#i just love tantomile more :*

[emimii]

idk if you're still taking requests... but if you drew misto/coricopat i would owe you my entire life. all of the love in my body would be yours. i would survive another year due to this kindness alone.

YOU DONT OWE ME ALL THAT ALL U GOTTA DO IS LIVE AND BE HAPPY 🦐👍

here is corico and misto in da rain

[munkustance]

Tantomile Appreciation Time!!!

I once again thank the cats wiki for these photos

[rice-pudding-slaps]

CATS SANTIAGO 2024: My review and experience

On July 12th I saw CATS Santiago on opening night. And I had the best night of my life

I'm sorry for the very late thoughts, but life has been a bit hectic and I have a lot of stuff to say.

If you have any other questions please do send an ask about it because I'm very excited to talk about this production

Also excuse my grammar as english is very much not my first language

TLDR: I absolutely loved it. I cried tears of joy

The General Stuff:

The stage was very tiny. But they made up by using a staging and set very similar to the Warsaw one with big climbable structures so the cats had a lot of places to go

The costumes were changed from the press releases. If you've been following along the ride, then you'd probably seen more or less how the characters are supposed to look. Sadly not all of the changes were to my liking, but none of them I outright disliked.

Bomba and Tanto lose their long wavy hair. Bomba had a wig more similar to the classic cat shape, and Tanto just had a short bob-ish hair

Exótica changed her full white face make up for one that showed her natural skin tone and it was a much appreciated change. She looked beautiful.

Misto's wig also got changed from the classic shape to a sleek silhouette with two horn-ear thingies that were buns on his head

Also Vic lost her bangs and changed to some buns on her head

Jemima's wig also changed from being very short and spiky for a very fluffy and kinda cat shaped hair. I liked it!

Jellylorum made an appearance cuz sadly I didn't have her portrait and she had long straight hair and a knitted shawl which was adorable

Also another ensemble character played by Alexis Sepúlveda, whom I had no idea was in this musical. My guess is that he came along because Andrés Zará, the first Tugger, is leaving after the Santiago shows and won't be joining the tour.

Another important change is that a lot of the characters are plainly different, as it often happens with non replicas

First off, the Alonzo debacle. In this case, Alonso (With an s, as is more often written here in Chile) is a kitten that is following Munkustrap all the time. He is very much a "protector in training" kind of type. Very childish and moving a lot with the other kittens, even if he's supposed to be a second in command. Very similar to Plato in 98 or other replicas

Then it's Pouncival, that Fernando Vargas, who plays him, defined as "A cat in transition from childhood to adulthood. He admires and respects everyone who are his guides and protectors. Athletical and energetic". He is very often during the play in the forefront, and is the cat who is always on alert and besides Munkustrap too.

Coricopat also had a bit of a change in his usual place as the mysterious part of a duo, since he was very often close to Victoria and was who did most of the lifts with her. He would often "split" himself between Tantomille and Vicky, and honestly it was eyecatching everytime. They stole the stage.

Sadly is not customary to give playbills or similar to attendees, so I couldn't get any. However, I do have a very special memento that I'll share later.

Now, song for song, I will give my thoughts

THE OVERTURE:

There wasn't the usual yellow eyes nor cats coming from the audience. It was only the orchestra giving it their all and that's more than enough for me.

Needless to say, I was already crying when the overture started. It was starting to hit that I was watching CATS.

Everyone jumped when the starting chords hit and I didn't flinch because I am a bit used to it and was just awaiting for it to start. I was already into overdrive

JELLICLE SONGS FOR JELLICLE CATS:

First big difference is that it wasn't Demeter the one who appeared first, but Exótica! Not a major change, but one that I noticed

Needless to say, the second Munkustrap started singing I was bawling. My deepest apologies to the cast that only saw me cry that day oh my god.

The translation was a bit of a mix and I don't mean in quality, it was a literal mix of the spanish translation from 04 and the mexican translastion. I didn't notice at first, but after rewatching Madrid 04 for insanity reasons, some phrases that were not direct translations but artistic choices started to come up. It's honestly a shame, since the 2014 version did have an original translation done by Andrés Sáez, who also did this one. I don't really know why or how the process was made. But it didn't sound clunky nor unpleasant. Unless you're a bit insane like me and like to compare spanish versions of CATS for a hobby, you wouldn't even notice lol

Since moment one all the character's personalities were noticeable. And since I was on the first row, middle seat, I was always looking directly at Munkustrap at all times. This ended up being my favorite part of the show

Back to the song, the choreo was completely original with few traces of Gylliann Lynne's. Which is understandable because the stage was *far* smaller than the ones in the UK. Third world things! It stil worked amazingly well and all the actors had their time to shine.

There were a few audio troubles but nothing I cannot forgive for being opening night.

Also -Misto doing some conjuring turns ln the middle of dancing cats is gonna live in my mind rent free

NAMING OF CATS

For starters, it wasn't done in a "pyramid" position, but all the cats were around the stage doing their thing. Mostly crawling around and doing kitty motions.

Thank GOD it was all clear and I could understand everything lol

Good things, the Cats that were named actually gestured at their names being called. So, Alonso, Demeter, Bombalurina, Munkustrap, Coricopat and Jellylroum did a little paw thing when called or beamed with pride.

Munkustrap's voice was the one you could hear more clearly and it was very much hypnotic.

It has some choreo and some kitty acting and it was amazing.

They did end up in a "pyramid" which was hypnotizing and yes I teared up too because I'm pathetic like that

VICTORIA'S SOLO

What can I say? Rosario Muñoz hit it out of the park, she was absolutely gorgeous and did wonderfully. I could tell she was a bit nervous but again I was like. a couple meters away. She did amazing

It was Eduardo Yedro's choreo, which is more about equilibrium and stretching. I would've preferred the original but it was absolutely gorgeous nonetheless

INVITATION TO THE JELLICLE BALL

Misto entered and they danced a bit (Even with a lift!!!) and it was really cute 🥹. Afterwards Asparagus sang the invitation!! His voice was really nice

José Miguel Callejas' Munk can ruin me uh yeah

But on his performance? Absolutely perfect. One of my favorite parts. His voice was very soft and he looked so excited. If Gruber is your dad and Rebaldi is your cracked uncle, Callejas is like your older brother that knows what he's doing but go to you when you're in trouble and won't tell your parents.

Jesus, back to the Invitation. Victoria and Coricopat danced in the background and it was mesmerizing.

THE OLD GUMBIE CAT

Again, Munk's performance was lovely. He was very excited to be there for sure.

There wasn't a car in the set. Jenny entered being wheeled in by Alonso and Asparagus in a big speaker that was revealed to have Jenny inside. Her coat was lovelyyyyyy it was very fluffy and looked really soft

The Gumbie trio was angelical, truly. They did so good and they all danced and sang like they MEANT it. Piamaría Silva was such a highlight for me, her voice was the one I could hear more clearly and also the highest pitched one, and she had a giant smile all the time.

Alonso was very munch cuddly with Jenny, very much a spoiled kid lol

The cockroaches were adorable!!! They only had antennae but they were very much visible. And the choreo was super fun with the usual tap dancing but also some elements of "rondas" in there. Also Munk followed Jenny around trying to keep things in order and it was really cute.

Important!! During the dance they paired up for a second to dance and Munk paired with Jenny and it was ADORABLE

JENNY'S DRESS WAS LIKE A 20S FLAPPER I FELL IN LOVE 😭

And at the end Munk had to fan some air into Jenny until he got distracted with Tugger LMAO

RUM TUM TUGGER

Andrés Zará was absolutely amazing oh my god. He was the right amount of sexy and funny. He was very much sold on being a rockstar on stage with hip thrusting included! Not a surprise, since is his second time playing the curious cat, but always needed to praise him for his talent. Sadly he's only staying for the Santiago shows and not the rest of the tour.

All the kittens were absolutely adoring Tuger, both toms and queens. Munkustrap looked to be absolutely on board with his shenanigans, too! Everyone had a great time, seemingly, except Skimbleshanks and Asparagus lol. They ended up joining on the fun too from the back of the stage tho!.

Is very important for me to mention that he came on the stage with a giant baseball bat and hit a "home run" in the middle of the song lol. Fun addition of the original choreo!

Etcétera was absolutely on point too lol big props to Teresita Rojas for making herself noticeable (Even if for the first half of the first act she didn't have her blue jacket)

GRIZABELLA THE GLAMOUR CAT:

Well, first things first, absolute props to Carolina Soto for her interpretation of Griz. She was absolutely on point.

Onto acting stuff. Demeter got close to Griz as usual, but was taken away in a swift motion by her waist from Munkustrap. This lives in my mind rent free and will not let me sleep. Alonso actually attacked Griz point blank lol. And it was Exótica who did the dancing around Griz similar to Cassandra on 98. Victoria actually tried to touch her but backed down.

Back to vocal performances, I have to say I am in actual love with Andrea Rodriguez's Demeter. She sounded so pained to see Griz in that state. And also her pronunciation of english places was incredible oh my god, I did not expect that at all. Montserrat Bernal's Bombalurina has the sweetest most pretty voice ever, and it works surprinsing well for her interpretation of the character.

After Griz leaves, Bomba comforts Deme in a kinda "okay, let's breathe together" kind of way. It was really cute and also very much lovers coded I am in actual love

BUSTOPHER JONES THE CAT ABOUT TOWN

He entered from the audience, and it was so fun!!! I was smiling more than ever in my life. And not to talk about his vocals because they were absolutely breath taking

Pouncival and Misto were looking together very excited when Bustopher came and it was really cute. Alonso was at his feet dancing at it was so adorable

Munkustrao was nodding over Bustopher's choices in food so we can absolutely say he agrees lol.

They pantomimed a table and giving Bustopher food. And in the background Alonso and emima were laughing and stealing some bites until Munk caught them, it was so cute!!

MUNGOJERRIE AND RUMPLETEAZER

Jerrie and Teazer appeared with their little robber shirts and it was so adorable I swear they made amazing choices of character.

It was less acrobatic than normal, but way more mimed and acted. Every verse had some acting with it and they were super expressive. They also had some acrobatics tho!!! Especially when they said they were "acrobats and jugglers" Rumple got on Mungo's leg like cheerleaders. It's weird to explain lol

Also they characterized themselves as unemployed lazy asses which I think is very funny lmao

There was no double cartwheel, but there was an attempt!!

Also also, Isabella Burotto (Rumpleteazer) clarified in a short interview that they were playing them as siblings and it absolutely showed with the whole "pushing each other around without care for their well being" lmao

OLD DEUTERONOMY

Misto's line was cut here, as were all of his lines. I think this was a decision by the actor.

All the cats were stretching and cuddling together as usual. And Munkustrap in the middle did his singing very nicely :) When Tugger came on and praised his "numerous proginy", Munk was very mmuch like "aw shucks" and embarrased. It was adorable and very much a win for Deuteronomy brothers enjoyers

Deuteronomy entered and everyone went to hug him :)) it was really cute and aalso I got some tears out lol

Roberto Díaz absolutely had all the vibes of a leader btw. He was incredible from the first second. His voice was, oh my god. It filled the theatre.

THE JELLICLE BALL

Once again we get very excited Munk, which is always a treat. But when Macavity gets called he inmediately goes into aggro form and yes I want him to make me worse.

They used the revival verse about Macabity, which I actually enjoy alot. The protectors here were Munkustrap, Asparagus and Pouncival and it showed with how they got.

Victoria and Jemima were adorable together and I love them

Alonso sang his lines, less in the proud tone of 09, more in a playing way. Pouncival actually took his side besides Munk to say "Jellicle cats never grow" in place of "Jellicle cats develop slowly", which again, did that not happen in Warsaw with Alonzo? Lol if it wasn't that, it was the exact same positioning as their line. Tugger made fun of Pounce and called him a little thing. Bit funny lol

The ball was absolutely hypnotic. There was a bit of influence from the revival that i can see, with breaking into groups. Also- again- a bit of Warsaw influence? I swear @per-the-jellicle-magician Warsaw pilled me because I see it everywhere lol. A lot of couple dances. It had little to nothingsimilar to the og choreo, which wasn't a surprise but it was actually really fun!!

Tugger stayed mostly in the back but everytime he came to the front of the stage he bowed to Old D and also swayed a lot lol- Again Coricopat, Tantomille and Victoria were a highlight for me, just because they did an aazing job at making themselves noticeable

Misto had his little solo, and it was just as mesmerizing as ever. Mugojerrie actually followed him and some other cats in the background too.

There wasn't a pas de deux, but a little round where all the acts lifted the firls, and then they all lifted Victoria up. She also had a litttle solo afterwards before they all went to "sleep" in separate places.

Pouncival as a protector was even more prominent during the little scare and honestly I'm living for it.

The ball later had a girls section and a little conjuring turn from Misto. Then it devolved into all the cats dancing and it was really pretty as usual. Again lots of lifts and circles, aI think to make use of the small stage

The last bit of the ball was again a bit of a round with everyone tgether that devolved into more "classic" cats choreo. And Coricopat did one more lift with Victoria that later also included Munk.

It was gorgeous and I REALLY enjoyed it

MEMORY

Munk Inmediately went into aggro with Griz and when Deme tried to hug her, stopped her very fast. Almost a bit mean about it. Again Alonso attacked, too

The twins approached with their heads down and most of the cats started to go to the background and turn their backs to Grizabella.

Okay, now real talk, Carolina Soto absolutely and utterly knocked it out of the fucking park. It was gorgeous and this is my new favourite Memory.

Everyone stayed while she sang, just turning their backs to her. Very much a "if I don't look she doesn't exist" vibe. With Old D looking directly at her.

At the last moment Munk actually did face her, while leaving like most of the cast. With Old D trying to touch her but failing exactly like in 98

MOMENTS OF HAPPINESS

Have I already praised Roberto Díaz as Old D? Cuz I'd like to do it again. Old D actors don't get enough praise and oh my god I adore him. Also praising ahead for Antonia Ascui (Jemima) because she was angelical.

Everyone was very attentive to what Old d was singing, and the light was shining to Jem since she started. She actually started crawling around the first verse and by "Generations" she was front and center. I actually liked that little detail! Her singing didn't come from the psychic twins, tho, weirdly enough. But it had the exact same effect. And she was gorgeous while doing it

It was actually Misto who took her out of the "trance" by starting to play with her! Which, again, was so adorable. Misto is much more of a kitten

Also Old D helping Gus come in is the cutest tihng ever, especially since Munkustrap inmediately took in. Something something like father, like son. Munk was the most invested in Jelly's singing for sure.

Jenny was crawling to Gus, which also was so adorable. Asparagus was on the background standing too and again, so cute.

Have I praised Piamaría Silva (Jellylorum) yet? Because she was such a highlight for me. She was so sweet and now my favourite Jellylorum. She was so into it too. Some true loving.

As a little detail, when Jelly mentioned he got "7 standing ovations", everyone did a little bow, which again, really cute!!!

Everyone got closer for Gus' verse, and they were so into it. Especially Munk and Exótica. POunce took the time to fool around with Cassandra and Femeter which was again, so cute. And they all followed Gus' gaze when he mentioned being "Up in Juliet's balcony with Romeo" and Fireforfiddle.

When Jelly came back on Pounce and Cassandra swayed with the rythm and once again, cute! Munk agreed silently on the background when he talked about kittens, too. The whole number was really cute

Also massive prpos to Andrés Sáez, who was Bustopher and Gus. And also made the wigs for the production!

PEKES AND POLLICLES

Yeah, it was revival pekes. Which I have thoughts about, but that's for the revival.

In this case, once again, really cute! MASSIVE props to Andrés Sáez for sounding both old and young at the same time, somehow.

The whole vibe of Munk and Gus was "Student who is absolutely PUMPED of acting with his prof" and it was, once again, adorable

Also, the lyrics were not racist! Hooray!

Munk did the orchestra director silence thing of closing his hand while shushing the crowd. Which was visible practically only to the first row, but is such a tiny detail that I think Munk absolutely does lol He's such a theatre kid and this younger, enthusiastic Munk is usually not my brand but one I definetly welcome.

Also I was next to people who had never seen Cats, apparently! Cuz they were laughing a lot and very surprised by everything. They were friends of José Callejas (Munkustrap) and their laughs and gasps were very fun for me, as someone who has seen the musical one too many times.

It's still so weird to hear Growltiger's song with Pekes lyrics lol. But it was absolutely well executed and well done. I'm just a bit insane

SKIMBLESHANKS THE RAILWAY CAT

Fun fact, this is my favourite number of the original Cats! So I was so pumped when Rumple ran to Old D as the song started

I haven't praised enough the absolutely gorgeous lighting, and I absolutely should because they were working with few lights and it looked absolutely beautiful, btw.

The song started with everyone looking around with the music rythm, it was adorable. They also mimed some and started looking for Skimble which, ADORABLE

Everyone made room for Skimble (Daniel Donoso) to come in a line , and it was SO cute. This whole number was adoring Skimble times. His voice was very much an uncle voice and it was adorable. He did amazingly!!!

Also the train motions in the dance??? Adorable. The whole choreo was so cute.

At some point Jerrie and Teazer started miming to rob Misto and Skimble took them both by their shirts and got them out the "train" lol.

As another little bit, Tugger was dancing and JAMMING all the times

They also pantomimed the waving passengers on the train, the bed, and some other stuff Skimble said. There was way more miming that anything else.

OH important bit, Skimble had a pocket watch he was constantly looking at. Another Warsaw parallel! D. did they watch Warsaw? It seems so

Then they did the train omg I was so happy!!! It was mimed with frames for the windows and Munk and Tugger were fighting to drive it.

Skimble was so happy and honored at the end of his song, like he felt truly appreciated and I was visibly shaking.

MACAVITY THE MYSTERY CAT

For starters, it was aggro Munk protecting Old D again, but with the whole tribe behind who were slowly getting out. Last minute hooded figures got to Old D WAY more violent than usually lol

Also Mac was Coricopat with a red vest and a slightly different wig. Uh. Yeah, it was a bit shitty

NOW to the important stuff

I want to personally kiss Demeter on the lips uh yeah Also Bomba and her were quite handsy with each other. Like- a lesbian amount. And so good for them, Santiago said lesbian rights.

I have already praised them, but their interpretations were absolutely perfect.

Oh!! Also all the girlies were dancing on the background since the start, and then Jerrie, Asparagus and Alonso joined too

The whole tone of the song was very mocking and more like "get a load of this guy" kinda stuff. I loved it. I was in absolute love. And Bomba and Deme were having the time of their LIVES like. Pure fun.

Also Jerrie came to his mention lol

The whole dancing was so fun and yeah extremely gay like I'm not exaggerating. They only needed to make out lmao

FIGHT WITH MACAVITY

Macavity entered and Demeter started to get anxious, so Alonso fucking ran to protect her and it was him who took the cloak out. Not my favorite interpretation, but sure

When it was time to fight, Mungo, Alonso and Misto tried and got YEETED. I am not kidding Misto literally flew in the air.

Then it was Munku time. They all circled them while they fought, hissing and showing claws. Once again it was way more mimed and acted, but also more acrobatic than usual. And it was Exótica who he tried to leave with, and she beat the shit out of him lmao.

I have. My issues. With the storytelling. But the fight was actually really really fun!! It's the part I usually skip, but this time I had a great one

MAGICAL MISTER MISTOFFELEES

Oh boy

First off. Tugger entered doing his monologue but with swag lmao. And the kittens absolutely fawned over him. Again, the voices were amazing! And everyone was miming and dancing with the first part of only Tugger

When Misto appeared he was the inmediate focus point! Jean Paul Bauer did an amazing entrance and the crowd loved it! Tugger inmediately started screaming in the background too lol

The solo was very different to the replica one. Less ballet heavy and, again, more miming. And the magic Misto had was more of the mind control variety, making all the cats around him dance to his liking! Even Munk, Tugger, Skimble and Jenny! (Again, did they watch Warsaw or smtn?)

And there was some being gay with Tugger too, as a treat

Of course Jean Paul Bauer was a star. And Andrés Zará knew how to make his voice go just as hard without ofuscating him.

When it was time for the trick everything went silent and Tugger did a bit of a small monologue. And also they were a bit gay too, as a treat. But the best part was that he made the public actually clap and told us to not laugh or move for the trick to work. The trick was made with a disappearing box instead of a cloth, and Tugger gave the biggest hug to Old D :')

Everyone then also hugged Old D and they all danced behind Misto, who then did more dancing with Tugger flexing his voice behind (And Skimble clapping!)

To finish the number, Misto also disappeared!

MEMORY (REPRISE)

Okay, serious time now guys!! Jemima did Daylight in the climbable part. And again, she was perfect for the role, absolutely angelical. The silence in the room was absolute just to hear her.

Munkustrap was SO excited. I loved him, if you couldn't tell

Then Griz shows up, and everyone makes way. Munkustrap stands there confronting her all through her song. It was actually an interesting choice I'm not against

Carolina Soto, oh my god, she was gorgeous and her voice was perfect. She had the tone and also the emotion completely perfect. When I thought she couldn't get better, she did. I rarely care for Memory, but this one was so gorgeous. The translation was more close to the spanish one than the mexican one, which is a shame specifically for me because I think the mexican one is superior

Back to this version. When Griz fell everyone made a half step ahead, as to try and help her. But no one did except, well...

Okay. This is my one big thing with this version. They changed the ending. Jemima comes and helps her up, by holding her hand while singing her verse. It was beautiful! But. it kind of. fucked up the foreshadowing they had done by spotlighting Victoria so much. And they also changed the lyrics a bit weirdly by saying "just leave me alone" which is- the contrary of the thing she supposedly wants. And afterwards everyone kind of stands around until Old D comes and touches her hand, which props to the rest of the tried gasping and starting to come forward. Like. Come on, guys. You were so close.

But anyways

Jenny actually grabs Griz and parades her around

JOURNEY TO THE HEAVYSIDE LAYER

She gets paraded around and everyone gives her a greeting (Tugger gives her a sassy greeting and Munk an apologetic one)

To my surprise, there was a plataform that went up and let her go on the heavyside layer. It was really nice. I didn't expect it, to be honest! And the "wow" from the audience really made me realize why Cats is as big as it is. Like, not to exagerate a bit, but there's a reason why musical theatre gets revived everytime Cats goes somehwere

ADDRESING OF CATS

The cats started on the ground looking at Old D, as usual. And slowly took their positions standing (I was still in front of Munk, and just to his right was Tugger! Fan favorite spot. To his left was Skimble and just behind him Jenny)

Roberto Díaz killed it. I was bawling. Full on bawlilng.

And they said my favorite line!! "First you must know that barking is not the same as meowing". I want it on a shirt lol

Every cat stood and showed their personality. As it's usual. Pretty part for the chorus. But I was bawling my eyes out. I couldn't believe I just saw the musical that had consumed my thoughts for years

Personal thoughts (that you can fully skip if you don't care)

I've said it multiple times. I never thought I would see Cats. I never thought I would see Cats in Chile, my country. I never thought I would see a good Cats. I thought that my experience was going to be a school play with just 3 songs, hald a cast and shitty costumes. But I got something so different. I got to see an amazing Cats non replica with unique costumes, absolutely amazing performers and so much love put into it. And not only that.

On July 12th, I saw Cats on opening night. I have been following this produciton since last year and making posts about it on instagram, because I wanted to. I was so excited and I needed to follow everyone and document everything. So I made an account to get all the chilean cats fans in one place and we could talk.

On opening night, I had a bunch of pictures printed because I wanted some of them signed, whichever I could get. Just to get a memento in case there was no playbill-esque thing. There wasn't. I asked José Callejas if this could be done on Instagram and he said yes, to ask the staff. When I did, the staff recognized me from my Instagram and told the cast.

The cast asked to meet me. So I went backstage. And they were all so excited to see me. They all wanted to thank me for bringing light to the production and being the biggest fan possible. They all hugged me and thanked me. Even thought I was just a guy who really fucking liked Cats the musical, and they just made my dream a reality. They signed my pictures, they told me I was awesome. I could just cry and keep hugging people and thanking them for everything, every single thing. I don't have enough words to describe how amazing it was.

Thanks for reading this, even thought is several pages long. And thank you for caring about this non replica, as it means everything to me.

[afairytalestray]

OK so on Saturday I got to go to Milan to see the Cats Il Sistina tour and HOLY GOD IT WAS AWESOME. I'm glad I studied the character designs in advance because a lot of the costumes are really different. I'm not typically a huge fan of nonreplicas but Il Sistina may well change that!

I've compiled my thoughts on the show here! Nb, I do not speak Italian so I'm not sure how close to the original lyrics the translation is 😅

There were no green goggles, but the Cats did come in through the audience. I had an aisle seat and Cassandra walked right past me! She was right there and so beautiful omg.

I've gotta get in right at the start that Simone Ragozzino is my new all-time favourite Mungojerrie. The most ever! A little guy. He got most of the acrobatics that Tumblebrutus usually does - apparently Simone used to be an acrobat/gymnast so that makes sense. He and Rumpleteazer were sufficiently chaotic but also clearly valued and beloved members of the tribe. Idk man Simone just got it. Tumble-jerrie ftw. 

The cathedral from "round the cathedral" was changed to a Colosseum reference which I loved 😍

I'm obsessed with Demeter’s makeup from this tour actually. I'm personally not the biggest fan of cryptid-style makeup and looks in Cats in general, but I feel like Deme was balancing just on the edge and it really worked and I loved it. Maybe it was Viviana Salvo's acting as well - she was fabulous at toeing that line between stunning and unnerving!

Tugger and Munkustrap were super close! Munk was less annoyed by Tugger’s antics than normal and they did this thing at one point where Tugger was holding onto Munk who leant fully backwards off the edge of the stage - it was like a trust exercise and I was a fan. Their rendition of Old Deuteronomy was lovely and their voices worked so good together! Tugger was definitely Munkustrap’s second in command of the tribe. I wish Tugger was a bit more Tugger in appearance, he seemed very yellow with not a lot of detail on his costume, but the personality was hundo p present and accounted for. He did the "bite is worse than your bark" line in Jellicle Songs and legit barked at the end.

Jennyanydots was fabulous! Instead of a big coat she literally wore a giant ball of wool, and one of the props was giant knitting needles and the start of what might have been a giant scarf - it took 6 of the Cats to carry it. It actually worked super well for Milan, which is known for fashion and fabrics - there's even a giant sewing needle sculpture outside Cadorna Station! It was probably a happy coincidence but I enjoyed it!

Victoria's role was changed quite a bit, her solo was totally different and the pas de deux was gone. There also kinda just... wasn't the big small first touch Vic and Grizabella moment, which I was sad about, but if Griz's big moment wasn't "TOUCH MEEEEEE" in the translation, I'm not so bothered by it. I wish Vic had a bit bigger of a role because I love her, but she was killing it whenever she was on stage.

We are all stan pink Jemima, she had such a lovely voice too. Her and Alonzo were playing with a tennis ball during the interval and it was adorable.

My beloved Coricopat and Tantomile were lying in the Mouth of Truth prop after Moments of Happiness; they had their usual role of translating Old Doots through Jemima so I thought their placement here was deliberate! They weren't always fully in sync which I kinda liked, it was like they were allowed to be their own characters rather than just "the twins". I definitely got the impression that Tantomile was the older sister which hella backs up my hcs about her!

Gus was absolutely WILD. He comes in after Jellylorum has done her whole first part of the song in this raggedy old tradiotional Sherlock Holmes-style beige plaid coat instead of being there but kinda out of it the whole time. At first he wasnt keen on replaying any of his roles, but then all the others were like please please please and he relented. I think they were calling him (or his role) Romero? Idk if that's an Italian reference I just don't get? They did Pekes and Pollicles (one of the above had been changed to chihuahuas!) and then the bold Rumpus/Romero appeared... in a red satin bath robe and holding a sabre??? I need to look up this reference! Dude didn't just intimidate the pollicles, he straight up cut a couple of them down with his sword! Grandpa woke up and chose violence 😂

There was no trash train in Skimbleshanks 😭😭 there were giant glowstick things that changed colours though. Skimble and Bustopher were played by the same actor which is a combo I haven't seen before. Skimble was definitely still everyone's favourite train dad, all the characters were totally hyped for his song. HE DID TAP LIKE IN 2019. It was really cool how they did it, all the music stopped and he started a call and response tap dance with some of the other characters. The background showed an animated video of going through a train tunnel, like from the perspective of a train driver! The tap was gradually speeding up and became the sound effects of a train setting off and moving through the tunnel. I'm not explaining this super well but it was SO cool.

The Macavity Fight was quite different. There wasn't him disguised as Old Deuteronomy and then unmasked. What happened was he showed up and caused some shenanigans and then disappeared. There were about 4 of him around, so it looked like he was teleporting around the stage and audience! Bombalurina and Demeter performed his song which was absolutely fantastic (seriously how do these actresses actually manage to dance like that and sing at the same time?? Goddesses), after that he showed up again and the full cast was involved in the fight. Munkustrap still got the good choreography, but the whole tribe was involved trying to protect Old Deuteronomy. Tugger was definitely a protector in this production, he was very involved. Jerrie got KO'd a good few times, and Macavity absolutely destroyed poor Jenny! It felt like all of them were trying to protect their family and I really liked that. Despite that, Macavity was still able to win and successfully kidnap Old Doots!

"Mungojerrie, RUMPLETEAZER, Griddlebone" they let my girl do crime again!

Mistoffelees and Quaxo were besties, and Misto was REALLY enjoying Tugger's song I'm just saying. Delighted to announce Il Sistina Misto was a fruity little guy. He didn't get the terrible bore line, sad face, that went to Quaxo, but tbh idk how they translated that so it could be totally different! At one point Alonzo was holding him back at the start of Tugger’s song! We then saw a sponge-like Misto who picked up behaviours from the others around him, like he wasn't too sure of himself. This is actually one of my favourite Misto hcs so i was so chuffed to see it so clearly. He then helped Alonzo rein George (at least I think it was George!) in from going mental fanboy at Tugger. He was originally curious about Griz but then adjusted to hissing upon seeing the others. This fully went forward into his song. They did some big choreo changes. It was significantly less dance-heavy than traditional Misto performances and had a stronger focus on him being magic. There was a levitating box that they spent a lot of time with - Magician's Assistant Cass got in, but then she didn't disappear? She just popped back out again after the box had been rotated a few times. Some of the Kittens were waving their hands under the box to prove there was nothing holding it up and looking amazed which was adorable though. There was also a bit where Misto put some cards into a hat, the hat got passed down a line of Cats and then at the end they just sort of flew out? Like idk maybe they changed the lyrics where they're describing different magic tricks and it all makes sense! I THOUGHT THE CONJURING TURNS WERE GONE, but they were just moved to the very end of the song and cut down quite a bit.

Ok BUT LISTEN, à la 2019, the poor boy tried and failed twice to bring back Old Deuteronomy and then just sort of flopped in the corner all defeated but then BOYFRIEND TUGGER HELD HIS HANDS AND GOT RIGHT UP CLOSE AND WAS LIKE I BELIEVE IN YOU BABE and omg for real those actors knew EXACTLY what they were doing Tuggoff nation RISE. I'm always a red-sheet-turned-cape stan but I can definitely get behind the sparkly tail coat and playing card bowtie. He also had this handkerchief that he threw up in the air and it became a magic wand. I have no idea how and it was very silly so obviously I loved it. Although I wasn't massively into the choreo changes (ballet dancer Misto 5eva), Pierpaolo Scida was a magnificent Misto and I adored him - he was so cute! The little background actions and looks he did were so in character with how he interpreted Misto! Also he was beautiful you can't change my mind.

Malika was such an intense Grizabella - 10/10. She was proud but so vulnerable. She walked right past me when she first came in and lads, she did the whole show in these massive stilettos - absolute queen. At one point it literally rained on her on stage! During her first Memory, Old Deut was really watching her, and at the end of it he approached her, but she ran off when she saw him. I thought it was a super cool character moment, like she knew she wanted to be accepted, but wasn't quite ready for it. Even after the big Memory and Old Deuteronomy declared her the Jellicle Choice, Victoria approached her, but she was still too scared to let her, and it was Jemima who finally was able to reach her and bring her in. At the end she just kinda disappeared off stage - there were no flying tyres or magic stairs in the circus tent!

During the bit after the bows some of the cats were out in the audience and Tugger scared the absolute crap out of this one woman by poking his head in between her and the person sitting next to her. Iconic. Also during the latter part of the interval the audience was allowed to come up to the edge of the stage where some of the actors were goofing about in character. This mf pretended to cough up a hairball and now I have it on video. I also got some close ups of Teazer and the beautiful Bomba!

The Italian Junkyard was fabulous! It was mostly roman landmarks like Piazza Navona and Bocca della Verità, but there was also Michelangelo's David (which I'm pretty sure is in Florence) above the orchestra! There was also a giant marble foot, an Italian-style water fountain, and a broken column. My favourite prop was the bench, it's elevated at the back left of the stage and the cast were using it like a slide to enter the stage! Also it seemed to be Misto’s preferred location to lounge.

In conclusion, I will never get over this.

[rjjameshiii]

I saw a local production of CATS and I fucking loved it.

I saw a production of CATS at a local theater in my hometown. The costumes were amazing, and I could tell that all of the cast were having so much fun doing the show.

The overture was off to a good start cuz they did this amazing projection of the full moon slowly rising in the sky, and the full moon stayed on the background of the set and slowly got lower and lower as the show went on, as if the night was passing. It was very very cool.

Munkustrap was giving me vibes that he was a lot younger than most productions seem to make him. He seemed like he being an adult and the tribe's protector was still new to him; many times he started to mess around with the kittens before snapping back to being serious whenever Old Deuteronomy or Jennyanydots was looking. He even got into Tugger's dance number for a bit, and was one of Tugger's "boys" during the flirty dance with the girls during the Jellicle Ball dance number. And I definitely got the impression that Deuteronomy and Grizabella were DEFINITELY his parents but I'll expand on that later. This Munkustrap was still a commanding storyteller so I loved him!!

Poor Victoria almost fell over during her solo when she was doing the leg lift, but she recovered quickly and nailed the rest of the dance.

Victoria and Mistoffelees also pretty much stopped interacting with each other after the Invitation. And even though Victoria definitely did the mating dance with Plato, she actually spent most of the show cuddling up to Alonzo. Alonzo didn't appear to be Munkustrap's second-in-command either. Munkustrap didn't really HAVE a second-in-command actually, he was pretty much doing everything solo. Alonzo was also the one who scratches Grizabella during her entrance, so this Alonzo was definitely on the immature side. Still loved his dancing though.

I also noticed Coricopat and Tantomile were both female, and I'm pretty sure they were played by actual twins! It was super cool!

Jennyanydots was hilarious. She was kind of a mix between Susie McKenna's motherly portrayal and Rebel Wilson's "hey everyone look at me I'm so great" portrayal, which actually worked out. Plus she had some good tap dancing!

Now on to Tugger.

One quick cool thing was that Tugger didn't leave the stage after the opening song. He kinda stayed off to the side and watched everything with indifference, then after Jenny's number when they were all clapping for her, he suddenly jumped up and stole the spotlight. It was very funny, and the actor definitely had Tugger's swag down. He was super egotistical but also respectful to Old Deuteronomy and Bustopher and Gus, and kind of gave off more of a movie star who knows he's hot vibes instead of a rock star. However, there was just one issue I couldn't overlook.

The actor could. Not. SING.

Like he REALLY could not sing. His notes and pitch was non-existent. I couldn't stand listening to him because he was super flat and quiet and barely kept up with the music. Great acting as Tugger, horrible singing.

Having said that, I could forgive him that for the fact that this show had the GAYEST Tugger and Mistoffelees I have ever seen. I think they were just straight up a couple. The "terrible bore" line was SO flirty, and Tugger just smirked and stroked Misto's chin after he said it, and Misto strutted away and shook his ass at Tugger. During Moments of Happiness, Misto was straight up SITTING ON TUGGER'S LAP. And then when Tugger walked by Misto during Misto's big number, Mistoffelees SMACKED TUGGER'S ASS.

THEY WERE SO GAY AND I ADORED IT.

Mistoffelees was also really good, they gave him a lot more solo lines and presence that I'm used to seeing, and he even nailed the conjuring turns for about 10 turns, which I found super impressive for a small theater production! Although it was a little disappointing that the most they could do for his "magic" was lights going crazy when he waved his arms. Normally I'd excuse it or being a small theater production, but they were able to pull off the flying tire and the staircase to the Heaviside Layer, so I think they could have spruced up Misto's magic a bit.

Another funny bit was that they did Mistoffelees posing before Jenny's number, but in this one none of the other Cats seemed to notice, and Mistoffelees sunk down onto the floor with a look of mortification on his face. It was great.

Demeter and Bombalurina were also great, they were pretty much together for the whole show and had a lot of great dance moments. And their Macavity was super sexy, they got legit wolf whistles from the audience. Demeter and Munkustrap were paired up, although one thing I loved was that Demeter wasn't as skittish as she usually is in this production. She does act scared of Macavity, but she also is actually into Tugger during his number. There's an amazing moment where Demeter starts dancing for Tugger during his song, and Munkustrap runs up to her like "DEME, WHAT THE HECK???" and Demeter goes "Oops sorry babe". And Bombalurina did a freaking POLE DANCE during the Macavity number. It was like 5 seconds long but it HAPPENED.

Bustopher Jones was also pretty boring to be honest. The actor didn't really do much during his number? Just kinda walked around waving to the other cats. He was a very good singer though.

Exotica was in this production and looked almost exactly like the 1998 video version. She was also one of the kittens. She, Electra, and Etcetera had a little kitten trio during the whole show. It was so cute, and it makes so much sense to make the three princesses with E names to be the besties.

Cassandra literally never interacted with the other cats, the sole exception being joining in on Skimbleshanks' dance number and being Mistoffelees' volunteer at the end of the show. She was a regal aloof queen who was better than everyone. Fabulous.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were probably the best part of the whole show - but what else is new? The actors had amazing chemistry, and they killed the humor and fun of the number. They were super flexible and did some amazing acrobatic moves during their number, and they NAILED the double cartwheel! I totally expected them to cut the double cartwheel but they DID IT and it ROCKED. They also basically tormented the audience with pranks during the intermission which I thought was PERFECT.

In fact, the cats basically spent the entire intermission running around the audience. Bill Bailey climbed up onto the top of the wall and laid out like a king, Electra kept going up to audience members and rubbing her head on their legs, Plato and Alonzo were showing off for female audience members. The actors must have had SO MUCH FUN.

Old Deuteronomy was like a silly grandpa and I loved the portrayal. His actor had an amazing voice too. During Skimbleshanks' number he's running around dancing and having a grand time. It was cute as hell.

Plus he and Grizabella are definitely ex-mates in this production. Will once again expand on that when I talk about Memory.

The Jellicle Ball dance number was amazing, I thought the entire cast killed it.

Grizabella only came on stage three times - her entrance, the end of Act 1, and then Memory. But I think the actress did a good job, even if her voice was a little quiet. She had a lot of emotion though, and unlike a lot of productions I've seen, this Grizabella both wanted forgiveness but was also VERY bitter about her life. Not sad and depressed, but PISSED OFF that her life had taken such a strong downhill spiral. I also kind of got the vibes that this version of Grizabella was dying? Her face had visible bruises and cuts, she had a limp, and she kept grabbing at her stomach in pain. I interpreted this as that Grizabella got like hit by a car or something, realized she was dying and wanted a new life, and dragged herself to the Jellicle Ball to get that new life no matter what it takes. It made Memory more intense and emotional to be honest!

End of Act 1 also had something unique, and that was Sillabub sneaking back onto the stage to watch Grizabella sing her first version of Memory. I think it sets up Sillabub's big moment in Act 2 super well! Sillabub looked so sad as she watched Grizabella walk off, but Old Deuteronomy didn't reach for Grizabella which I thought was a let down.

Moments of Happiness was very good, and Coricopat and Tantomile did this cool little dance before they took Sillabub's hand so she could sing. Then Gus and Jellylorum came onstage, and let me just say it. BEST PART OF THE SHOW. Gus' actor was age appropriate and he was incredible. Legit brought me to tears with his acting and singing. Jellylorum was very young in this show, I think she gave off granddaughter vibes when she was with Gus.

Then something weird happened. Gus started singing about playing the Rumpus Cat, so I expected them to do Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles.

And then they just…didn't. Gus just did a short dance, bowed, and left. It was awkward.

THEN IT WAS SKIMBLESHANKS SONG AND MY LORD DID HE EAT. HE KILLED. HE SLAYED.

Skimbleshanks was like the best little guy. He was so good. He jumped so good. He did cute little movements. He was so dramatic when acting out train activities. Skimbleshanks is my new Lord and Savior. And he also got the longest applause from the audience so I think everyone agreed. Skimbleshanks was so super adorable and amazing and AHHHH I LOVED SKIMBLESHANKS SO MUCH.

Then Macavity showed up and honestly it was super weird because he's just standing on top of a pile of trash and the other cats hiss at him for a solid minute while literally not noticing Dueteronomy getting kidnapped two feet away until Macavity leaves.

But then the Macavity number ROCKED OUT. All of the female cats were involved in the number, even Jennyanydots, and the ladies killed it. And then Macavity didn't even bother trying to pretend he was giving Deuteronomy back, he just showed up in disguise and I thought it was awesome. Then the Macavity fight happened and I got my mind blown because Munkustrap isn't the only one who fights him. He actually fights him for like half the fight, then the second half of the fight is Alonzo, Bill Bailey, Skimbleshanks, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Demeter, and Bombalurina all taking turns fighting Macavity before he runs off and makes the lights go crazy. Honestly might be my favorite Macavity fight because all of the cool moments!

Mistoffelees' number was really good. They also had Mistoffelees sing the second verse instead of Tugger, and Tugger spent the whole song hyping him up it was cute. Tugger your a good boyfriend hehe. Then Mistoffelees did an impressive disappearing act to end the number which I loved.

Then Memory happened, and HOO BOY. LET ME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT WHAT THEY DID WITH "MEMORY".

So Grizabella comes in as the cats are all cozying up to Deuteronomy about the Jellicle Choice. However, the cats all see Grizabella approaching Deuteronomy herself, and I think they all realize she wants the Choice. And the entire tribe BLOCKS HER FROM DEUTERONOMY. They actively TRY TO STOP GRIZABELLA FROM GETTING THE CHOICE. Deuteronomy calms them all down and they all sit down in front of him, not letting Grizabella near. So Grizabella starts singing, and as the song goes on all the cats faces turn from angry to sad to forgiving.

BUT MUNKUSTRAP.

Halfway through Grizabella's first part of the song, Munkustrap just gets this FURIOUS look on his face and he actually tries to charge at Grizabella, but Deuteronomy stops him and they have a little argument before Deuteronomy makes Munkustrap sit down and listen to Grizabella sing. Eventually Munkustrap looks sad too and he and Deuteronomy give each other a nuzzle.

To me? That SCREAMS that Munkustrap has anger towards Grizabella, his mother, for leaving the tribe. It's so INCREDIBLY WELL ACTED TOO.

Grizabella eventually collapses and Sillabub suddenly appears at the top of the trash pile. She sings and Grizabella stands back up to finish the song. She doesn't look back at the Jellicles before beginning to walk off, and she actually doesn't stop hobbling away when Victoria gets near. Victoria has to grab her paw to stop her, and Grizabella visibly startles before looking at Victoria, who nuzzles her. Then the entire tribe gets up and nuzzles Grizabella one by one, and Munkustrap takes her hands and leads her to Deuteronomy.

And Grizabella and Deuteronomy NUZZLE AND KISS EACH OTHER.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Then Grizabella is given the Choice and I was shocked to see the tire rise up into the air, and a staircase into a bright light appeared on the left side of the stage. I repeat, this is a LOCAL theater with about 200 seats. SO AMAZING.

I am so proud of this cast and this production!! It was everything a CATS nerd like me LOVES!

[clovenhoofedjester]

jellicle lineups; part 2/4

MOREEEE !!! MOREEEE !!!

rumpleteazer | 💰 🍹 🃏

PIGTAILS RUMP! PASTEL RUMP. blond rump. that is all. i really love that design. so i use it. the face markings are also meant to look like a stereotypical robber mask. i realized she looks a little fox-like while drawing her, which i didnt mind ! its fun !

her clothing design was already laid out for her so i left it virtually unchanged, asides from the pattern itself. imagine wearing clothes w a print of your best friends hair . that is rumpleteazer

even though 1 of her 3 words are impressionable, i think she is smarter than she lets on. i also think skimbleshanks is her dad. she'd be about 21 in human years

mungojerrie | 💸 🎰 🍾

PIGTAILS JERRIE AS WELL, BITCH ! i saw a jerrie w pigtails after i drew this and i felt so vindicated. i also based his design directly on 2019 mungojerrie because ommgggg transgender calico? trans little calico? i thought he deserved some pearls too. as well as a bell collar! it makes cats sneakier.

his clothing design is left unchanged too, asides from some fluff. he is also wearing a print of his best friends hair . smile 😃

hes just a funny fella. he totally doesnt have a history or anything. hed be 21 in human years

coricopat | 🍷 🔮 ♟

coricopat is pretty close to their replica design—the biggest difference being that the red in their design is warmer/purpler. that and the silver collar! i also had no idea what i was doing with her fit, so expect it to change in the upcoming art i do of him. i just wanted something gothy and flowy

hes also based on thalia, the muse of comedy. to keep the greek mythology theme going, and because i thought it was funny, and because (2x) i like... The Gimmick

i swear to god this cat knows things we dont. hed be like 22 in human years

tantomile | 🎭 🍩 🗝

tantomile is also close to his replica design. she has a gold collar. like i said w/ coricopat, the outfit is subject to change

as she was based on melpomene, the muse of tragedy, i decided to sacrifice identical makeup for the white mark on their muzzle being downturned like the frown of the tragedy mask :] giggle. smile

listen to all advice tantomile gives you. shed be also like 22 in human years

george | 🥏 🧋 🛹

i just had to give this (technical) swing some love. bless this happy background cat and his little :D smile. i decided to give him a simple little fit and made his fur/markings less plain white w some stripes. i think i also based his makeup off a victor costume ??

i think hes pouncival's older brother. hed also be 23 in human years

mr. mistoffelees | 🪄 ☕ 🌬

my silly, my funny. my little guy. i based their general Vibe on his john napier concept art, obc mistoffelees, 1990 paris mistoffelees, 2019 mistoffelees, and like. a fairys kiss of brentoffelees. i wish id have given him a bit of that il sistina style but i already had so many things going on LOL

it was definitely a very fun challenge to balance all of these. i also draw attention to the single white shoe—the cutest detail of timmy scotts misto

i definitely prefer a more visually unnerving, grown misto. and absolutely torn between portraying him as mute or verbal because on one hand... mute misto is so good. on the other hand.... oh my god. timothy scotts voice.jesus christ . i think hed be 23 in human years

the rum tum tugger | 🎤 🍽 🪞

WELCOME TO MY TWISTED WORLD. i really tried to keep tugger as cis guys i really did. but the thrall of a visually transgender tugger was too much to ignore. i already explained a lot of his design choices in my first posted drawing of it but like... blauhh... thigh garter, heart, golden whiskers/lashes. they are there. i also made his makeup a wee more theatrical w/ white on the chin to visually separate him from partridges tugger

i also decided to base his fur more on his obc design. like. terrence mann tugger. platinum blond spotted mane and head fur and such. i think it looks really good

im trying to hit the sweet spot between the goofy/serious/whiny/promiscuous portrayals of the him..... the man contains multitudes, you see. hed also be like 24 in human years and it goes without saying that hes one of deuts sons

AND THATS IT. stay tuned for more !

[jelliclekay]

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!

[ima-ghost-art]

Types of Magical cats

When watching cats the musical, it's clear to see that some cats are more magically gifted than others, but honestly I think alot more cats have magic (or at the very least the fun potential of magic) so heres a post depicting each type of magic cat!!

(OC's at the end)

Terpsichorean powers!

Now every cat has this! Terpsichorean means power of dance, and each year the cats reserve to use for the jellicles to use at the jellicles ball!

Basically it just means they can all dance together and vibe in sync without having to do months of practice plus no fear of messing up!!

(specific characters underneath)

The Fantastical Cat!

Mistoffelees (the most obvious magical cat of the jellicles) is a fantastical cat! His magic is powerful and unpredictable. Being able to do small things like manipulate lights and create sparkles, to some mid level stuff like changing his appearance and being able to project his voice into other places, like outside or down the hall, to even bigger things like teleportation (both himself and others) as well as sometimes even creating storms!!

His biggest trick he had ever done (before saving old Deuteronomy) was when he helped save 7 kittens by teleporting them threw an old hat out from under some junk that had collapsed around them!!

Mistos magic (like everyone elses) is inhanced by dancing and music, which helps because it really adds to his love to show off while performing! (The sparkles and lightning really help adding some fun piazza to the show!)

His one main drawback however is over use of his powers is incredibly draining, and can often lead him to sleep for multiple days after big stunts! (Que tugger fireman carrying him back to his den after the ball where he saved old doot!) His hands also have a permanent tingling sensation aswell!

Mistos magic also very similar to his fathers who was also a fantastical cat!

The Mystery Cat!

Macavity is a mystery cat! Now his powers is sort of difficult to distinguish, its most similar to Mistoffelees but alot more controlled and violent. His magic is centred on being able to trick people and stop people from tracing his crimes back to himself.

His levitation (aka glorified hovering let's be real) to stop others to follow his paw prints. Fire means ge can burn evidence. Teleportation to get away. Hypnosis to create an alibi (bc Macavity wasnt there). And finally other little forms of tricks and trickery to cause mayhem similar to mistos powers!

Now Macavitys drawback is arguably the opposite to Mistoffelees. Whereas misto becomes physically drained to the point of needing to sleep for long periods, Mac's powers force him to stay awake. The more he uses his Magic, the longer he is essentially kept from being able to sleep. (Hes always wide awake)

Now depending on the story, Macavity is either actively seeking out the manic effect on his body, willingly choosing to force himself into these periods of unrest just to use his powers for chaos and reveling in its distruction, OR his powers THEMSELVES are what have lead to his life of crime, slowly forcing him into insanity and unable to stop himself by never letting him sleep!

(Either option is great for angst!!)

The Physic Cats!

Now theres no denying that there is some sort of weird powers held by our beloved Tantomile and Coricopat! These twins are often shown to be the first to know/ react to anything new that was about to happen on stage (besides misto), literally sensing Old Deuteronomy before I comes on stage!

Now for there magic, I believe they both share similar types of physic abilities, my favourite hc for this is Tanto sees the past/ memories, and Cori can sense the future/ gets prophetic vision (ik I've seen @afairytalestray talk about similar hcs which I love them!!)

For Tantomile, her powers consist of being able to read peoples memories/ collect memories from objects and surroundings. Not everything is the easiest to read but specifically if it is or has interacted with water or earth it is usually stronger (water and earth hold memories) hence why it is somewhat easy to read other cats. With all of this knowledge, Tanto often ends up predicting alot of what will happen because she says history can repeat itself. However she can also get involuntary visions of peoples pasts.

Coricopat on the other hand can see the future. When hes not having visions, his powers usually manifest as being able to predict what will happen 5 - 10 seconds before something happens. However when it comes to his visions he would become prone for around a minute or two, which depending on where he is at the time, can end up being pretty dangerous, but the other cats look out for him.

When they use their powers together (especially during the ball) their powers meld together and they are able to use them to bolster themselves and others magic!!

The two also have a kinda physic link but whether or not that's bc they are magic or because they are twins is up to debate!

The Gumbie Cat!

Time for our first not quite obvious magical cat, Jennyanydots!! Now to me there is no way Jenny is not somewhat magically gifted, I mean she has 3 costume changes and a sick ass tap solo how is that not magic??

But on a serious note, I do strongly believe Jennyanydots has powers, even as they are not as obvious as her other magical counterparts!

She has the ability to speak with more animals than the average cat, (most cats can only really communicate with dogs/ understand humans) and Jenny can understand mice birds and most other creatures! She definitely uses this part of her powers to become a teacher to other animals!!

She also has the ability to shape shift her form between her 'Gumbie' form her 'Tap' form and her 'Normal' form!

The Knockabout Cats!

JERRIE AND TEAZER ARE MAGIC and you cant take this hc away from me!!!

Like Macavity, their magic isnt very specific, it's very much what they need in the moment to pull off their heists. They can switch places with eachother, disappear melt into shadows, minor teleportation of small objects and masters of disguise all that Jazz!!

Since it's not exactly a set 'set' of powers Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer dont have distinctive separations in their magic, but how it presents itself does allow each of their personalities to shine through!!!

Same as Tanto and Cori, they potentially have telepathy with eachother, whether or not its them being twins or their magic who knows???

Everlasting Blessed

Finally Old Deuteronomy and Jemima!! These two's magic is derived from the Everlasting Cats Blessing!!

Every cat who receives the Everlasting Cats blessing is destined to become the leader of their tribes and the one to pick the next Jellicle choice!

They also are granted with deep wisdom and are naturally gifted with being able to read people. Similarly, like the Physic twins, they can uses their magic to boost others magic!!

_____

Finally! Other cats have small amounts of magic just not anything distinctive to be noticeable!!

I hc that both Victoria and Alonzo share a small part of Mistos magic that stems in enhancing theirTerpsichorean powers! And Munkustrap and Tugger have a mix of a sensitivity to both their father and Jems magic, as well as Macavitys magic!! But also the Terpsichorean powers to!!

Gus and Griz also had a strong connection to a more performance based magic but similarly it's just an off shoot of the Terpsichorean powers aswell!!

(And for people who also like my Oc content, Merlinite, Eglantine and Dylula are fantastical cat, Alibi and Admetus are Mystery cats, Mollycoddle and Magnolia are Gumbie cats, and Old Jillymonty and Dapple doo are everlasting blessed!!)

[diorlusional]

ok i just gotta say i rylly do love ur apartment au! so question what were the other characters r like on this au such as cassandra, jemima, electra, coricopat and tantomile?

YURRR im inactive asf on this account but i have thought about this

Some random hcs are like

coricopat/ tantomile and cassandra’s apartments smell like walking into a candle store. I imagine they keep their places extremely clean and it smells amazing in there… which is why pouncival and his chronic skater boy smelling ass would pass away at the first whiff/hj

Jemima and electra are roomies! They have a she asked for no pickles kinda dynamic. I see electra being the really outgoing one and jemima being quite shy when it comes to the other cats.

circling back to my girl cassandra (she is like my favorite cat from the 1998 film next to pouncival and alonzo) Nothing goes by without her knowing. Any tea that is spilt in the complex SHE KNOWS and you bet your ass mistofolees is getting an ear full first chance she has. But she’s so good at acting like she does not gaf.

I have a pinterest board that i’m still actively updating with fun lil visuals that i will link eventually. once i add more

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

I know you enjoyed the game, so I wanted to ask here: which BG3 companions would have which cats as their pets?

We're cooking with gas and putting two hyperfixations into the large hadron collider, eh?

Okay, I can tell you right now that I have several off the top of my head, not only in that would have them as "pets" (or to the extent that Halsin would consider an animal a "pet" which is more of a companion) but that they align from a character personality standpoint:

Astarion - Black and White Alonzo (Vain with courage issues) and - stay with me - The Rum Tum Tugger. Little chaotic shit with a showboat streak who holds a grudge with underlying emotional depth? Astarion. Tugger.

Lae'zel - If she could be persuaded into having a pet, I just can't help but see her with the haughty, disdainful and lonely Cassandra.

Wyll - Munkustrap and Victoria (The protector, the courageous and the loving and the romantic little princess)

Shadowheart - Demeter and Bombalurina (Both gals are both sides of Shadowheart's personality and I feel like she'd get on well with the two of them). She's also a potential Jemima weird girl.

Karlach - I can see Karlach with any of the kittens or adolescents tbh, but Tumblebrutus/Bill Bailey and Etcetera are coming to the forefront of my mind.

Gale - you think I'm going to say Magical Mr. Mistoffelees or maybe Coricopat and Tantomile (though I can absolutely see those), but it's obviously Jennyanydots and/or Jellylorum. Jenny and Jelly are essentially Tara. It makes the most sense. I would even throw Skimbleshanks in there for good measure. Gale is a cat dad - he can have 3+ as a treat.

Minthara - Grizabella (Proud to a fault and indomitable? Minthara. Hurt? Also Minthara. This one just makes a lot of sense to me, particularly if you trace who Grizabella used to be along with who Minthara used to be pre-tadpole and brainwashing.)

Halsin - Deuteronomy (Wise, loving and a commanding presence, Old Deuteronomy belongs to no one and is beloved by all - generally even tempered and protective. Oldest cat with dad lore. He also gets kidnapped, waxes the occasional poetic, and canonically *redacted*)

[yoa-artblog]

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 😹

[emimii]

any family au ideas?? :)))) i love family aus but im struggling to pair up some characters for family aus. (for example: ones like victoria, mistoffelees, and alonzo all being siblings and... idk bustopher jones being their dad or uncle !) mostly struggling on whos the parents and who are their children @__@

DO YOU MEAN HCS OR AUS BCUZ IF ITS HCS I HAVE A FEW but not a lot

im a big fan of monochromatic siblings like most people are, i think theyre cute and the dynamics between them r definitely fun 2 me i think we are lacking in victoria and alonzo content however

i always hc bustopher as their uncle, and their parents just not being in the picture. nothing necessarily tragic theyre cats i def think there’d be a different standard of familial norms

some other characters i enjoy as family are rumple and jerrie as twins, along w coricopat and tantomile being another set of twins, i like asparagus jr and jellylorum being gus’ kids, and i also enjoy the deut brothers (macavity, munkustrap, and tugger)

i do think a lot of my opinions vary on production, like i dont see mungojerrie and rumple as siblings in tecklenberg and more of just partners in crime (but not romantic either theyre just two freaks that get along and cause problems), and honestly tugger and munkustrap being related switches for me too depending on the show

i also like the idea jennyanydots and mistoffelees are related in some productions (cough cough the one where they have a tap dance battle) but like i said it varies

other than that i dont actually have tooooo many family headcanons i think, i like to imagine these cats found each other more or less and just. stuck together. i think their relationships with one another feel warmer when they dont really have familial ties keeping them together yk, like they all love each other and want to be around one another bcuz of it

[munkustance]

2, 5, 9, 12, 20, 29 and 23 for Tantometer!!!

Ah yes Tantometer, you know me so well xD

2. Big Spoon/Little Spoon?

Oh Demeter is definitively the little spoon! And that means Tantomile would be the big spoon. Which really fits since I see Tantomile as a lot taller than Demeter.

5. Who is most likely to carry the other?

Tantomile, both in a romantic way and in a "I need to keep you safe" way.

9. Who worries the most?

Well on first thought I would say Demeter since yk, it's Demeter. But I think Tantomile would worry more about Demeter's mental health and anxienty. So in short, both.

12. Who initiates the kisses?

Demeter does it most of the times, especially when they're in public. But alone Tantomile would maybe give a kiss or two.

20. What do their family/friends think of their relationship?

Coricopat couldn't be happier for Tantomile, he knows Tantomile is more of an introvert so for her to find someone so special just makes him, well happy.

And the same goes for Bombalurina and Munkustrap. They both know the two of them are perfect for each other.

23. Who comes up with the cheesy pick up lines?

I don't think either of really uses pick up lines. But Demeter would definitively do them just to get an eyeroll from Tantomile.

29. One headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart.            

Oh... When Tantomile realised her feelings for Demeter was love... And for me that would be during the ball. Yk, when Macavity shows up and tries to kidnap Demeter. Yeah... Tantomile realises right then and there just when Demeter is in danger. That's why Tantomile runs to protect her after Demeter manages to get away. She needs to keep her safe, Tantomime can't lose her after she just realised how much she needs Demeter. After she realised just how much she loves Demeter.

[pinksilvace]

Fern guides their mutuals and followers through Cats 1998 as if we're all sitting on the same couch watching it and I'm shouting out stuff (1/?)

MASTERPOST

Character Wiki Pages

Warning: there's going to be a LOT of bias in these posts

Okay, before we get started, there are a couple of characters in here that are given their US names with UK designs. Accordingly, these characters will be referred to with their US names, though their descriptions on the wiki will correspond with UK names. For navigation:

US -> UK Plato -> Admetus Pouncival -> Carbucketty Tumblebrutus -> Bill Bailey

I've seen folks use "Plato" and "Admetus" interchangeably, but interestingly, I tend to see "Pouncival" and "Tumblebrutus" associated with the 1998 designs when used in fan works - perhaps because these are incredible names, or perhaps because that's just the sort of influence that Cats 1998 has had on the fandom.

(not to mention, "Bill Bailey" in particular has been used to refer to several designs, including Tugger's chorus outfit in recent US-based productions)

Alrighty, onto the show!

1: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats

Okay, first things first, this cat ^^^ is Demeter. She's the first cat seen onstage because she's Really Freaking Important. I'd argue that she's the second most important character, after Grizabells, and that's because Cats deals with two sources of conflict: Macavity's interference and Grizabella's anguish. Demeter is the character that connects these two conflicts. We'll talk about it more later.

Where was she in Cats (2019)? Well, you see, she doesn't have a song about her and her design isn't one of the most instantly recognizable, so I guess she wasn't deemed important enough to keep. This decision sent out ripple effects that completely overturned the characterizations of other characters, but that's a rant I need not get into now.

I have Feelings about Demeter's exclusion

The cat on the left here is Munkustrap; his role is to be the Jellicle tribe's protector. You'll see him a lot and never learn his name, but this context is important, since he acts as the narrator. I'm putting Alonzo (right) here too because he's the #2 protector/Munkustrap's second in command but he's a little worse at the job, has almost no lines, and has way less charisma (affectionate), so you might not know that if I don't tell you.

(another side tangent: one of Alonzo's character adjectives is "uncertain", and sometimes actors play this up until the idea he's a protector is practically comedic. Depending on how you interpret his character, he's either new to the job or prefers to keep to himself... or both. There's some additional backstory there I might get into later that's not 1998-specific.)

Also, I can't watch this part anymore without thinking about this video from Sean McManus.

^ Tumblebrutus tumble moment #1

This is Cassandra. She's very recognizable. The camera loves her. You will see her a lot and wonder what her deal is, but the truth is that she has no plot relevance and barely interacts with the other characters. In the 2015 Tecklenberg production, she pretty much just stood and danced in a very specific corner of the stage the whole time, and... it's not not accurate to her usual role. I guess those are just side effects of having the adjectives "haughty, disdainful, aloof."

Oh yeah, you'll probably want to know what the deal is with these two as well. These are Coricopat and Tantomile. They're psychic and (probably) twins. I think that's the important information but it's good to know because it makes a lot of stuff later on make sense.

Victoria has a number of lifts throughout the show - maybe more than any other character, though I've never gone through and counted. In the US revival choreography, at least one of these is in an attempt to reference her connection to the Jellicle Moon, but it could also refer to her arc of maturity (more on that in the white cat section) and how she's "ascending" out of kittenhood.

The placement of this row makes me SO HAPPY whenever I see it. Cassandra's on the far side because she doesn't like hanging out next to anybody. Plato is next to Alonzo because Alonzo is the #2 protector and Plato might someday be the #3. Alonzo is with Munkustrap because of the aforementioned protector stuff and also (headcanon) because Alonzo has anxiety and Munkustrap is his ESA. Munkustrap and Tugger are brothers (more on that in the Old Deuteronomy section). Tugger and Mistoffelees are together in more ways than one (more in that in the Mr. Mistoffelees section). Mistoffelees and Skimbleshanks are beside one another because they're buddies in this production. Coricopat is at the other far end because he's tall.

Beautiful.

^ Live footage of Pouncival clutching his ears because Jenny only usually only raises her voice while repremanding him, ft. Tumblebrutus pog

Girl help your cats are gnc as hell

(this will not be the first time I mention it, but the London Alonzo and Admetus makeup designs >>>>>)

AGH these actors are so expressive it drives me wild... cats musical actor improvisation and creative expression my BELOVED

^ Whenever I see this shot, I always think of what a good reference it is for seeing the back of Alonzo's wig lol. I actually relly like that this design has the dots going all the way to the sides rather than just being spots.

It's a running gag in the fandom that you have to shake your head when they say "statistical cats", and it's true. I do it every time. I can't even hum this song without shaking my head anymore.

2: The Naming of Cats

You will hear a lot of the cats' names in this part. The camera will not zoom in on those cats in correspondence. I wish it did.

This is a good time to bring up levels when it comes to character age and how it relates to general choreography. With the exception of Demeter (and, arguably, Rumpleteazer - more on that in the M&J section), all of the characters in the front row here (specifically, on the ground) are supposed to be kittens. There are a few missing (Tumblebrutus, arguably Plato and Mungojerrie - more on Plato in the Grizabella segment), but in general, if the cats are moving as a crowd as they do here (and, more notably, in Old Deuteronomy), with some standing and some crawling, the ones crawling are likely the kittens.

In theory, this visual distinction makes sense, as being closer to the ground makes the actors look smaller, but this never got across to me until I started learning more about the show outside of watching this production.

I simply cannot imagine how many people have paused at this section for referencing the makeup designs

(also teehee plato makeup my beloved!!!!!!!!!)

Omg hiiiii Plato - Alonzo - Munkustrap order again <3

Speaking of order: beside Munkustrap is Chorus Deuteronomy, and on Deut's other side is Tugger. When the formation splits into chunks, those three are the only ones in the row. This is because they're implied (very loosely) to be family. Once again, more on that in the Old Deuteronomy section.

I've always loved how the color saturation gets weird here. Grayscale Mungojerrie ily

3: The White Cat Solo

I think this section gives the audience a false impression of Victoria's importance; it's probably the very reason she was chosen to be the protagonist in Cats (2019), even though throughout most of the show, she serves a lesser function than around half of the other characters.

This is where we start toppling into the Cats iceberg. Remember how I mentioned two main sources of conflict earlier? Think of those as Plot #1 (Grizabella re-joining the Jellicles/The Jellicle Choice) and Plot #2 (Stop Macavity from wreaking havoc). Because this show is about a collection of characters (rather than just one) with each having their own stuff going on, it gets a lot deeper than that, and that's why it's so difficult to hear folks say that Cats has no plot or very little plot. I would argue that Cats has so many plots - and, subsequently, themes - that it can't spend a huge amount of time on any of them, but that's a thought for another post.

Victoria's story deals with one of Cats' other prominent themes: female sexuality. Sexuality in general, sure, but I'd say that the representation of female sexuality in here is so much more diverse than that of male sexuality that it's become its own topic, and I'll be referencing it in a few other numbers.

On this particular night, Victoria is coming into her own. She's maturing. She'll have her first mating experience, and by the next ball, she might not be considered one of the kittens anymore. This is especially important because she is the white cat, and white, for better or worse, is the color associated with purity. I love that the white cat is the one who has a romantic/sexual experience taking place within the runtime of the show itself, and I love that it's portrayed as a wonderful thing. We'll cover that more during the Jellicle Ball portion of these posts.

Not to be weird about it, but this is a great section for seeing the construction of the unitards, which consist of six seams: one down the back, one around the inside of the legs, one down each arm, and one connecting each sleeve to the torso. The closures are typically snaps or hooks in the shoulders, which are concealed by the fluffy bits of the costumes, with the exception of Cassandra, who I've seen a few different closure designs for. I also hear that some of the unitards have darts around the waist to help them fit better.

This is a good spot to mention a common headcanon for Victoria: that she is deaf. This headcanon is rooted in a few different things.

First, she is the only cat to have a moment about herself in which there are no sung words; everything is communicated through body language. The closest another cat comes to this is Mr. Mistoffelees, whose role is written such that the actor may or may not have singing parts, but typically, he'll still have lines outside of his own number.

Second, relating to that: I think there's only one part in the show where Victoria's voice is distinct, and that's when she shares two lines about the Jellicle Moon with Jemima during the Song of the Jellicles. They both maybe-sort-of get messages from the Jellicle moon, so whether she actually hears what she's saying is unknown.

Third, as a friend of mine likes to point out: there's a moment during the Jellicle Ball number in which she dances out of sync with everybody else, which can be taken as her not hearing the music.

Fourth: white cats are deaf in much higher rates than any other. Up to 20-ish% of white cats without blue eyes, up to 40% of white cats with one blue eye, and up to 80-85% of white cats with two blue eyes are born deaf. Coincidentally, I've seen a lot of fanart depicting Victoria with blue eyes, both in conjunction with this headcanon and not.

4: The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball

"This is the part where they explain the plot!" I always hear people say. Yes, this is where they explain Plot #1. To paraphrase:

Old Deuteronomy, leader of the tribe, will come and choose a cat to be reborn into another of their nine lives later in the night. This is seen as an honor and isn't weird or culty like a lot of people passingly familiar with Cats like to say. They're not competing to die; they're celebrating somebody's life and wishing them the best for what comes after.

No, Macavity doesn't want to be chosen. He just wants to wreak havoc. Cats (2019) made that part up because it got rid of Demeter.

^ This bit of choreo is probably where Cats (2019) got the idea of shipping these two, which is a bit odd, considering they literally both have pairs presented. rip Plato I guess

Pouncival pouncing moment #1

You'll notice that Munkustrap constantly has his legs wide apart. It's widely speculated that this is because the kitten characters love to dive through them, and he doesn't want their skulls bashing against his kneecaps all the time.

^ Victoria Jellicle moon moment (+ another being out of sync with the choreo moment)

I've officially run out of images but I really like this part where Munkustrap greets all of the cats. He has some really cool relationships in this show and it's worth going through in slow motion once you're more familiar with the characters. Anyway, this is Electra, and she's one of the kittens. Whenever fans decide that one of the kittens is Munkustrap's, it tends to be her, since she's always SUPER excited to interact with him and he's very warm with her.

In this section, I also really like how cordial he is with Jellylorum, how gentle he is with Demeter, and whatever he's got going on with Alonzo.

Bonus: Monochromatic siblings staging placements (yes I will probably do this every time because it's fun for me)

Bonus #2: Alonzo actors always raising their chins, my beloved

[afairytalestray]

So last week I saw the UK/Int tour of Cats in Switzerland and oh. My. GOD. I have thoughts and I am going to share them right now! I have vaguely attempted to keep them organised by timeline/character but I scribbled these down at the intermission and on the bus back to my hotel as quickly as I could before I forgot anything (fully made myself travel sick but it was worth it).

Act 1

First thing I noticed was that Demeter, at the start, was so shy and skittish around the other Cats. I think they were definitely playing into the idea that she had just escaped Macavity and come home. The only one she was ok with right away was Bombalurina. They two were so sweet together – Bomba was always making sure she was ok. Dem got really into her role in the Gumbie trio and was having a great old time.

TumbleBailey got to ride on the flying trapeze during JSFJC and he was living his best life. The boy was not happy unless he was gymnastic-ing.

The lift that Munkustrap and Victoria did in ‘98 was done by Coricopat and Tantomile which I thought was fun! Always happy for my boy to get more screen time 💪

Side note: This is my third time seeing Cats, but because of Covid it was my first time getting to see the Cats all come in down the aisles at the start wearing the green goggles! I was in the front row, so I didn’t get the full effect, but it was still cool.

Tugger’s song was so much fun. Harrison Wilde was so energetic! During the number he came down off the stage into the audience (again the first time I got to see this!), and began twirling the security lady and dancing with her. 11/10. Bomba was SO PUT OUT when he said “no” and booped her away – like, she was raging, it was so funny. Munk was so annoyed the whole time. Peak big brother energy.

I got the impression almost right away that Jennyanydots is Cori and Tanto’s mum, they were interacting quite a lot and she was always looking after them. Ditto with Skimbleshanks and Jemima - he was definitely her dad - he was so protective of her when Grizabella showed up, it was adorable! I hadn’t considered that relationship before (despite my love of Skimbledad), so it was super fun.

This Misto does not like rice pudding, this is not a drill! The face he pulled during that line in Bustopher Jones was hilarious, he looked so disgusted. Misto was definitely more of an adult than he was in ‘98 or the Broadway Revival. Liam Mower is a bloody FANTASTIC dancer; I couldn’t take my eyes off him! He was clearly loving life and I appreciated every moment.

This production said Casslonzo RIGHTS and we love to see it. They kept on snuggling up to each other when they were in the background and you can bet your ass I noticed EVERY TIME. We stan a power couple of protectors. Alonzo’s actor Sebastian Goffin's voice was so deep and I was LIVING. Like I was not expecting this voice to come out of this man. Twas brilliant. Cassandra was so beautiful I nearly cried like ma’am PLEASE HAVE MERCY. She was definitely an obvious protector with how she was always looking out for the other Cats. Also during the first song she was lying right in front of me and I had to try so hard not to explode.

Old Deuteronomy was such a loving dad to everyone, he had such a warm vibe and energy and I just wanted to hug him! Like all of these Cats were his babies and he adored them all. He and Jerrie and Teazer had a wee “oh, you”/slightly nervous giggling moment when they had just come back on stage after getting busted in their number and it was excellent.

Cori and Tanto were definitely portrayed as younger than they were in ‘98. Cori in particular reminded me of Misto from ‘98; like an adult and everything, but a young one who still had a bit of kittenish energy. Their wigs were pleated up the sides which I thought was unique and cool, I don’t think I’ve seen Cats wigs like that before! Cori was so pissed when Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer ran under his and Tanto’s arms during the back-and-forth dialogue-y bit of the Jellicle Ball and interrupted them. He enjoyed hissing a lot which I can respect. Nothing but love for my hissy prince. I actually think Milan was covered by a swing on my night. There wasn’t anything saying so, but I don’t think it was Milan? Idk, it could’ve just been the lights or my position. Either way, loved her. This tour gave the twins so many characteristics unique to it and they will definitely affect my headcanons from now on.

RETURN OF THE SKIMBLETABLE.

Ok but every time Grizabella showed up, Munk genuinely looked like he wanted to/was about to cry, which I thought was an awesome bit of character work. I really got the impression that she was his mum, and she had abandoned him when she left the tribe. Russell Dickson was trying to make me feel things and he succeeded, I was so invested in his performance.

Also, during the ball, he was sitting just below Old Doots on his tyre who was patting his shoulders. A WHOLE DAD AND HIS BOY.

Jemima’s actress Lottie Stephens was also a fantastic dancer who was leaning just on the edge of cryptid and I loved it.

Plato spent a lot of time trying to look like a very distinguished boy and it was so cute. He definitely still had some kittenish moments though. He wass definitely learning to be a protector; every time there was a protector moment on stage he was there, just to the side or behind the others, looking nervous but wanting to make Munk and co. proud.

Act 2

OK OK OK Moments of Happiness? Not usually my favourite song of the show, but there were two excellent moments of personal happiness for me. First, Shakeel’s Cori slinked right over in front of my seat and I became even more unhinged than before, to the surprise of probably 0 people. But SECOND was omg, so Demeter and Munk were sitting a bit apart at the front of the stage and the atmosphere and chemistry between them was literally off the charts. Dem had become more comfy around most of the other Cats throughout Act 1, but here she was acting really nervous and shy. So the two of them locked eyes for a moment and it was EVERYTHING. Like I cannot describe in a human language what they made me feel at that moment but it was SO MANY. Dem almost immediately looked away all shy like, but Munk kept looking at her until the end of the song in the most softest beautiful way. Like omg the acting was SO GOOD and I’m still not normal about it. Like you could tell both of them really liked each other but were too nervous to do anything about it and inside I was screeching infinitely.

Jellylorum my Queen. Aimee Hodnett was actually mind blowing I was totally enraptured. Her expressions and vocals were outstanding. When Old Doots said to Gus “you could do it again” before Pekes and Polls her face was like ‘exsqueeze me sir what are you doing? Desist immediately!’ But then she got involved and it was great.

I really enjoyed that Gus and Munk shared the narration of Pekes and Polls. Gus’ actor Hal Fowler was so expressive and dramatic and everyone was loving it and laughing along with him, and Munk still got his stressed-theatre-director moment.

TumbleBailey was super put out when Gus had his “youths today” lines, like, he proper turned around, folded his arms, and sulked. He was a whole baby and it was precious. PounceBucketty looked a bit more maturely cowed (he was definitelythe big brother of the two), but Cori was actually DEVO’D. Like my boy was so hurt, he needed a big hug from Tanto before Skimble’s song started. Tbh my reaction to Shakeel’s acting throughout the show was practically feral. On the outside I was calm, but inside it was like Guy Fawkes Night, Christmas, and Hogmanay all rolled into one.

Both Cori and Jerrie seemed to be close pals with Tugger – Cori even got a Tugger hug at one point. Shakeel’s Cori is very cuddly and I love it with all my soul. He doesn’t seem to like Jerrie all that much though, which is hilarious to me as a dedicated Coricojerrie stan. Good thing enemies to lovers is a popular trope amirite 👀

Jerrie has so much respect for Skimble it was so sweet. He was really active all throughout his song, helping him out and pointing out when others weren’t doing what they should be (the irony) during the “hilarity and riot” lines. Top notch stuff. He was also the bottom step of the Skimblestairs at the end of the song.

He definitely has respect for Alonzo as well, he was always on his best behaviour when Lonz was nearby. I loved these little character relationship decisions SO MUCH, like you could tell the actors had put a lot of thought into their characters and that they truly cared about the show.

Bomba was in the background for parts of Skimbleshanks, but she started making flexing motions at the “weak or strong” line and Tugger was next to her ooh-ing and ahh-ing appropriately. It sparked so much joy y’all I love her forever.

SPEAKING OF BOMBA HYPE – Macavity. Omg the song slapped! Dem was super spooked, but Bomba? She was absolutely ripping the piss out of Macavity and I loved every second. Not a single facial expression missed, every one clearly read: oh, you think you’re hot stuff? You’ve got NOTHING YOU LOSER. She was so smirky and sassy, almost like she was challenging him to come and have a go.

Macavity Fight was A++ 5 gold stars stuff. Demeter has a moment when “Old Doots” comes back, and it was great how at first everyone was like, “girl wtf get a grip,” only to be like OMG MACAVITY when my Queen rips into him. Mac starts to drag Dem away and then Munk starts to batter him. The fight was super dramatic and gripping, and when Munk went down he went down HARD. But then we got this magical moment when the whole tribe was like “NOT TODAY SATAN” and started fighting back together, and I feel like this production made more out of this moment than others do. Of course it wrecked me, because I am weak. (Also the Cat standing over Munk and protecting him was my angel Cori so I was delighted by that.) After that, Dem and Munk said Demestrap supremacy and the image was so magical of them nuzzling in the light of the single lamp when everything else was dark, it was *chef's kiss*.

So like, I was never sure why I wasn’t the biggest fan of the new Quaxo look for this tour, but now I think it’s because it’s just a bit too different from the Mistoffelees costume? Like I know Jenny also has a really dramatic costume change, but that change happens on stage and we see her transform. But for Misto, this change happens off-stage and we don’t get to see it, so it just seems a bit less smooth of a transition. I know Mistoffelees is kinda like the stage persona of Quaxo, but I guess I prefer it when they’re clearly the same Cat. I presume this was intentional but, and you’re supposed to be like, omg is that really him? But idk, just not my personal fave.

Having said that, IT WAS STILL LITERALLY THE BEST PART OF THE SHOW FOR ME. Because I’m Misto trash so I guess it doesn’t matter. I really liked that they made it a Tugger solo again, I like that a bit better than the duet. Everyone was appropriately surprised and awed at the magic, but it obviously was not new information to Tugger, who was standing there like, “oh, haven’t you heard?”. And the only word for his expression when the dance solo started was adoration, it was so lovely how enamoured he was. And the slow lines when Tugger addresses Old D were so soft and loving and I die. So my hc for this production is that they were close friends up till this point (and Tugger is the only one who knew about the magic), and this is when Tugger realises, oh, I LIKE like him. May write a thing around this later because I am predictable and basic and easily pleased. Also Cass was so nervous about being Misto’s chosen assistant – she wasn’t even volunteering when he picked her! It was such a cute moment.

Then there was more Casslonzo lounging in the background when Grizzy showed up again. Ok so all throughout the show I was worried about Memory, because Jacinta White started really strong in Act 1, and she did again with her big solo and I was like, oh no this is going to fizzle where can it go from here? I have never been happier to be a fool and a jester. That woman has some set of pipes I was blown away. Think my jaw might have literally dropped.

The bows were fab, but especially TumbleBailey. He came out last as usual and did his flippy flips across the stage, but then he decided to do an extra backwards one, and I don't think it was planned as he nearly kicked Jacinta and Martin (Doots) in the face and they looked surprised. Either that or they're really good actors! Everyone was fine though, and they were laughing about it.

But yeah. So glad I splurged on my Swiss weekend and saw this show. Worth it.

FIN

[real-reulbbr-band]

Demeter was so hesitant to pursue anything more than a friendship with Tantomile when she realized she might have developed feelings for her. She feared that the reason Tantomile was so kind, so patient, so forgiving with her was simply out of sympathy for her circumstances.

But Tantomile was far past feeling just sympathetic, there may have been pity at first glance. But any Jellicle could say that about Demeter when she first arrived at the junkyard.

Tantomile genuinely enjoyed Demeter’s presence the more they spent time together, and she loved watching her grow more comfortable with the tribe as time went by. Seeing her smile more often, participating in activities with everyone else, and even spending time with her was enough.

Tantomile caught on to the possibility Demeter might actually have feelings for her sooner than she was ready to admit. She knew she couldn’t say anything, it would only push Demeter away, but it didn’t feel any better to sit back and watch her try to bury her feelings.

But what else was there to do? If she said she knew, Demeter’s trust in her could be shattered completely. But if she confessed on her own, she could risk pushing Demeter too soon.

so she waits, waits until Demeter is ready. She’d try to drop hints whenever she could but, not anything too obvious. Watching Demeter slowly build up courage honestly felt so rewarding to her, as tiring as it could be at times.

It made that first “I love you” feel as relieving as it was joyful for the both of them.