#and is my explanation for George going to dance with Cettie

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

☕️ The fact that they removed Etcetera

oh my GOD I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS

not only on the removal of Etcetera (from SO many productions) but also just the diminishing amount of kittens in the show!

first off, Cettie is such a precious character, and I adore her energy. She adds that super-hyper kitten energy that I feel should be in every show!!

I also, obviously, adore how much big brother energy Tugger has when he's standing with Etcetera and Electra, and how he keeps them close during Mistoffelees' song. It adds another level to his character!

now the rest of this is QUITE long, so I'll put it under the break as to not make people scroll!

The U.S. Tour at the moment only has three kittens, Tumblebrutus/Bill Bailey, Pouncival/George, and Jemima/Sillabub. The lack of kittens, especially Etcetera and Electra, is something that's been bugging me for quite some time.

One of the things that I absolutely adore about the show is the clear difference in generations. I've talked about this before, but these are the trio of generations i personally see when watching the show:

The Oldies, or the cats who were friends with Grizabella: Old Deuteronomy, Gus, Skimbleshanks, Jennyanydots, Jellylorum, Bustopher

The Protector Generation, or the cats who knew Grizabella as a parental/authority figure: Munkustrap, Tugger, Demeter, Bombalurina, Mistoffelees, Victoria, Alonzo, Cassandra, Plato, Macavity

The Kittens/Just out of Kittenhood, or the cats who have no idea who Grizabella is: Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Coricopat, Tantomile, Jemima, Tumblebrutus, Pouncival, George, Etcetera, Electra

These three generations are SO important to Grizabella's redemption, as well as to the entire plot of the show!

Songs like Jennyanydots' song, or Tugger's song all feel very much just like performances! Gus' song is really the only song (besides Grizabella's) that truly sounds like a plea to go to the Heaviside Layer, to be Chosen.

You've got Bustopher Jones' song and Macavity's song, which both very much feel like explanations to the kittens, the older cats revealing why one cat is important or why another is dangerous, and it's made all the more apparent when the kittens are the ones to crowd around whoever's singing.

Also, a detail that I absolutely ADORE that the U.S. tour has included is that Sillabub is the final queen to join the Macavity dance, giving off the impression that she's been watching and learning, and joined when she was comfortable!

Without the kittens, the show loses part of the generation, the generation of cats who don't know all the older cats, who are the ones being told the stories (look at the 2019 version of Gus' song, where it's the kittens all sitting close to Gus and listening!)

AND MY MAIN POINT:

the kittens are the ones who move towards Grizabella the most before being ushered away!!!

In the U.S. Tour, Tumblebrutus/Bill Bailey is the one who is at first scared of Grizabella, but then he's one of the only cats facing her during "Memory", and she reaches towards him first before Victoria takes her paw!

Jemima, obviously, is the one who first accepts Grizabella by singing with her!

The three generations all accept Grizabella in their own way: Jemima sings with Grizabella, Victoria's the first to touch her, and Deuteronomy guides her to the Heaviside Layer himself.

Each generation is so incredibly important to the show, and decreasing the number of kittens, or folding them into the same group as the protector generation really takes away from the impact of the show.

That's also one of the reasons why my age hcs RARELY fluctuate within the Cats canon. Each generation plays its own important role, not only with the acceptance of Grizabella, but also just within the show in general. This is also one of the main reasons that I prefer older actors and actresses playing the Oldies, as it solidifies the differences within Jellicle generations.

We as the audience are just watching the Ball, but the songs, the explanations, the reasoning and invitations, that's all for the kittens, because it's only their first or second time, and they're still learning.