miasiegert

[miasiegert]

I am so thrilled you got to see the show and what an honor to get these compliments on the costumes! Collin (Skimble) got very, very sick so Austin covered. We love the Fulton so much, we overnighted 5 unitards (and one warmer set) even though that was outside of the contract. I'm not sure which day you went but there was some overlap and with equity rules, fittings must be scheduled in advance so although he has a Skimble unitard, Austin might not have been able actually put it on for the song. Song pieces, yes, but unitard, no. Ultimately though, equity is great as it protects the actors! We are all for equity!

We'd absolutely LOVE to see your fanart if you draw Jenny. I was really proud of the tap suit. This was one of the rare times I frankensteined a costume. I found an Akira fringe jumpsuit that retails for over $300 USD but it was with its 2nd owner and very damaged so I snatched it up at about $70 including shipping and the costume department took our specialty fringe to mix in so she'd have tiger stripes and leopard spots. It's VERY subtle but the tiny details change things. David pulled the Beetle coats. That is such a tricky number and Spike/might have been covering Tumble that show is only 16! Jonathan was in it a few shows and is only 18! TALENT!!! I think Buckets went on too and she's so good!

I hope I can answer a few questions or fill in some gaps (and I have to skip a lot because otherwise that'd be major spoiler risk). HEADS UP that there might be LIGHT spoilers so if you're planning to see the show, SKIP THIS PART PLEASE! Idk unless you love spoilers?:

Don't ever feel bad about forgetting things! That happens sometimes when you're caught in the moment. and honestly you noticed a LOT!!! For "Moments of Happiness" it's very theatrical and staged differently than any other production. What gets me is when Will Mann breaks for a moment and cries because he feels so betrayed by Grizzabella.

Jellicle Songs... Mungo's part... that is cat-parodying a part in Michael Jackson's "You Wanna Be Starting Something." That's why older people in the audience were probably laughing extra hard there.

Mungo is canonically bi in this version and absolutely likes Tugger. He also is a himbo and misses the point nonstop. The "Cook" in Mungo and Rumple is Jennifer Coolidge. lol

Gus/Pekes and Pollicles is a HUGE favorite and done by James Patterson, the last Tour IV Munkustrap. He is HARDCORE. We LOVED designing this number and he improvises a bit each show. The peke/pollicle/guard dog masks were SO hard to source but I found a wonderful leather mask maker who, by fluke, was having a clear out sale!

We sewed the Tugger costume from scratch, coat included. That was REALLY hard...

I teared up with your compliments on the Macavity costume. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. None of you know the backstory, because I'm getting old, but when I was a Superfan, I designed that costume for myself and was told, "It's absolutely impossible to create," "It's a bad idea," "you can't have an open coat be fitted like that." I had zero confidence so I shut down and put my design away. In our first meeting with The Fulton, the assistant director mentioned Macavity is a very important character to him and they wanted something special--and I paused then asked did they have a moment... we saved a red faux snakeprint leather from what would have been about fifteen years ago, untouched, and I pitched the design, mentioning influence from Dante from Devil May Cry but mostly Sisqo's stunning coat in the "You Are Everything" video Dru Hill did--an iconic outfit with the sleeveless trench, the hat, the glove, the pants--and it was greenlit on the spot. We did the gusset corset backing and sides, hand-sewed red spikes, sewed on leather trim, everything. Brian is the sweetest man alive and TERRIFYING as Macavity--he is so expressive. There's a neat trick where besides Jack in the Box, if you look on the scaffolding, Macavity's ALSO there with the huge storm.

And yes, you were correct--Macavity fights Bombalurina and uses some of his magic on her.

I got lost but seriously, thank you. Bottom of my heart. That means *everything* on such a personal level and heals so much in my soul for the Macavity costume comments. You literally have no clue. I'm not joking that I'm teary-eyed right now.

Also fun fact: Macavity is always played by literally the NICEST person in the cast by far.

I'm so glad you loved the twins! They're SO imporant in this production and are meant to be Deut's Guards--Cori representing the sun and Tantomile the moon with their collars as they're very ethereal. They are some of the few cats with breeds as they're meant to be lilac point Siamese cats. Cori's note is that he HATES being touched. He is VERY offended. Full disclaimer that we knew Tracy and were friends prior to production because David worked 6 weeks on Anastasia with him so we knew we'd love the twins extra hard in advance out of bias... at the same time, they deserved it. They're SO good.

Everything cool i can recall from Cats at the Fulton :3

Before jellicle songs for jellicle cats:

-There were thunder sfx and lightning effects, and before the show started there was an announcement about "hazardous weather"

-After that, the show opened on Grizabella walking around through various set pieces and rubbing against them. There was a magician's box (No idea what it's actually called) that had Griz and Misto's names on it, which kind of implied that they used to have an act together

-Eventually, Griz opened a large trunk on stage and took out her dress, which she wore for the rest of the show

Jellicle songs for jellicle cats:

-Can't remember too much unfortunately, i was honestly still just trying it get myself to fully realize i was actually there lol

-During the chorus, in the part where the boot usually falls and the singing pauses, they instead had Mungojerrie go off and do his own solo while everyone stared at him disapprovingly until he stopped and they could finish singing, which i thought was really funny

The naming of cats:

-Super intense, just how it should be. Lottsss of eye contact

White cat dance+invitation to the jellicle ball:

-Not much specifically to say, but the actress who played Vic was fantastic. Sososo fascinating to watch from the perspective of someone who has never done ballet in their life lol

The old gumbie cat:

-INCREDIBLE. OHH MY GOD I LOVED THAT NUMBER SO MUCH

-One of the BEST Jenny costumes EVER imo

-They had her be a sort of ex-showgirl, and had a set of curtains come in to give her a different background for her tap number.

-Her song outfit was gold and super sparkly and soooo fun to watch while she danced

-Honestly i need to draw that jenny at some point i loved her so much

The rum tum tugger:

-Such a fun number to watch, and SUPER interactive with the crowd

-Tugger flirted a TON with the people in the front row

-During the chorus of his song, they had Mungojerrie in with all of the kittens, and he had another solo bit similar to the one he had in jellicle songs for jellicle cats. I literally can't remember anyone else who was in the kitten group lol

-They gave the "terrible bore" line to Tantomile and Coricopat, but whateverrrr man. they had a bigger role in this version anyway, so it made sense.

-Honestly the whole number was just super extra, juuusstt how it should be :]

Grizabella the glamour cat:

-Not much in specific I can remember, but the Demeter from this show has an AMAZING voice. Actually gasped when she started singing.

Bustopher jones:

-at the beginning and end of the number, Bustopher rode in and out on a little car. In the middle/end, he stood on the hood, and sang from there. I'm also pretty sure Bombalurina was on the roof of the car!

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer:

-All of the lights shut off when the other characters ran offstage, and Jerrie+Teazer came in from the sides and shined flashlights through the audience while giggling

-Plenty of fun choreo in this number, they really managed to get the characters personalities to show!

Old deuteronomy:

-Uhhhh i don't know dude. i forget 😢

-tugger and munk sang from the platforms+back on the sides of the stage which was cool i guess?

-sorry i genuinely don't remember anything :(

The jellicle ball:

-I said it before, but the whole cast were such amazing dancers, it was sooo fun to watch!!

-Tugger and Bomba danced together most of the time, so tuggerlurina enjoyers do with that what you will :)

-some time around the beginning Tugger yelled "Party time!!"

Memory (Medly):

-not much to say

-The Griz from this version has an amazing voice dude. sooo pretty

The moments of happiness:

-GOD I REMEMBER NOTHING I'M SORRYYYY 💔

Gus the theatre cat+Pekes and Pollicles:

-Jellylorum was super sweet <3

-The pekes and pollicles bit was in place of Growltiger, and had Gus play the rumpus cat

-the flashback sequence was super funny, and kind of painted Gus as less of a respectable actor, and more of a super pretentious guy who considers himself a good actor

-He spent a bunch of time interacting with the audience, asking if they'd seen him as various roles in various plays which were all titled as some sort of cat pun version of famous plays/musicals

-Honestly though it was such a treat to watch, and a really fun interpretation of Gus that i never really considered before！

Skimbleshanks the railway cat:

-the guy who played Skimble actually wasn't there, so his understudy took over, and so instead of it being sung by skimble, it was sung by Alonso in overalls

-Honestly though it was kind of weird seeing that number being sung about a guy who was clearly NOT skimble

-Don't take that as me not liking it though!!! It was such a good number!!!

-During the song, Skimble jumped into Coricopat's arms, which Coricopat was very unhappy with lol. He ended up dropping skimble, who was completely unphased and just kept singing. what a joyful guy.

-Tugger was getting super into to the song when they were all laying on the floor :3

Macavity the mystery cat:

-he started by jumping out of a jack in the box!!!

-The moon in the background turned red, which was a nice detail

-Such a gorgeous Macavity?? he did not need to be that pretty /hj

-I actually cannot stress how much i liked that Macavity costume.

-The song itself was sung sooo nicely :)

-They had most of the girls on stage, not just Bomba and Demeter. I know there were 8 of them in total, and besides Bomba and Demeter i can remember Jenny and Jellylorum in specific, but i know there were more of them

-During the fight scene, Tugger tried to kidnap Bomba, not Demeter (I THINK, i'm not fully sure of this part)

Mr. Mistofelees:

-WOW

-Great conjuring turns, my moms couldn't stop talking about them lol

-during the chorus, after old deut is brought back, there were a bunch of balloons that the cast members tossed into the crowd, and were incouraging people to bat around.

-I had full cat makeup on at the time, and the woman playing Bombalurina smiled at me :)

Memory:

-Grizabella sang from on top of a jack in the box, the same one Mac came out of

-SO beautiful oh my god

-i stopped breathing during the chorus omfg it was so beautiful

-RAHHH I LOVE MEMORY RAHHGHHGHHHH

Journey to the heaviside layer:

-Old deut started by pointing to jenny and gus and asking the rest of the tribe which one they thought should be the jellicle choice. They all shook their heads for both of them, so he asked them who they thought it should be, and they all pointed to Grizabella, which was so cute <3

-They had Griz get into a roller coaster car and drive off. there was a projection of a roller coaster on the back wall, and when she eventually went off stage, an animation played of her car going along the coaster and eventually flying off towards the moon

-a little detail i noticed was that Macavity was actually watching this number from the very top of the back scaffolding :3

The addressing of cats:

-I. i literally can't remember anything from any of Deuteronomy's songs. what the flip.

-I think it was pretty good tho!

Extra bits that i didn't know where to put:

-GOD i loved the Tantomile and Coricopat from this production. So gorgeous. So so so gorgeous. oh my god i loved the,

-I loved the use of the scaffolding in the back, as well as the platforms on the sides. having people up there during the parts where the whole tribe is together really did a lot for the overall affect

Okay, that's it!! sorry if this had the most booty ass grammar ever, i am NOT editing all of that lol. This was literally the highlight of my whole year, i was shaking from excitement the whole time <3

Such an amazing production, such and amazing cast, and such and amazing experience <3

[miasiegert]

CATS Wiki Help

Hi folks,

I offered to help give some info and photos for @bellepullman 's CATS wiki (I have some video footage too but not sure if that goes on the wiki or not), but I am honestly swamped beyond belief and I am very, very dumb about wikis. And while Belle very kindly said the mods would clean up mistakes, I was wondering if any kind friends would be willing to assist me in posting some pictures and/or info for shows we've done?

My docusign was just verified this morning, I'm literally writing a new contract (more cats!), and I'm in over my head. I'm happy to give any info but learning how a wiki works and doing that is too much right now.

As a heads up, I did have to delete one photo someone took from I believe from my Tumblr because it was in the wrong section and I didn't know how to put it in the correct one--it was a tech picture to show the height of the ladders--and none of the actors were in make up or posed--it was staging. I didn't think that it would be posted in a wiki. The ladders are up to 26' so I thought it was impressive because that's a big climb and some actors climb from the floor to the mezzanine! :)

I also am not sure if video clips are included or just video but I have info back to Lubbock 2014 with Ken Page. David is much more organized. The most pics I have is from Wichita. I still do not have the drive for Casa Manana. Fulton-wise, there are a TON of rehearsal/promo videos that are official rather than the actors' selfies (which are great and fun but cleaner). Any day, we should get access to the REAL photos from the Fulton.

[miasiegert]

Thanks for all of the support. <3

Just wanted to say thanks to the CATS fandom for all of the support. It's been really hectic and crazy behind the scenes and I'm incredibly exhausted, mentally spent, and you have no idea.

Thank you, sincerely.

[miasiegert]

Oh, come on, you can't expect me to be responsible when my husband and I designed the show, there are up to 36 cats onstage at a time, huge Broadway cast with major alumni, they managed to make "Pekes/Pollicles" a show stopper (Marc's a genius), and the effects are so good.

Telling myself "don't do it" over and over again as I start planning a hypothetical trip to Pennsylvania to go see coaster Cats…guys, talk me out of it.

[miasiegert]

More video of The Fulton! More costumes close up! Different B-reel! So proud of this cast and so thrilled we got to do this! And yes, Bill Bailey has a bandanna.

[miasiegert]

I only got the tail end of the late night in tech but there was “Bustopher is Comin’”, “Bustopher is Comin’: The Revival,” “Bustopher I Have No Clue What Is Happening,” “Bustopher Gone Gospel,” and something HILARIOUS I wish I could share but can’t except, “YOU CAN’T SAY THAT WITH YOUR MIC ON!” I can’t even say who that part was directed to except NOT Brian, who is a national treasure and brings the best energy and we love him. Always the sweetest, kindest person in the cast who plays Macavity.

Related: costume pieces. Missing: the jabot pin Swarovski fishbone for the center of the lace.

BUSTOPHER IS COMIN' IN HIS WHITE SPATS

TAKE US TO CHURCH, BRIAN!

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[miasiegert]

So glad you had a great time! I’m really hoping for video but nothing received yet! I might have to text marketing and be like, “hey! About the equity archive…” lol

With licensing, there can be no replicas (generally for choreo and costumes, which is why we get hired since we take that shit way more seriously than anyone else)) but it *absolutely can be set in a Junkyard.* The change was made the day after we were hired. Cowboys was the producer’s idea.

Costume-wise, we did a rental and the day before opening at midnight sent a wig-styling tutorial since it seems there was some confusion so thank you for kindness there. We had nothing to do with the cowboy gear pulled and sent our full rental set, which had alterations made, so we don’t know if anything was actually used. Possibly Gumbie—grizz’s faux fur stole was ours so many will recognize that. Grizz’s wig was not ours—we sent one of our faves with ears styled in and earrings but they elected not to use it.

We found out from social media that we were credited for costume, hair/wig, and make up design at least through stage management. I have no clue what’s in the program. I think a friend is sending me an extra.

It’s super common for costumes to change from promo to opening. Not surprised at all there.

Skimble used David’s Admetus/Rumpus, which originally was a Carbucketty design I made influenced by an old Australian production. I think maybe Plato confusion if that was Skimble was because at the Fulton, Plato is in an orange color palette.

Tumble’s costume was my favorite in the Casa lot—we almost never get to use it so with the theme and sunset colors, we went for it. Love how bright it is. Our Mungo/Rumple were very standard by our designs—they will always have a Mohawk and braids.

Most of Deut’s costume was custom but right before I went to make a new unitard, David reminded me of Katie Gray’s Grizzabella from Interlakes 2022, which was used only 2 weeks plus tech. It literally looked like it was made for him. I’m a bit bummed he didn’t get to use the custom coat I made him but I understand their fear with the Macavity trick. Still kind of a bummer since that was 44 hrs of work on his coat and with the deadlines it was tough. My hands are pretty destroyed now.

Korie and Henry are absolutely sweet as can be, Jackson too. I didn’t meet the whole cast, but they stand out a lot (I always notice when I get thank you notes). Korie’s dream role was Deut and he never had the chance to meet Ken so I was able to tell him genuinely that Ken would have been so proud of him. Because he would have. It was also Korie’s first show back from a horrific injury.

I couldn’t have done this show without the help of @cryptidvoidwritings who stepped in graciously when I was about ready to jump out a window with my hands and some things that happened. She took directions and feedback like a champ, and her Macavity warmers are now at the Fulton should Sammy go on u/s Macavity because she earned it. I’m looking forward to this fall—another show TBA.

Thank you so much for your show report!! You had a dynamite cast that was pretty stacked and some newcomers! Wish I could have been there but The Fulton! :)

I’m so glad you enjoyed the show and also liked the costumes!! :) thank you for sharing!!!!! That means a lot!

Casa Mañana CATS Show Notes

I am seriously so glad I got to see this amazing show in person! I have all of my detailed song-by-song recollections under the cut, but up top I just want to shout out @miasiegert's AMAZING costume and wig work, it was such a pleasure to see the bright colors for myself (and the wigs are just so poofy y'all wouldn't believe). Congrats to the whole cast and crew for making this show come to life, it was really something special.

Before I start, I feel like I need to preface this whole thing by saying that this was my first time seeing Cats live, period, and I also only saw this show once, so if I remember something wrong it's because half the time I was desperately trying to get any actor to make eye contact with me lmao. Also if I don't mention something you're curious about, feel free to drop me an ask or just reply with whatever your question is and I'll try to answer as best as I can! I also still haven't seen all the show footage online, so IDK what's common knowledge or not. I'll put a heading for each section so you can skip around if you want.

Jellicle Songs through Invitation

Sadly, the overture had nothing special going on :(

Jellicle Songs opened with a human worker at the stockyards being watched by the cats as they came onstage one by one, before she "turned off" the lights and left

The singing only started once she left and the lights turned back on after "can you see in the dark," which I thought was a really novel and fun interpretation of the lyrics

Since the cast was limited, Jellylorum sang all of Cassandra's lines, and Jerrie and Teazer picked up the twins' as expected. (They have Jelly listed as "Jellylorum/Cassandra" in the program but it's not a split track or anything, she's just normal Jelly singing Cass' lines)

The "flying trapeze" was replaced by some sort of leather harness(?) on a rope that the actors would stick one foot in and swing on (I have no clue what it actually is but Misto uses it during his song as well. Maybe a stirrup to cat-scale?)

The boot drop was replaced with the railroad crossing light going off, which I was hoping for ever since I saw it before the show

They made the "mystical divinity" section a bit of a national anthem analog, with the actors putting hand over heart and the two big US and Texas flags coming out

Naming went pretty much as expected. I'm not really a fan of when productions overemphasize pointing out who is who and I didn't notice it here, so that was appreciated (although I did think Skimble was Plato for most of the show, so maybe I need it more than I think lol)

Jelly and Gus had a cute moment during "some for the gentlemen, some for the dames" where they did a little bow/curtsy to each other

Victoria's solo was split up among all the girls one by one, starting with her doing an abridged White Cat with a pink cowboy hat

The hat was quickly stolen by Teazer, and they had a little fight over it which Jenny had to break up (loved the bratty vibes of this moment, which was their only big interaction I noticed)

Eventually it got passed along to Demeter, who seemed hesitant to take it, but was urged on by the other girls.

Going into the invitation/Munk's monologue, Raphe played him as serious and dramatic as ever (minus the accent), which was a departure from the other actors who tended to play a bit looser and more relaxed. (Not a slight against anyone of course, it was just interesting to observe.)

Gumbie Cat

Before the song started, Munk got a little distracted with a big spool of rope he was playing with 🥺

The same thing happened with Jenny and one of the hanging string lights on the walkway at the back of the stage during his first verse, which got a big audience laugh

As the trio were getting set up, there was a little (staged) moment where Deme fell over and had to quickly sit back up, which added to the idea that she was supposed to be a new member of the tribe and a little unsure of herself

Jenny's tap costume was SO cute, and she kept the US boots on for the rest of the show, which is a good way to identify her

I was definitely surprised that the cast soft-shoeing in their boots (instead of using tap shoes) was audible from the audience, but it worked like a charm!

Munk and Jenny had a little duet at the end (not quite a tap-off like it used to be, but from what I've seen of the recent Oasis prods Munk doesn't get to tap at all :( so it was nice to have him involved)

The song ended with Jenny going "thanks, y'all!" which I am formally requesting become the button for all non-British versions of the show from now on

The Rum Tum Tugger

The staging and setup of this song was pretty much as normal, but as with all good Tugger stagings, the real gems are from the rest of the cast's reactions

Demeter was very into it and leaned over to tease Misto a couple of times, who was very flustered and kept throwing his hands over his eyes — he delivered the "terrible bore" line like he had something to prove. (I didn't know about the cast headcanon until after the show, but from what I saw, you could read his actions as romantic or "ew Dad, gross" equally easily depending on your preferences.)

Deme almost got a moment with Tugger before Bomba cut in on her

At some point Jenny snuck back onstage to "nap" through the rest of the song

Surprisingly, they didn't go with the overexcited kitten gag — I thought it would've fit great with the setting, but I'm sure they had a good reason to cut it out

Grizabella

Rumpleteazer was the last one of the kittens to approach Grizabella (she was a little more timid, I think she was meant to be one of the youngest) and Griz delivered the first verse of her song directly to her as she was shivering in fear on the ground in front of her. Afterwards, she ran over to hide with her brother — I also saw Jenny huddled over Misto and Victoria

Old Deut made a surprise appearance to lead Griz out with a handkerchief over his hand (which I thought was about the "no touching" thing but he also did it at the end, so I'm a little puzzled about that)

Bomba put her hand on Deme's shoulder for comfort as she was leaving

Bustopher Jones

This song was literally so funny, y'all. They made up for the lack of lyric changes (none of the place names were changed) with a bunch of physical humor and gags that were pitch-perfect to the Texas vibe

Everybody was split up into little groups that each wanted to give Bustopher their food (or at least Jerrie and Teazer, who had the corn dogs, really did)

The first thing he picked up was a Whataburger cup from Munkustrap — for those not in the know, Whataburger has basically the same cultural relevance in Texas as In-n-Out has in California, except you can only get it in-state

I'm so sad I got spoiled about the Real Corn Dogs, because watching him take a bite out of them onstage(!!!) was a thrilling experience

Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer

The song started started with them coming out from behind the cat wanted posters on either side of the stage and sneaking towards the middle (including a moment where Jerrie stuck only his leg out from behind a post which was a great image)

Their solo costumes (raggedy overalls with a bunch of mismatched patches) were so cute

Behind the low wall at about mid-stage were a couple of trampolines which the actors used to do fun tricks and bounce in time to the music. I get the feeling the actors weren't as acrobatic (or the cowboy costumes/boots didn't allow that) so this was a great way to introduce some big energy to the number in a different way

After getting off the trampoline, they did a bit sitting on the edge of the wall where they stacked their legs threaded over each other (I'm bad at describing it but it's like when you and a friend try to stack your fists/hands alternating between each other)

At the end they pulled out a barrel and laid it on its side — both my sister and I thought they were going to walk around on top of it, but instead they made a seesaw with it which was also fun

The barrel ended up having some kind of illusion from which they pulled two big foam cowboy hats (in Texas colors of course). Honestly I'm still not sure how they pulled it off

Surprisingly, there were no loot bags (I think they were supposed to be more like rascals or kids goofing off and trespassing than actual thieves), so they skipped the playoff entirely

I think this was one of my favorite songs of the whole show. I really like this song when the actors are doing something every beat, and I honestly don't mind big props/gimmicks like these as long as they don't take up the whole song. This version threaded that needle really well and it was a great time!

Old Deuteronomy through the Jellicle Ball

Not much to say about Old Deut's song. I did notice a lyric change to "married nine wives" but I think that seems to be par for new shows post-2019?

After the pre-ball Macavity scare, Misto and Vic were huddled together downstage right and Sillabub downstage left to segue into the Song of the Jellicles

Tugger got the line "Jellicle cats are rather small" because there was no Alonzo, but otherwise I didn't make notes on who got which line

The ball had a lot more partner dancing than usual (no lifts unfortunately), which fit the theme really well! I don't know much square dancing lingo but I definitely saw them do a grand left and right at one point, I'm sure there was a lot more but I was too awed to really be picking things apart lol

They did pantomime tipping cowboy hats (which I hate a lot less than the weird crown pantomime Andy came up with, mostly because it's already a thing in Western dancing)

I think at one brief pause there was a small Skimble/Victoria moment? (This may have contributed a lot to the Plato mixup lmao)

There was a whole section where Old D stepped down and everyone was trying to reach for his handkerchief as he waved it around (and yeah, still don't know what was happening with that whole thing, sorry y'all 😅)

At the end of the ball (I think at the "Ecstasy" cue if you're familiar with Gillian's choreo names) the lights swept up over the audience like a field of stars and it was honestly the most magical moment ever

Memory (first time) through Moments of Happiness

For some reason in my program they have "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" listed as "Entry of Grizabella" and Glamour Cat moved down to where this first Memory iteration goes, which gave me false hope that they were going to do the Jelly reprise. Very mean >:(

Before Griz came out, Old Deut almost presented Victoria with the pink cowboy hat from the white cat solo (which I think means she was about to be the Choice), but then she saw Griz coming and everyone got scared away

I feel like there was an extra 8 or 16 counts of dancing music for Griz before the song started, during which she did part of the partner dance choreo from the ball by herself :(

They used "silence" instead of "midnight" which I'm so mad about (ALW I'm gonna get my revenge one day just you wait old man)

Korie is such a beautiful singer, like he really fits the role to a T. Very old-school brassy bari/bass voice, a lot like Ken Page

Since there were no twins, Sillabub just got up and sang on her own, but it wasn't that jarring

At the end of the song, Rumpleteazer got a little sad and slid over to snuggle up at Old D's feet

Gus the Theatre Cat

Before you ask, yes, I did cry a little at this song (knowing that Michael had played Gus before back during the first Broadway run made me tear up, ok?)

Before the song started, Jelly gathered all of the kittens in front of her (unfortunately with the way the blocking ended up Gus was right between us and her for a lot of the song, but he had a much bigger stage presence than replica Guses so it wasn't a big loss)

As Jelly was beginning the first verse, Gus came onstage with a guitar, which he fake-played throughout his verses

Munk got to be Gus' friend at the pub, and they had real beer bottle props which was literally the cutest thing ever

During Gus' verses Michael sang with a much more lyrical tone than normal (as in he was really singing, not talk-singing), and the country accent really fit well with his song

At the Firefrorefiddle part Munk came back and handed Gus an actual fiddle, and how has NOBODY done this before??? It was literally so perfect y'all (I don't think the instrumentation was even changed but it just felt like the exact right thing)

I remembered to check back in on the kittens during their little moment, Rumpleteazer was aptly offended/embarrassed

One of the best lyric changes was definitely "in the days when Hank Williams reigned," I have a feeling if they could have changed more they would but alas

Between the end of the normal song and the lead-in to P&P, Gus ate up the applause (there was a lot!) and sang the next verse like it was an encore

Pekes and Pollicles

Not sure if this is as expected, but Gus sang "the awesome battle" instead of awful (and there was the "heathen" to "foreign" change that I've discussed elsewhere)

Before getting into full Rumpus Cat gear, Gus was dressed as a football referee (complete with real working whistle that he used a couple of times). He also did a coin flip during one of the early verses to decide which cornhole team would throw first

Yes, the actors were really playing cornhole onstage, and they were quite good at it too! I assume a lot of practice was involved lol

During the first barking sequence, Rumpleteazer was on her hands and knees playing one of the dogs and literally jumping off the ground barking, it was so silly-looking

Jenny played the police dog, complete with beer bottle. I think she was off to one corner fake-drinking for most of the song

I think the whole Little Tom Pollicle section was cut, including the bagpipes section

When the Rumpus Cat came out, the "dogs" flipped up the cornhole boards to hide behind. I also spotted Jenny as the police dog with a white-knuckle grip on her beer lmao

All in all, it was a very fun version of the song and I didn't even mind so much that it was moved out of its original spot in the show because it was SO goofy silly

Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat

This staging was a little less dynamic than the normal, they made the fake train very early on in the song and then just basically stayed there the whole time. Skimble was bouncing around as normal though

The train's "smokestack" spouted real steam at one point, which was really cool

Misto and Jelly were the card-players, complete with real oversized cards. At one point Skimble stopped to look at both of their hands and swapped some of their cards to complete the game, which I think is just *chef's kiss* perfect characterization for him

Instead of the fake train falling apart at "Skimbleshanks would help them to get out," there was a gag where Jelly was almost falling over and Skimble had to rush over and help her catch her balance

Macavity (scare, song, and fight)

Macavity used a literal lasso to kidnap Old D

This was totally just a personal thing, but I was definitely thrown off at first by the hard-T American pronunciation of Macavity

I can't remember if this happened here or somewhere else, but I feel like I should mention that at one point Bomba slid into a split so smoothly that I didn't even process it was happening until she was all the way down in it 😅

The fight was much different than normal — everyone got in on fighting Mac. I remember Bomba got a big moment getting him in the stomach before he got away

Instead of the jumper cables, Mac swiped at the "Cattlemen" sign and took out all of the lights except the ones that said "Cat"

After the fight, Deme and Bomba took a beat to clean each other off with some casual acrobatics

Magical Mister Mistoffelees

One change I thought was really sweet was at the beginning of the song, the rest of the cast were really disbelieving of Tugger and rolling their eyes at his claims, which I think pairs well with the cast headcanon

For our performance, Misto was not wearing the brown jacket he had in the promo videos — he may have had a black vest on or just his normal chorus outfit, but he still had his sheriff star :)

They had a couple of cans for Misto to knock over as part of his sharpshooting bit, but no squibs or anything onstage

During the "curled up" line, Misto went and cuddled with Vic for a second

There was a moment post-conjuring turns where the actor did a one-handed cartwheel with the toy gun still in his hand and I was just the tiniest bit afraid for his life (he pulled it off though!!!)

Instead of having a volunteer, they just had two people hold an old blanket that they used to cover Old D from one of the wings back to center stage

Misto looked away like he does sometimes after the Old D trick, but sadly they didn't get to hug after :(

During the final chorus Rumpleteazer got back on the trampoline and was bouncing along to the music

Rather than slowly making the spotlight disappear like in some productions, Misto shot it out before making his exit which was a cute touch

Memory (Reprise)

After Munk's monologue, Old D was ready to make Gus the choice, which this time was represented by a spotlight casting a circle on the ground. I was ready to be disappointed about the whole "wrong cat died" situation, but I was pleasantly surprised when Gus stepped back and invited Griz into the spotlight to make her case, it felt like a really good resolution to the issue some people have with that point

Right after Gus gave up the spotlight, he and Jenny had a little mimed conversation where she seemed a little upset/confused at what he did

Jackie did great as Grizabella — you could definitely tell she had played Elphaba in the past too lol

Interestingly, there were a couple of moments where it almost seemed like Skimble would be the first cat to touch Griz after her song, but he ended up backing off so that Vic could give her the pink cowboy hat :)

Journey through Ad-dressing

My sister and I were speculating before the show started where Griz was going to leave the stage (there wasn't a lot of infrastructure up above the stage itself so we were curious), and it ended up being the piece of scaffolding with "Mule Alley" written on it! Totally unexpected

I wish I had caught more of the cast interactions during this song, but I did definitely notice Bomba and Gus arm in arm

Old D was much more lively and light-hearted during The Addressing of Cats than normal (again, really reminding me of Ken Page's Deuteronomy, but even more jovial. I think there's footage of this so if you haven't gone to check it out definitely do!)

Not quite a lyric change, but the address in question was changed to something pronounced more like "aw, cat"

And that's about it for the show! Like I said at the top, feel free to send me asks if there's any part of the show you'd like to know more about! I tried not to assign romantic/platonic designations to any of the pairs throughout the show because it went by much too fast to tell one from the other (which is basically my way of saying go wild with it, y'all — the cast certainly sure have!).

[miasiegert]

BUSTOPHER IS COMIN' IN HIS WHITE SPATS

TAKE US TO CHURCH, BRIAN!

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[miasiegert]

Oh, you will—when fans see the show and review! Or when the run is over! For obvious reasons, I can’t! :)

Cats Fulton theory / assumption

! also spoilers !

Grizabella features in moments of happiness BUT the way it’s staged I don’t think she’s presently with the others. I think they’re all frozen in time like they will be in memory just based on the spotlighting and how they’re all only looking at and acknowledging Deuteronomy.

Interestingly Sillabub is also spotlighted before her solo can begin- and just looking at the threes color pallets together and how they specifically changed their typical pink!sillabub design to make her blue and grey along with the staging of this shot….she’s probably deutabella’s daughter. Or maybe just Grizabella’s.

Ya, that’s my theory based on one photo

[miasiegert]

This is all I’m willing to say in response so LIGHT SPOILERS maybe below:

1. Moments of Happiness: Nope! :) I have never seen it staged like this before, and Will Mann IS the Deut to pull it off.

2. Sillabub is Grizz’s daughter which you can see with the collar charm pendant matching the other half on Grizzabella’s necklace—that charm was once whole.

Sillabub’s father is NOT Deut. But he is still related to many Jellicles there by default. It was not confirmed/I didn’t ask, but I suspect that Deut is Macavity’s father. They are NOT doing the three brothers theory. I would not be surprised if Deut is also Misto’s father.

Sillabub’s father is a Jellicle. Stray from Gillian Lynn. This is not her version, The father will be wearing a collar. Sillabub’s collar with charm will match Grizzabella’s with charm.

Cats Fulton theory / assumption

! also spoilers !

Grizabella features in moments of happiness BUT the way it’s staged I don’t think she’s presently with the others. I think they’re all frozen in time like they will be in memory just based on the spotlighting and how they’re all only looking at and acknowledging Deuteronomy.

Interestingly Sillabub is also spotlighted before her solo can begin- and just looking at the threes color pallets together and how they specifically changed their typical pink!sillabub design to make her blue and grey along with the staging of this shot….she’s probably deutabella’s daughter. Or maybe just Grizabella’s.

Ya, that’s my theory based on one photo

[miasiegert]

Well, all right. I suppose I can share these.

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So, should I ask if I can post design sketches and concepts on insta/tumblr yet or make y’all suffer longer?

[miasiegert]

And some show montage from The Fulton.

Including a touch of Rumpus Cat (but not the pekes/pollicles).

This show’s been my favorite by far to do. The heavenly light when Deut turns around is so gorgeous live-time.

And if you want a hint (besides Jennifer Coolidge):

“MEOWma Say, MEOWma Sa, MEOWma Coosa, Meeeeoooooowwwwwww~~~~~~~~”

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[miasiegert]

CATS at The Fulton, Show Pics, designed by us

Moments of Happiness

Skimbleshanks

Jellicle Ball. I can't get over this set and the lighting.

""I love my boys!"

The Rum Tum Tugger has a spectacular belt.

Candidates for the ball: Tumble, Pounce, Misto

Meow.

[miasiegert]

So, should I ask if I can post design sketches and concepts on insta/tumblr yet or make y’all suffer longer?

[miasiegert]

Ken Page repeatedly said, including in video interviews, that all of the Jellicles are related somehow. In all the rehearsals for cats at the beginning, they have a day (or few) discussing character outside of felinity and it’s always stressed that cat rules apply, not human rules. If anyone works in wildlife rescue or volunteers (I volunteered at a kitten NICU), all the colony cats are related.

It’s up to the director and actors how to play those characters from that point—friends, siblings, romantic interests—since cat rules and human rules are different.

People can ship anyone in this show however they like as whatever they want—it’s not that serious. There are no canon pairings but some staging suggests certain characters together. No hard rule.

I'm making a Dutch tour demestrap post but I just have to share this one gif on its own too because look

sitting in his lap. 🥺 being cradled and also protected from the spinning arm and leg. his hands on her shoulders and upper arms. And in the moment after this she reaches for his hand, but I couldn't gif that because the camera cut away so their heads slide out of shot. but know that it does happen. 😌

(Roberto de Groot and Suzanne Heijne, Dutch tour 28/7/07.)

[miasiegert]

"... AND I HAVE COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN WHAT I'M SUPPOSED TO SAY!"

[miasiegert]

The princess and the prince! 😻😻😻

Cue “A Fine Romance” or “Dancing Queen.”

A sneaky peak of the amusement park curtain call

instagram story: Jun 13, 2025