#jemimaxmunkustrap

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Shiki Mistoffelees is suave and cocky and always confident, and Munkustrap will just... make sure sillabub doesn't get too close to whatever he's cooking up.

... but when he succeeds... suddenly even this cheeky little Munk-assistant just can't be sure of it.

Munkustrap encourages Sillabub toward their returned leader, and only then notices Mistoffelees' terror...

The careful tender approach...!

And there are our happy zoomy spinnies again. 😌

(Can't forget priorities though: must retrieve our beautiful assistant Bombalurina!)

Shiki production, Nagoya 20/7/2000.

?Tokihiko Sakamoto as Mistoffelees, Shoichi Fukui as Munkustrap, ?Tomomi Hayashishita as Bombalurina, Kenzo Ishii as Deuteronomy, Eriko Murata as Sillabub.

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Alexander Auler's Munkustrap lifting Jemima and Demeter: cinematic parallels!

With Astrid Gollob as Jemima and Jo Lucy Rackham as Demeter: Vienna revival, 21 and 31 October 2020.

Photo credit Diane Bauer.

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Mistoffelees' magic stops working mid-solo, just as he was trying to show off to Sillabub with a projectile tin can.

A moment of recharging and it worked, and Munkustrap is left to tidy up after him. As usual.

Shiki production, Nagoya 20/7/2000. Eriko Murata as Sillabub, Shoichi Fukui as Munkustrap, ?Tokihiko Sakamoto as Mistoffelees.

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It's easy to seduce a Munkustrap down from the tyre when you're a Demeter. All it takes is a look.

(Though he has to stop to nuzzle Jemima first.)

And now they can make biscuits together 😌

Florian Fetterle covering Munkustrap, Anneke Brunekreeft covering Demeter, and Anastasia Bertinshaw as Jemima. (Plus Nathan Luke's hindquarters as Bill Bailey.)

Vienna revival, 21 June 2022. Filmed by @falasta​ and @cryptidvoidwritings​; giffed with permission.

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Demeter being a kitten...

... in direct parallel to Jemima.

Face-touches for all the babies! 🥺

Jo Lucy Rackham as Demeter, Alexander Auler as softest Munkustrap, and Anastasia Bertinshaw as Jemima, in the transition to 'Old Deuteronomy'.

Vienna revival, 24/06/22. Flmed by @cryptidvoidwritings and @falasta, and giffed with permission.

@godnattakatta This is one of the moments I was thinking of!

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Alex Snova as Macavity (3/3)

(1/3: abducting Deuteronomy) | (2/3: seducing Demeter)

Can we just. This Mac. Sir, you are terrifying.

Stumbling in for the killing blow. Those eyes. While poor Alonzo (George Maniadis) dithers in terror in the background and everybody tells him 'it's your turn to fight this demon'.

... which went about as well as he expected.

Meanwhile Jemima and Rumpelteazer are pretty sure Munkustrap's dead actually??

Vienna revival, 21 June 2022: Snova's last cover of Admetus/Macavity (an unscheduled mid-show swing-on!), with Florian Fetterle as Munkustrap (his final performance for this production), Anastasia Bertinshaw as Jemima, and Anna Carina Buchegger as Rumpelteazer.

Filmed by @falasta and @cryptidvoidwritings; giffed with permission.

(1/3: abducting Deuteronomy)

(2/3: seducing Demeter)

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Kitten spots a Munkustance!

Logan Mortier as Munkustrap, Olivia Swain as Sillabub, and Peter James Luke as Deuteronomy. Oasis cast 13, May 2023 (X).

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who wants some protective loomy Munkustrap in your day?

Trick question, we all do. (Especially Admetus who is cowering adorably against Jellylorum.)

And now, prepare for the Leggies of Power.

... and a little somebody to zoom through those leggies.

Alexander Auler, with Nicholas Li as Admetus, Anastasia Bertinshaw as Jemima, and Rory Six as Deuteronomy.

Vienna revival, 24 June 2022; filmed by @falasta and @cryptidvoidwritings, and giffed with permission.

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noooo little jellicle girl, don't go after the shiny tugger butt, stay here with the dramatically flailing Munkustrap instead

Hank Santos as Tugger, Kade Wright as Munkustrap, and Sam Bello as Sillabub. US tour 6, October 2022.

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Protector and baby - and Munkustance!

Alexander Auler as Munkustrap and Susannah Murphy as Jemima in the Vienna revival, 6 May 2022; filmed by @thunderwhenhepurrs.

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this is not okay :(

The Vienna production is drawing toward its close, and some actors are, for various reasons, leaving the cast early: among them, apparently, Astrid Gollob—Jemima!

and how dare she and Alexander Auler give us a Munk/Jemima farewell hug 😭

I do not see it. Time to look firmly upon their beautiful moments, especially their regular STAR LIFT! This one from 11 November 2021:

And again back in October 2020...

And two curtain call photos by Diane Bauer (26 May 21 and 21 October 2020):

oh no, backstage photos 🥺

Now with added Rumpelteazer (Anna Carina Buchegger)!

And the star lift one more time! This one December 2021, filmed by Jürgen Kirchner:

Why must things end, alas. Perhaps they'll come back in a different Jellicle life...

Here's the star lift on their final show together (18 Feb). And at her final performance (20 Feb) the lift was different: everyone tried to lift her!

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Not now kids, Daddy's working...

.... see what happens when you distract him?

In which Munkustrap sustains a battle wound. 😔 Fortunately, the tail mysteriously grew back shortly afterward.

Alex Snova as Munkustrap and Nicholas Li as the villainous tail thief, plus Anna Carina Buchegger as Rumpelteazer, and Suzie Murphy as Jemima. Vienna revival, 8 June 2022.

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Sillabub and the dad cats are... having a game of twister??

John Neurohr as Skimbleshanks, Raphe Gilliam as Munkustrap, and Caroline Eby as Sillabub; Oasis cast 12, c. 4 June 2022 (X).

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Bradley Delarosbel covering Munkustrap and Anina Pletscher covering Jemima in the final cover run for the Asia tour, 18 March 2022 (X).

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Brianna Kim and Devon McCleskey on Devon's last day with the 2021 US tour: 6 March 2022.

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Astrid Gollob has now left the Vienna revival

Astrid, who's been Jemima since the production opened in September 2019, had her last show on Sunday 20 February 2022.

(Photo by Diane Bauer, 21 November 2021)

Jan-Eike Majert (Coricopat) was off that night, so he took this little video from the back of the theatre.

Rumpelteazer and Bombalurina immediately go to her sides and lift her into a chair lift between them. Mungojerrie seems to be trying to lift her legs, and with everyone gathering around her they might be aiming to lift her up onto everyone's shoulders - but then Munkustrap (Alex Snova, not Auler) spots an Inadequate Jemima-Lifting Situation and exerts his right as Munkustrap to do any Jemima-lifting around here. They have a tradition...

Bomba helps to get her up onto Munkustrap's shoulder and gives her support once there until she's sure she's steady, then everyone bounces around them while she blows kisses to them all! (Except Misto, Carbuckety, and Admetus, who've already gallivanted off to do their own thing.)

And a few farewell photos from the cast:

With Anna Carina Buchegger (Rumpelteazer)

With Aaron Hunt (Bill Bailey), Astrid in her role as Rumpelteazer cover

And with Alexander Auler - who, not being there on Sunday, said goodbye to her on their final show together the day before, prompting me to post some gifs and clips of their beautiful interactions in curtain calls.