON so I have less tomorrow!

#cats musical #cats the musical #cats cosplay #how summerstock casting works #did i hashtag this correctly?

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realreulbbrband · 4 months

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Guys, Bustopher deserves better, so here's what I'd imagine he'd do in the rest of the show if he didn't disappear from existence after his song. (hypothetically)

(Reul totally doesn't have a white rose and mole Bustopher bias.....)

quick clarifications before we start!

Bustopher won't be in his song costume when "old Deuteronomy" happens or for the rest of the show. So, imagine him in a sort of chorus costume in this, like Jennyanydots after the Gumbie Cat number. (like the image below but with more white areas)

But because he's fancy, he would be dressed this way if it were entirely up to me, and I could choose. It would also somewhat lessen the shock factor (at least for me) associated with Grizabella wearing clothing when nearly everyone else is completely naked. Instead of dressing like a huge, stuffy coat with a giant tail, he wears suspenders in my imagination, and the look is still suitable for the remainder of the performance.

Also note that Asparagus and Gus are different characters to me, and that applies here. Sorry if that's bothersome.

ACT 1

"Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer"

He shows back up at the end of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer after the two are caught and everyone's surrounding them; he's still quite shaken, thinking they are Macavity, and so he hides behind Asparagus, who's walking towards the crowd, clearly annoyed at the two. When he does get close enough, Bustopher peeks at the action before stepping away from his fellow tom and huffing, crossing his arms. He collects the "swag bags" (seriously, why are they called that?) off Munkustrap and Alonzo and waddles off stage. Where the actor would then change into the chorus costume.

"Old Deuteronomy"

The Jellicles sing old Deuteronomy, and around midway, Bustopher shows up again, leaning by the oven. He smiles at how enthusiastic everyone is over the arrival of the jellicle leader but isn't too pushy to greet old Deuteronomy himself.

(In my headcanon, the two run into each other outside of the junkyard, often due to Bustopher being "the cat about town" and Old Deuteronomy being known in his poem for sitting in the street on market day.) Bustopher simply greets him with an acknowledging nod and smile as he arrives.

"The Awefull battle of the Pekes & the Pollicles"

He sits at Deuteronomy's side, just behind where Victoria does during the number. Despite being close by, Bustopher isn't as generous as old Deuteronomy is when it comes to the Pekes & Pollicles performance. Not in a cruel sense, but more like he can't help but raise a brow and laugh as everyone keeps messing around. Maybe even sparing old Deuteronomy some telling glances when the Rumpus cat shows up late.

(I skipped the Jellicle Ball because I honestly don't think he'd do anything noteworthy if he were to be one of the dancers or realistically off stage like Old D and Gus.)

ACT 2

"The Moment of happiness"

If we're doing a transitional thing, I think he'd purposefully sit next to Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer just to make sure they don't start giggling during the song or messing around with everyone else. He'd probably shush them, though, and gesture for them to sit. Other than that, he'd listen and repeat like everyone else.

"Gus the theatre cat"

I think it would be funny if Bustopher sat next to Skimbleshanks on top of the car boot. Probably to catch up and enjoy the song, but when Skimble inevitably starts falling asleep, Bustopher feels offended on behalf of Gus and Jellylorum and tries to wake him by bapping Skimble's paw or tail. Skimble still falls asleep, however, and Bustopher simply rolls his eyes and enjoys the rest of the song. It's bittersweet at the end of the day, but enjoyable none the less.

"Skimbleshanks the railway cat"

Bustopher's a little cross with Skimble after what happened before but gets over it quite quickly and joins the other elder cats watching on the tire. I think it would be kind of funny if Bustopher wasn't aware they were going to be building a train (because his visits are occasional) and sort of got roped in to holding the umbrella, or better yet, one of the pipes. He's confused and keeps turning to the cat beside him for guidance, but comes to enjoy it. Even when the train breaks down.

"Macavity's appearance"

Macavity appears. Bustopher out. I want him to be the first one to run off too. It could be a nice running joke. But yeah, I think he'd leave before old Deuteronomy even gets kidnapped; he's that scared of the red bastard.

"Magical Mr. Mistoffelees"

Going from Mistoffelees being an eager fan and respecting Bustopher so much as if he were family, I think it would definitely encourage him more if Bustopher was cheering him on along with everyone else. I think it would be nice if he stood next to Jenny here, after she's disappointed about not being selected, Mistoffelees's assistant Bustopher gives her a pat on the paw, and they sit and enjoy the magic and celebrate with everyone once Deut's back.

"Memory"

I think this is the first time Bustopher's seen Grizabella? So you bet he's taking longer to turn around and look her in the eyes. Other than that, that pretty much had the same reaction as every other cat in that scene. Anyway, when Grizabella is welcomed back, I think it would be nice if Bustopher shook her paw instead of just brushing against it. "But Reul, they're cats!! Tugger does hip thrusts and fist pumps. Bustopher can shake paws."

Anyhow, that's all I got for him, but I think with different actors, this process and how he interacts with the jellicles could be very diverse and interesting. I'm all for reimagings, and this post was kind of an excuse to do that or a "what if," especially with a cat as underappreciated as Bustopher, which is no doubt because of his lack of stage time. I think a few more moments with him could really make him more memorable and justify him having a song rather than cutting him and his song completely.

for you: @kirbyssketchbook

#bustopher jones #cats the musical #Long post #This is mainly my own interpretation of Bustopher so maybe my details are a little off but I thought doing a post like this would be fun #Also If I didn’t include a song it’s mostly because I don’t think bustopher would do anything interesting there / his song hasn’t happened #yet

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beepbooptruman · 10 months

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I am so excited for this you have no isea

NONBINARY SKIMBLE AND MISTO

MACAVITY BEIN ON SILKS

PLUS SIZE SILLABUB

JENNYANYDOTS HELPING RHE YOUNGER CATS PREPARE

MUNGOJERRIE BEING FEM

CANONICALLY BISEXUAL TUGGER

TRANS WOMAN GRIZABELLA

EVERYTHING ABOUT OLD DEUT

EVERYTHING ABOUT GUS

BFNDJFJRJRJDHDJSJDJSJDJSBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB /POS

#cats the musical #cats revival #IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

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yoa-artblog · 10 months

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The Shiki Cats Post TM

28.05.23 Show

I had the chance to see Cats in Nagoya last month and I still can´t believe it! I was also able to meet an internet friend who also loves the show and it was overall such a nice experience <3

Some pics are blurry but I was shaking haha, shiki was one of my most wanted to see shows, the photos I had seen were always so colorful and looked like so much fun! It did not dissapoint, tough it was very different to the 98 movie (the version I'm the most familiar with) and the past Intl. Tour (The only other version I've seen live) so I was furiously writting notes on things that stood out to me soon after the show.

• Tantomile (she looks like Cassandra) is the first cat you see on stage.

• They do the trapeze bit for jellicle songs for jellicle cats!!!!

• Munk was 😳😳😳 very good voice, super cute with the babies.

• They have both Syllabub and Jemima, Silly is the kitten, the one that helps Griz out, Jemima is a young adult cat.

• The gumbie trio were Tantomile, Jellylorum and Jemima.

• The beetles had wings they could move around as part of the choreo.

• Tugger has one yellow, spotted leg and it makes him look like he's wearing those pants with only one leg??? Very slutty, we love that for him.

• Munk sings the terrible bore line.

• Jellylorum sings the curious beast line.

• Grizabella still has the old cat design, we love to see it.

• Jerrie and Teazer don't do the cartwheels 💔💔💔💔💔

• Teazer is the cutest thing ever though, she was so fun!! I couldn't stop looking at her the whole time, she's already one of my faves but she is PERFECT in shiki.

• There was a little bit where Teazer and Tanto were cuddling behind Old Deut and Teazer kept pawing at her for attention and I melted.

• Pekes and Pollicles is still Munk's number through and thorough. The dog costumes were very cute and there were many different versions and "materials".

• The Rumpus Cat suit has muscle padding?????

• Shiki said Bombastrap rights and I owe them my life. You could see them cuddling on the bg at various points through the show.

• Pass de deux is performed by Tumblebrutus and Cassandra. (Cori and Tanto designs).

• No orgy???? They do dance in pairs but there's no """cuddle""" pile.

• Overall less horny and more playful.

• Tuxedo Mask Macavity my beloved!!!!! I think that's a very fun design for Mac asldjclsjfjskd but the threatening factor is negative, he just looks very fluffy and cute.

• Mac's fur texture and length is very similar to Old Deut's so that's nice!! Loving the family resemblance.

• They do Growltiger!!! I loved seeing the boys in their little pirate costumes 🥺💖🥺💖🥺

• They choreographed the sword fight so the clanks would match the music and it was SO COOL.

• Jelly had such a nice voice.

• SKIMBLESHANKS THE RAILWAY CAT THE CAT OF THE RAILWAY TRAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Skimble has a little hat and my friend was telling me they change it for every city to match the uniform of the train conductors in that city. HOW CUTE IS THAT!!!!! 🥺🥺🥺🥺

• The girls are the passengers while the boys are the seats during the play pretend bit asdfkgjslnf

• The fake train has a window so you can see Munk is playing the conductor 🥺🥺🥺

• They also used a teapot as the chimney and it makes teapot sounds, I just loved everything about this number okay!!!!!

• The Macavity fight is a little weird because he doesn't take Munk 1v1 but rather is everyone against Mac from the beginning.

• I really wanted to see this specific Munk fight because of... reasons, so that's a bummer 😞

• Demeter has a deeper voice than what I usually hear for her, I really liked it.

• They let toms join the Macavity number!!!!!!! I was tunnel visioning into Munk but I'm pretty sure Alonzo and Tumble were there too.

• Misto comes down the rope!!!!!!!

• He does a lot more magic tricks, including making things and other cats fly.

• You can hear thunder crackling when he manipulates light, that was a very cool detail.

• Misto and Tugger have a lot of shared choreography, they do several different BFF handshakes 🥺

• Victoria is Misto's assistant for the big trick.

• Sillabub is the one who touches Grizabella first.

• UFO Griz

• They did this very cute thing after final bows where they kept coming to the stage as long as people were still clapping. They went and came back to the stage again at least 7 times until the theater turned up the lights 😹

#cats #cats the musical #cats 1998 #cats the movie #shiki cats

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uppastthejelliclemoon · 3 months

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I'd love to hear some more of your Thomas O'Mailey Cats thoughts or headcanons, if that's alright?

hi bestie!!! ofc you can have some Thomas hcs!! some of these are also general world-building hcs!!

he picked up crocheting from Jenny, and once his family is back in the Junkyard, he starts it again! it's good bonding between him and his mom, a way for them to spend time together after being apart for so long

I like my hc that Katherine becomes Madam's caretaker once she moves to London, and when Madam finds out she has cats of her own, she insists Katherine bring them over, so Thomas, Tugger, Mistoffelees, and Duchess get really close because of that!

Kind of thinking abt Duchess being the new life of Bustopher's sister... aka Mistoffelees and Victoria's mother...

Thomas spoils his kittens absolutely rotten, he dotes on them and adores them so so much

Skimbleshanks and Jenny visit Madam's home for the first time, and Madam just looks between Skimble, Thomas, and Toulouse, and has to remind herself that she knows the cat who was Toulouse' father, so there's no way Thomas is his father, but it's so uncanny how alike they looke

Thomas also bonds really quickly with Electra and Etcetera. They weren't born when he left, so finding out he has more baby sisters makes him absolutely elated. The girls also adore their big brother, and trail after him like little shadows

just Thomas surrounded by his sisters, Bombalurina fussing over him, Demeter happily curled up against his shoulder, Electra and Etcetera begging him for all kinds of stories... he's the happiest tom in the world

the first time Macavity attacks after Thomas comes home... ohhhhhh boy

because Macavity doesn't know that Thomas is back, so when he attacks and (as usual) goes for Demeter, and is stopped by an orange blur that attacks with a ferocity none of the other Jellicles fight with, he's taken aback until he realizes it's Thomas, and has the biggest "oh i fucked up" realization of his life

Thomas with his nieces and nephews!!!!!! Obviously Jemima and Hestia would love spending time with him, but I also think Thomas would bond really really well with Quasi. Like, he hears about Quasi's past, and Thomas just wants to wrap the small tom up in the softest blankets. They get very close, and Quasi also becomes best friends with Toulouse and Berlioz!!

#thomas o'malley #the aristocats #cats the musical #i haven't written thomas hcs in AGES ty bestie for asking!!!

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munkustance · 1 month

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1, 7, 8, 12 and 23 for Rumpleteazer?

1. Why do you like or dislike this character? She's just such a fun character all around. And even then she doesn't have to be all the time (take during Macavity for example).

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like? I think it has to be her relationship with other cats like Victoria and Skimbleshanks. Wether romantic or not with Victoria the fandom always nails their relationship together. And then with Skimble I just love the adopted/or not, father daughter dynamic I sometimes see on here. Personally I don't see them as that mainly but you really get that vibe during the 1998 Skimbleshanks number.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise? Again, despise is a strong but I guess I just don't vibe with the ship between her and Tantomile. I mean I can see why they are sometimes shipped together but I feel like sometimes it's just oh Mungo and Corico fit together well, let's pair the other side of the twinpairs together too. I know it isn't 100% like that, it's just the vibe I get. And as a twin myself it's just kinda a meh feeling.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character? I really like the headcannon that even though she did/does work for Macavity, it was to a much less degree than her brother. So she isn't really "scared" of Macavity until he comes and kidnaps Old Deut and fights Munk and Alonzo. And all because Mungo wanted to somewhat protect Teazer.

23. Favorite picture of this character? Literally any screenshot of Jo Gibs expressions but if had to pick one then it's definitely this one.

#sorry if this took too long!#cats the musical #rumpleteazer #thanks for the ask!#asks and replies #my post

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storyweaverofgondor · 7 months

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I should probably never (or i should (;) get put in charge of a Cats production because I'd add like five songs and make it a three hour musical.

Step one: Original parts are classic Gillian Lynne chroeo. (Bows to the queen) The ball and Tugger's song includes some Broadway revival choreo with the og.

New Parts: Munk gets a song. He gets very confused at the start when Alonzo and Deme start singing. It has the separated male and female chorus parts like Bustopher Jones has.

A patter song song by Jenny and Skimble listing of all the 'kittens' that is proceeded by the pair to herd them. It is a list of all the named swings to ever exist in a production on cats, plus 'Skimble counts on fingers: "The five or ten we never gave a name." Unison cringe' as a nod to all the unnamed swings. The 'kittens' are embarrassed by this and all the adults eventually join in.

Demter gets a short solo after a Macavity scare, overwhelmed and terrified and conflicted. It is heartbreaking and either ends with Bomba or Munk comforting her or she runs off when they try to approach her. Leans very heavily into the implications of the Macavity choreo but doesn't mention him by name.

A short dance sequence with the 'kittens' practicing some moves they use during the ball. Misto does a conjuring turn and freaks out when something explodes. (Maybe this startles Deme and leads into her solo) Tugger notices and moves to reassure Misto. (Character arc! Yay!)

New song Cats are introduced. Possibly a sailor, possibly a soldier or explorer (One of those cats that would sail on ships to catch mice I've seen some pictures of) and an older monk cat, one who lives an a monastery or a barn cat. Perhaps a librarian cat or an author's cat. something appropriate to the original time period of the poems.

But yeah, i'd make this musical ten hours long if i had the chance.

#cats the musical #cats the musical fandom #i would happily make this a three day long musical if i could!

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matiiiih · 2 years

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The whole gang!!

Also, this works as a redraw of this one I did way back in 2016 - I sure have gotten better at drawing cats!

—

“I guess I’m drawing I’ve drawn all the Cats- characters”

Deme and Bomba

Mungo and Rumple

Tugger and Munk

Misto and Tori

The kittens

Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy

Macavity

Alonzo and Cassandra

Jelly, Gus and Asparagus Jr.

Jenny and Skimble

Tanto and Cori

Plato, Exotica and Admetus

Bustopher Jones

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cassandra-has-moonlit-eyes · 6 months

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Notes on the Il Sistina Cats production

I was able to see the Il Sistina Production on three seperate days: 19.10.2023 20:30, 20.10.2023 20:30 and 21.10.2023 16:00. These are my notes on this production.

I will use headlines so you can skip parts you don't want to read.

I'm a lazy ass bitch so I will use the English names and not the Italian ones.

First day I had the full cast.

Second day Grizabella was covered by another actress who played Grizabella a little bit different. Unfortunetly I didn't catch her name when they anounced it.

Third day Quaxo was missing so his lines went to Alonzo.

Stage/Setting:

The Il Sistina production doesn't take place in London but in Rome. This is mostly shown by the setting but is also referenced in the lyrics (I do not speak Italian, but I understand some words). There is for example a street sign on stage which says: "Largo di Torre Argentina" which is a place in Rome and the LED wall in the background shows the Colosseum most of the time. There is also a Roman water fountain on the right side which even dispenses (fake?) water. The is also a street sign with "Via della Gatta" (Street of Cats)

Characters/Cast:

They have a lot of chorus characters: Quaxo is a seperate character from Mistoffelees, they have Jemima AND Syllabub, Electra, Etcetera, George and Bill Bailey who is also named Carbuckety.

This season Bustopher Jones and Skimbleshanks are palyed by the same actor, he plays Bustopher Jones during the first act and Skimble during the second.

Gus is a seperate character with a very strong chorus identity which also takes part in the ball and in the Macavity fight.

The Macavity chorus identity is called Admetus.

Songs and characters:

Jellicle Cats:

Munkustrap is the first character on stage. His make up and wig are the only ones I do not like, but the actor, Sergio Giagomelli, is very good. He does a lot of dancing too. Second on stage is Demeter but she is later scared away by chorus Gus who wants to sit on her spot.

The number is very energetic and I really love the choreography. It "quotes" some of the Lynne Choreo but also the new Broadway one.

The Naming of Cats:

During this song they have the poem on the wall in the background which I found very distracting. They also changed some of the names. One name was Marc Aurel which was fun. The cats move when their names are mentioned. Bombalurina is very dramatic. Her collar sparkles a lot.

White Cat Solo:

Victoria dances next to the fountain. It was very beautiful. At the end Munkustrap joins her and lifts her up.

Invitation to the Jellicle Ball:

After Victoria's solo the lines usually given to Misto are given to the Quaxo character. On the day Quaxo was missing it was given to Alonzo. Still Misto isn't a mute characters, he has some lines later in the play.

The Old Gumbie Cat:

Il Sistina plays that bit where Misto thinks Munkustrap wants to sing and where he is quite disapointed when he doesn't. He needs som comfort by Tanto and Cori afterward. Meanwhile Tugger is still on stage which I've never seen before. Now it's his chance to be annoyed by her. The Gumbie Trio is absolutly amazing, all three of them are even more prominent during the musical. Gus wants to play with Demeters tail but she just smiles at him and goes away to dance with Jelly and Bomba.

Jennyanydots wears a ball of wool. There is tap dancing and rope jumping, mice and cockroaches, but the cockroaches are just knee socks. The number is very fun and energetic.

The Rum Tum Tugger:

First of all I absolutly adore the Tugger design. He is not black but gold, has amazing Make up with a heart and golden glitter eyeshadow. He doesn't have his mane but a big belt and during his number he also wears a white leather jacket. Gus more or less introduces him by showing the audience a poster which advertises one of his shows. First the Gumbie Trio, two younger kittens, Mistoffelees and Mungojerrie dance while Tugger sings. One after another the other Cats return. First Mistoffelees and Mungojerrie try to hold the other girls back (Cassandra and Tanto included) but no chance. They storm the stage.

The line usually sung by Misto, Alonzo or Munkustrap is given to Quaxo again (The terrible bore one). On the day Quaxo was missing it was given to Alonzo again.

The Gumbie Trio also plays a very prominent role in this song. Bombalurina has a great interest in Tugger, Jellylorum is very entertained and enjoys the show and the flirting, Demeter is not that amused by Tugger and his flirting but Vibes with the other Cats and joins the choreo. Sometimes she looked very shocked at him, it was really fun. The acting by Viviana Salvo (Demeter) and Natalia Scarpolini (Jellylorum) is absolutly great during this number, same for Giorgia Cino (Bombalurina).

Giorgia Adamo who plays Tugger does a really great job with his voice and acting. I flirted a lot with the audience. Really cool, really flirty Tugger.

Interesting staging choices were made too: At the end the fangirls do not stay on stage. They place themselves between orchestra pit and audience and look up to the stage where Tugger is performing, so they themselves become part of the audience. Jemima is fangirl number one and screams for Tugger until he shushes her.

Grizabella: The Glamour Cat

All in all the auditorium (Zuschauerraum) is playing a big part in the staging choices. At the end of number Tugger goes down one of the corridors and starts to hiss because he sees Grizabella. He turns around and goes back on stage. Grizabella is following him. First part of her song she sings next to the orchestra pit, then she wants to enter the stage. Munkustrap doesn't want that to happen so he blocks her path. He doesn't want her on stage, as part of the Jellicle Ball or even the play on a meta level. They stare each other down and Grizabella wins the fight. Munkustrap steps back and she can enter the stage.

Tugger attacks her coat and Electra hisses her while Jeima wants to touch her, but not on Munkustraps watch. Demeter and Bombalurina sing the rest of the song, then Grizabella leaves on the other side of the stage again.

I would say in this production Munkustrap and Tugger are her biggest foes. They do not want her around, while Old Deuteronomy and Jemima are her biggest allies.

Bustopher Jones

There is a stone foot on the right side of the stage. This is where Bustopher Jones lives. There is a hole in the foot and he pops out of there on multiple occasions. I didn't understand much of the lyrics but this Bustopher Jones loves Sushi. Jenny is very happy to sing about him, Bombalurina not so much.

Similar to the Broadway Revival this number works with a lot of food shaped props. It's very wholesome and fun.

Bustopher Jones is very involved in the first act, sadly he wasn't in the second act because then the actor plays Skimbleshanks.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer

After Bustopher Jones the Macavity scare happens and interesting enough Macavity really makes an appearance. He wears a coat and a hat. There are lights on underneath his brim (Krempe?), so you can see his face. He has a very evil laughter.

Rosella Lubrina (Rumpleteazer) and Simone Raggozino (Mungojerrie) are both absolutly amazing. Simone does a lot of acrobatics, not just during his number but also during other numbers. The number is very fun with its own choreography and some propbs, like a newspaper article which is about them, a fifty Euro bill and a bucket with holes. The ending of the number is more dynamic but they also do a short version of the cartwheel.

Also Bustopher Jones makes another appearance. He wars a cooks head so I think he sang the line conected to the cook in the lyrics.

The other cats do not seem to dislike them but celebrate them which makes a lot of sense. They do some sort of Polonaise to celerbrate them.

Old Deuteronomy

Mistoffelees announces Old Deuteronomy and then Munkustrap and Tugger sing the song together while Old Deuteronomy goes around in the auditorium, mostly on the first floor.

I think Fabritio Corucci who plays Old Deuteronomy is an Opera singer because sounds very operatic.

The Jellicle Ball

The ball starts and I absolutly loved the choreography. Very fun. One thing I noted during the whole show is that there is a lot emphasis on individuality during the dance numbers. They are synchron but do not move exactly the same, the dancers bring their own style and interpretations to the movements which fits cats very well. Also there are dance groups but these groups are not strict. Cats leave their groups to join the dancing of other groups. Absolutly greatly thought through.

At the beginning of the Ball the make a formation where Cassandra is front center. There is a part during the choreography where Demeter dances alone while the two other groups dance around her. The choreographer knows which characters are important!

The first part of the Bomba section is danced by Bomba, Demeter, Jennyanydots and two other Cats. It's very acrobartic with jumps, splits and floor work, the second part of the Bomba sections are pairs, but other Cats: Tanto and Cori, Mungo and Rump, Misto and Etcetera(?), Munk and Victoria ... They do a dance with lifts. All in all there are more lifts than in the Lynne choreo, more like the Broadway choreo.

Also there is no Victoria x Plato dance. The cats dance in a group while Jemima has kind of a solo next to them. She feels Grizabella's presence. Than the cats lay down. Old Deutoronomy who sits left wants to invite Griz on stage, but Munkustrap is again not happy and so she leaves again, scared away and the ball continuous without her.

The second half of the ball is very energetic and so much fun. There are lot of acrobatics, even Bomba, Jelly and Jenny do some, as far as I remember. Like everybody has to do some. And Gus also does a lot of dancing during the ball which I'm not used to. Absolute great choreo and great energy.

At the end Grizabella returns on stage and the cats hiss at her. Interesting enough Admetus is really, really aggressiv towards her which could be the directors take on the riveraly which Macavity has to the other Jellicle Choice contenders in the 2019 movie. Admetus is really very hissy and aggressiv, he nearly attacks Grizabella but Munkustrap steps between them and hinders him. Admetus is still hissing but leaving the stage (Simone Nocerino played this part so well, he was legit scary, more scary than as Macavity). Cassandra hinders Victoria to touch her. Munkustrap hinders Jemima. Jemima is the last one to leave, Grizabella reaches out to her, but she goes away. Only Old Deut stay back on the side of the stage.

This scene was very interesting. It was like: Munkustrap doesn't want the cats to touch her and to be close to her but he also doesn't want her to get hurt by them so he protects her from Admetus.

Memory Part I

Grizabella is alone on the stage, Old Deut is still near by. She starts her sad dance and sings her song. Malika Ayane is an absolutly amazing singer, voice vice one of the best Grizabellas I've seen live. Old Deuteronomy wants to touch her, to welcome her back. At the end of her song it starts to rain. Curtain.

Intermission

Towards the end of the intermission the courtain gets lifted and people are alowed to take a picture with Old Deut. More and more Cats enter the stage and play with a tennis ball.

Moments of Happyness

I really loved Old Deuts voice, loved that it was very Opera. Jemima is great too, beautiful voice. Her design reminds me a little mit of the E-Girl trend. She is very cute. Also at the end Jellylorum hugs her before she starts singing about Gus.

Gus the Theatre Cat

Interesting choices were made again: A red curtain appears on the left side of the stage. There is also a door on the right side. For the first part of the song Gus ist not on stage. While Jellylorum is singing his shadows are projected on the curtain and the door. Only when he starts singing he steps on stage, but he doesn't sit down. One time he nearly falls but Rumpleteazer catches him. Also Munogjerrie does a salto when he calls on him (maybe it was the kittens these day part).

They also updated the lyrics. He sang something about Tiktok, Facebook and Likes and one day a woman in the audience was shouting "bravo" to that.

This Gus doesn't seem as frail and old as other Guses. He hardly even hesitates to start the Rumpus Cat number.

Rumpus Cat

The number is mostly sung by Gus and Munkustrap. It's musically quite similar to how the international tour does it, but I think different dog breeds are mentioned. What I also really liked was that the dogs are not seperated by gender. Both genders played both dog breeds. Bomba and Demeter do the wau wau part which usually goes to Rump and Mungo. Bomba, Demeter and Tugger were great dogs. I loved the choreo where all three of them were stomping and they were all so great. Etcetera was also a dog but she was a little bit more scared.

Gus comes out in a costume that reminds more of a pirate which was a fun wink at older productions. He also had a sword and he killed some of the dogs, I think Bomba died first. She did a great job at dying.

They do not play a reprise of Gus the theatre Cat. Gus just leaves and the Skimble number starts.

Skimbleshanks

At the beginning of the number the cats act in the front of the stage. Cassandra is crying (I do not know why) and Misto gives her a handkerchief so she can try her tears. It was quite funny and Gaia Soprano is an amazing Cass all in all, very beautiful, very good dancer, very dramatic, very expressive and also fun. Less proud than your usual Cass I would say.

Skimble appears wearing his uniform und sings his part. The LED wall shows a map of Italy and the route of the train. It goes through Italy, I think south. They also use long glowsticks to build a train. It seemded modernized.

Similar to the 2019 movie the stage production uses tap dancing (even the same step and later a second different step) and the other Cats sit on the ground and drum. It really sounds like a train and at the end Mistoffelees makes a really realistic choo choo noice.

The tap dancing was very simple but very effective and the audience loved the number.

Macavity

At the end of the number Macavity appears again. There is also a Macavity decoy to show his ability to teleport. The Cats attack him with Mungojerrie leading the way. But Macavity drives them away. He doesn't kidnap Old Deuteronomy yet. Old Deut stays on stage while Demeter begins the song. Macavity is also on stage, moves around in the background and listens to Demeter and Bombalurina, who mostly ignore him.

I really liked the arragement and the choreography of the number. Slightly sexy but also acrobatic and I really did love Bomba and Demeter so much. They are both great actors and dancers, active and central in every single number. Demeters make up is so fucking beautiful and it really just shows that you can do so much more than slap red lipstick on a female character to make her attractive.

There was more jumping at the end of the number. The backgournd dancers later are: Cass, Tanto, Electra, Etcetera Syllabub AND Jellylorum. They enter the stage from different sides and join the dance one after another. Loved the number so so much!

Macavity fight!

The cats come back and attack Macavity. Jenny is the first one to attack. Tugger tries to protect Old Deut but Macavity seems to be winning, so Rumpleteazer attacks Macavity from behind and saves Tugger. Mungojerrie attacks him again too but has to flee. At the end Macavity wins and disapears with Old Deut. He has a very evil laughter.

The fight has also some dance elements. At one time Macavity lifts Victoria, at another time he is lifted by two toms to attack Munkustrap. But all in all it is less brutal than in other productions I've seen.

Also, this production doesn't play the romance between Munk and Deme (or between Victoria and Admetus), as far as I saw, they are just cats, they are just vibing.

Mr. Mistoffelees

The cats do not seem very traumatized but they still want to get Old Deut back. Tugger starts the Mistoffelees song and Misto enters the stage quite at the beginning. He dances a lot and does A LOT of Magic tricks. Similar to Budapest this production descided to do more tricks and less dancing. Cassandra is his magical assistant and even does one trick by herself (cards out of the top hat). One time she is also in a floating box.

Pierpaolo Scida is a very happy, very fun Mistoffelees. He also does a good amount of dancing during the number. I think he was more happy and confident than the 2019 Mistoffelees but the production still took one idea from the movie here. Mistoffelees tries to bring Old Deut back two times, but fails two times. Macavity is seen up on the right side, laughing and holding Old Deut hostage. It seemed a little bit like a magical fight. Whose magic is stronger? Mistoffelees or Macavitys?

After failing two times Mistoffelees is very sad and he crouches on the right side of the stage, hiding his face. Tugger sits next to him, starts to sing again to encourage him to try one last time. He takes his hands and both rise up. Misto tries again and this time old Deut is back.

The Cats celebrate with a very fun choreo, Misto does some turns like in the Lynne choreo and a magic trick (turning a handkachief into a staff) and the number ends.

Memory

Grizabella is back and sings her song. I really liked both Grizabellas. This Grizabella is very strong. She didn't fall down, still Jemima sang her part.

Old Deuteronomy does announce her as Jellicle Choice, Victoria is the first one to touch her, Munkustrap second (so he doesn't hate her no more). The other Cats greet her and she goes to the heavy side layer.

The Ad-Dressing of Cats

Old Deut sings the number and the shows end. They dance a little bit on stage and go into the auditorium. End of the play.

End Notes

I really liked this production especially the make up, costumes and choreography. And I loved loved loved Demeter, Bombalurina, Jellylorum and Cassandra. Tugger, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were absolutly great too.

The whole play seems more fun and less sad and dramatic than in replica productions. The fight was not very brutal and nobody got seriously hurt. Less romance, less violence, less sexy, less nearly dying but very entertaining and with a positive vibe to it. Neither Grizabella nor Gus seemed really like their end was near.

These cats just enjoy each others company and they love celerbrating together, which was very clear during the jellicle ball in a part where they kind of twisted with each other.

This production was really worth the trip!

#cats the musical #gatti #text

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