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- [00:02]
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- [01:02]
Host/Announcer
Okay, caller one wins courtside seats to tonight's game.
- [01:06]
Caller/Contest Winner
What? I won floor seats.
- [01:07]
Host/Announcer
You did?
- [01:08]
Caller/Contest Winner
I've been calling for 13 months.
- [01:10]
Host/Announcer
Wait.
- [01:10]
Caller/Contest Winner
Chris.
- [01:11]
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- [01:11]
Caller/Contest Winner
I finally did it. What are you gonna wear? Men's Wearhouse. They've got today's looks for any occasion. And I need to look like a celebrity.
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Host/Announcer
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- [01:24]
Host/Announcer
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- [01:26]
Caller/Contest Winner
Not a chance.
- [01:27]
Host/Announcer
Hit any look for every occasion at Men's Wearhouse. Love the way you look. Make your mornings effortless with the new Nespresso Vertuo up machine. From bold espressos to rich lattes, Brew flavorful coffee hot or over ice in just three seconds. All it takes is a simple press to enjoy your perfect cup. Shop now@nespreso.com oh my God. Hey, welcome back to my theater themed YouTube channel. Or hello to all of you listening to this review on podcast platforms. My name is Mickey Jo and I am obsessed with all things theatre. I am also. We should get this out of the way. A Cats the Musical apologist. I know, I know. And listen, many of you have heard me talk about this before, but it is sort of accepted within musical theatre circles that even hardcore musical theatre fans do not enjoy the musical Cats historically. And a lot of people, a lot of people in the community, the Broadway community, the worldwide musical theatre community, dare I say it, have gone to see this new revival of Cats, the Jellicle Bull either when it was running previously very successfully downtown at the Perelman Performing Arts Centre, or more recently since it has transferred these past few weeks to the Broadhurst Theatre in Midtown and people have been saying I never used to like cats before, but now this production I like Cats. Cats is bad, but this is good. And I am here to tell you that they're not entirely correct. Because this production, Cats, the jell called Ball on Broadway is great. But I'm not saying that because I don't like Cats. I love Cats and I still think this is great. And today, through dramaturgy, sincere Cats, the musical appreciation, queerness and vibes, I'm going to tell you why that is. But before I do, the quickest introduction to me for those of you who may have stumbled onto this review and may have several follow up questions, I am Mickey Jo. I'm a theatre critic here on social media. I travel around the world, seeing as much fantastic theatre as possible. That is what led me to this production off Broadway a couple of summers ago. I saw it one afternoon in July. I'd heard good things. I didn't entirely know what to expect. It was 5,000 degrees outside, although that's 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, admittedly, and I had something of a transcendental, revelatory experience, one which had me wondering whether or not the Broadway transfer would be able to live up to that. After all, something about the brilliance of this at pack was, you know, how subversive and countercultural it felt. Would Broadway kind of pierce the ethos of all of that? Would it start to feel too commercial? Would it work in a more traditional proscenium space? Questions which I will be answering today. Meanwhile, if you have also had the chance to see this production at either of those venues, I would love to hear from you in the comments section down below. If you're planning to see it, let me know about that as well. And if you enjoy listening to this review and would like to hear what I have to say about other shows, including the basically two dozen other things I've been seeing on this this particular New York trip, stay tuned. Make sure you're subscribed here on YouTube with notifications turned on or following me on podcast platforms. But in the meantime, it is time for us to fully discuss Cats, the Jellicle Ball. Okay, so to quote T.S. eliot, author of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, upon which the show is based, actually, let me read this to make sure I really get it right. Cat, kitty cat, cat, cat Cat, kitty cat. Cat, cat, kitty cat. And, you know, in uncertain times, that only becomes more truthful. What I mean by all of that is let's talk about how this even begins to function as a musical ordinarily. And then how this recontextualization of the show works in a way that feels perhaps newly authentic and for a lot of audience members, even more meaningful. So Cats is this iconic mega musical era show scored by Sir Angel Lloyd Webber, based on this book of poetry which brought to life on all of these vibrant feline characters. Jellicle Cats. Somewhere between a household cat and a magical humanoid creature of the night. There is somewhere on my channel a video of me dressed as one such cat. The regulars among you know it well, in which I describe at length my interpretation of the plot of this musical, because it frustrates me to hear people insist that there isn't one. Of course there is a plot. It's just a more abstract plot. Essentially, the community of Jellicle Cats are coming together for an annual Jellicle Ball at which their elected leader, or in fact, not elected unelected official. But we won't go there. Alt Deuteronomy is to select one of them to ascend to the Heaviside Lair and commence a new Jellicle life. Unclear if this strictly means death, but we tend to brush past it. In any case, not unlike a lot of other shows like A chorus line and six and the 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It's all a sort of a vague pretext in order to establish a show in which all of these cats take in terms introducing themselves to us or being introduced by other characters. You have Jenny, any Dots, the Gumby cat. You have Mr. Mistoffeles, the magical conjuring cat. You have Gus, the theatre cat. And there is a suggestion there of relationships and animosities. But the reason why Cats became so successful in the first place is because it was this extraordinary, very innovative and unique showcase of dance choreography. Originally created by the late, great dame Gillian Lynn, and not unlike shows like the Lion King, the visual spectacle that had offered audience members transcended language barriers and made it popular with tourists as well as audiences of all ages. Cats remains not only one of the shows that I first saw on VHS that really got me hooked on musical theatre, but also, I think, one of the first live theatrical performances that I ever attended. I remember distinctly there being a basket instead of a metallic escalator up to the Heaviside Layer at the end and going on stage in the interval to get A signature from old Deuteronomy. In any any case, that's the appeal of Cats. Cats, the Jellicle Ball, meanwhile, is a high concept reinterpretation of the show that changes very little about the material, but transports it to a very different setting. A setting with its own unique identity and rules and characters, and one which aligns with the original sort of function of the plot, which is this sort of a competition between all of these different vibrant and colorful personalities. Directed by Zylon Livingston and Bill Rauch, this takes the musical Cats and sets it in the world of queer ballroom culture. A culture which you may know from its depiction in the documentary film Paris is Burning or the drama TV series Pose. It was essentially this underground movement in which the queer community, particularly people of color, particularly the trans community, held regular competitions around putting together looks and dance performances in order to give each other trophies and celebrate each other. In times of community cris and strife and ostracization. Ballroom was thusly a beautiful artistic act of rebellion and defiance. And so it's not just because, you know, Cats is a competition. They're having this Jellicle Ball and introducing themselves. And ballroom is also a competition where they compete in different cat cat categories and introduce themselves and, you know, bring their own talents to whatever it may be. It's also the overlap of them being unique creatures in a world where they're not entirely understood. There's a moment at the beginning of Cats the musical when they look out into the audience and they sort of break the fourth wall and sing. There's a man over there with a look of surprise as much as to say, well, now, how about that? And so when you hear that line in Cat's the Jellicle Ball, because so much of the score is entirely unaltered, it has a different meaning, but one that is still well understood. Because all of these personalities have arrived and because there isn't a script as and it's largely sung through, there's not much to explain what is going on. And so it still means something similar. And generally the approach here is to set the musical over one evening at a ball, the Jellicle Ball, specifically, over which old Deuteronomy, an elder of the community, is presiding, and at which various other cats are competing. Some of them are young, first time participants, newcomer members of various different feline houses, others are house mothers. And there are rivalries and there are dirty tactics and there are dramatic revelations and there is a great deal of dance performance, as has always been the case in Cats and in terms of how well and how consistently this works. There is a little bit of buy in required from the audience in terms of the lyrics you're hearing in the world that you are seeing. Because they are still, for all intents and purposes, singing about being Cats. They will occasionally reference some locations in London or the United Kingdom. Some. Some of which they curtail. For example, Mungo Jerry and Rumpelteaser, competing in the category of best Duo Performance, are introduced as coming from Victoria Grove, New Jersey. And that's one of the things I love about the way this has been recontextualized. I say that rather than adapted, is because they have taken the challenges of the material, and instead of trying to rewrite them or instead of falling at those hurdles, they've found this very charming way of kind of winking at them or just letting them slide. And it doesn't really matter. The whole thing does work surprisingly well. And there have been other productions of Cats subsequently that have set the show in different locations. I have seen circus cats. There has been cowboy cats done in, I think, Pennsylvania. There was a sort of abandoned roller coaster Cats in the Netherlands. They're going to be doing a version set inside of a museum where each cat is inspired by a different painting. Hugely creative, innovative versions of this show. But this remains the boldest interpretation that we have seen, and possibly by virtue of that, the most successful. I should add as well. Before I forget to mention it, a huge part of the success of Cat's the Jellicle Ball is the extraordinary audience atmosphere that it manages to create. Unlike another musical currently playing on Broadway, which maybe does a little something to suppress audience energy ahead of the performance, this one explicitly encourages it. Some people are given fans. You can buy them as well from the gift shop. And that becomes a huge part of the way in which the audience responds to the show. Show. It is lively, it is boisterous, it's a generous energy, and it feels like, shockingly, the biggest party on Broadway right now. I cannot believe that a production of Cats in New York City right now is filled nightly with euphoric, queer energy. That's fascinating. Before I tell you more specifically about the creative brilliance that has gone into this production and how well it has traveled from downtown to midtown. I want to talk a little bit more about how the material works and why it feels at home in this culture. I think think specificity is a great aspect of any kind of recontextualization. If you're going to take this thing that was originally written to be here and move it over here. The more detailed that world is, the more tools you're going to have for acquainting an audience with where they are now. We pick up on all of this incredibly quickly. We also are aided by an MC character and a DJ character, Munka Strap, usually the sort of pseudo leader of the Jellicle Cats, other than old Deuteronomy, and the somewhat narrator of the traditional version of the show, what I've taken to calling Tradwife Cats. He is, in this production, the MC character, who adds little moments of narration. We also have screens around the auditorium which detail the particular category that is being walked per ballroom lexicon, whether that is the category of body walked during Buster for Jones's song, because of course, it is Chef's Kiss or a competition between different styles of vogue. More on that in a little bit. The DJ character, meanwhile, uses the name Griddle Bone with no real relationship to the historic cat's character, Griddle Bone, but begins the whole thing in the moments before anyone else has arrived to the ballroom space by going through a box of vinyl records and picks up a couple. One is Beyonce. The final one is Andrew Lloyd Webber's cat. Huge cheer from the audience. The overture begins to play. We see those familiar yellow cat's eyes appearing with dancers silhouetted to form the black pupils, as has always been the recognizable logo of the show. Then we see a silhouette dancing along the windows and that are at the back of the playing space. And it transitions from the more traditional Gillian Lynn sort of jazz balletic choreography into voguing into duck walking into a dip to end the whole thing. Predictably, Crowd goes nuts and we begin about Cats, the Jellicle Ball. And my final thought on why all of this works is because there is a kinship between the community, as always depicted in Cats, and that of ballroom culture. There is, in fact, in this version of the show, even more of a sense of togetherness and pride and the necessity of family and community. You really feel that in this version of the show that has always been there in, dare I say, the themes of Cats, if we're ready to have that conversation. And this brings it more acutely into focus, and I love that. Let's continue talking about some of those specific brilliant choices that have made this such an exciting night at the theatre.
- [14:33]
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- [15:00]
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Don't use if allergic to Skyrizi. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur before treatment. Get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines.
- [15:12]
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- [15:17]
Host/Announcer
Nothing is everything.
- [15:20]
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- [15:33]
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- [15:43]
Host/Announcer
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- [15:46]
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
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- [15:53]
Host/Announcer
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
- [15:55]
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
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- [16:09]
Host/Announcer
So as a Cats fan, there are so many details about this that I absolutely love. Like Rum Tum Tugger walking a realness category like Buster for Jones and Rum Tum Tugger competing in a body category like Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat. Now being a staff member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, attention has been paid to the details of the original and it feels like a loving adaptation, but it has even more love for the community that is welcoming cats into it and that is ballroom culture. This is done with such reverence, with such authenticity. So many people are on this creative team working on dramaturgy, working on gender, working on choreography and the detail of this thing to make sure that it feels like it isn't cosplaying a style of dance, like it isn't appropriating a culture, like it is truly being performed by the people who know it. In terms of the way that this has been cast, all of the details are as they ought to be. This is not Cats the Musical wearing ballroom like a Halloween costume. Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, before I forget to mention their names, are the choreographers of this production. It is not Gillian Lynkat's choreography, obviously. It is filled with all of these different styles of vogue. It isn't Just one version of it. There is, like I mentioned a moment in the second act when we have. I think it's in the skimbalshank song, actually, when we have the old school style of voguing versus the new style. And I like that we get to explore different facets of ballroom culture. It's also not all just about dipping and duck walking and voguing and framing your face and doing this little, like, compact mirror thing. Like that's a part of it as well. But there are also categories that are about having designer labels. There are categories about looking real and genuine and authentic. There are categories about. We don't necessarily see all of them in this show, but there are categories about face. There are are so many different little things that we see. There are categories about being the best house mother, about the best group presentation, so many different trophies to be won by the various Jellicle Cats. And while I'm talking about ballroom authenticity, we have to talk about the presence of Junior labeija, an icon of the ballroom world, who is playing Gus, the theatre cat, who is a character with a profound history in the theater. This casting makes perfect sense. Junior is revealed at the top of the second act. This lifted cloth onto which the images of various icons of the ballroom world going back decades, are projected. This while the legendary Broadway performer Andre de Shields is singing the moving song the Moments of Happiness. All of which makes for a very profound moment in a show that isn't just about clacking fans and hitting a lot of choreo. There's also not all reverence and pathos. We have Jenny, any dots? The Gumby cat being a fussy house mother getting her daughters ready to perform in the Jellicle Ball. Like I said, we have MTA skimbleshanks, and they still create the image of a train, but instead of creating like an old fashioned steam train and having wheels, they form two lines on the side of this Runway playing space and hold overhead hangers and bounce up and down like they're on a subway train. I should talk about the way this is staged, actually, and its evolution from downtown to the Broadhurst. The scenic design is by Rachel Hawke. The original way in which this was staged was sort of in a thrust with this really long extended Runway and not that much playing space behind it. So stuff would be played at the end of it, facing towards it, around it. And it felt like a sort of an arena of enthusiasm. The way in which the audience enveloped it was so exciting. And that's shifted a little bit on Broadway. They've added two banks of onstage seating so that it still feels amongst us. But I think the way that the staging actually works with a slightly more proscenium ified version and a shorter Runway is actually beneficial for the show. I think it looks smarter. I think there isn't as much of a challenge to try and fill this vast, long Runway playing space at all times so it doesn't look a little empty. And inherently, I think, makes the choreography tighter and creates more of a sense of community between these characters. Generally speaking, in almost every way, I think this show is even better on Broadway. Any fears I had about a commercial version of Cats, the Jellicle Ball, were unfounded. I am still a little nervous about the concept of tourists going up to the TKTS ticket booth in Times Square, seeing Cats buying tickets, and then only later finding out out that this is what it is. But perhaps they'll have an awakening. And you know, just because Cats is a very mainstream popular show now, doesn't mean it always was. Those tourists had to take a risk back in the day as well to go see a musical about singing cats. It's not exactly ordinary. Plus, and stay with me on this one, the original production actually had something of a group romantic, amorous scene in the middle of it. And this one has cut that, making this arguably a more PG version of Cats than most. Whether all audience members will agree with that, I don't know, but I'm saying it. Carrying on. I do have a couple of thoughts. Even though I'm giving this a sensational 5 star review, I think it's an extraordinary, utterly unique, joyous piece of theater that is so creatively inspiring and rewarding and an absolute celebration of so many different things and so much talent. I have some notes because when it comes to shows like Cats, I am a pushy dance mom watching in the wings greeting their victorious child and saying, I just know you could have been better today. And there are a couple little things, things for me, it's like my favorite part musically of the Jellicle Ball sequence in which in this production, obviously we have all of these different categories and we shift between all of them at pace because that is the Jellicle Ball within Cat's the Jellicle Ball. There's a moment when we hit. I think it's the. And it's such a stirring piece of music and I don't think they make the most of it in this version. There are a couple of times during songs when we just kind of have to do the actual ballroom presentation. And it occasionally falls over an awkward lyric, whether that's Rum Tam Tucker ripping off his shorts during Buster for Jones's song or the sensation during Skimbleshanks number that we're gradually listening less and less to the lyrics that are being sung. My biggest thing, and I dare say I spoke about this before when I reviewed this production the last time around, is I wish they could have had a little more freedom when it comes to adapting the score. Because there are a couple of really electrifying moments of added musical interludes, one of which takes place after the arrival of Andre de Shields as Old Deuteronomy, in which those who are able to in the audience are invited to stand to greet him. It's this extraordinary reception that he gets. This sort of necessitated standing ovation. And it's an extended gleeful moment in the show decorated with a piece of of new music or sort of rap. Monkeystrap offers various interjections in a sort of Junior Labeija esque MC style throughout the show. But at this moment specifically, we get this extended piece and it's like Old Deuteronomy. Old Deuteronomy. And when we get to do that musically, you can tell the difference that it makes because suddenly it stirs something in the audience and we can still appreciate the music in the rest of the show. And it still, still fun seeing them do group vogue choreography to Jellicles do Angelicles can and giving us all of that. But you wonder how much better it could be if they were given more of a license because Angelo and Webber liked this downtown and clearly greenlit the Broadway transfer. I wish that they could have taken it even further and moved the music as well. It's not like this was going to permanently redefine the score for future productions and that this would be the way it would have to happen. There are various shows, shows that have been allowed to reinterpret the character of a score before. I've seen that done with Carousel and a couple of other things. I would have loved if this could have sounded a little bit more like the era and the culture that it looked like. I think that would have been thrilling. Back to what I love. And I want to talk about one of the biggest narrative shifts. Yes, there's a narrative between the original version of Cats and this. And it has to do with the character of Macadamia. Because in Tradwife Cats, the arrival of Macavity is foreshadowed by the breaking of various windows and the repeated false alarm shrieks. Of Macavity by Demeter. In this production, it's less Macavity and it's more Macavity. And it's so funny the way that Macavity eventually arrives, not as an antagonist, not as a nefarious, sinister, the evil criminal cat villain, but as the mother of perhaps an infamous house, the house of Macavity, who walk the labels category, but do so wearing garments that have been mopped, which is to say they have been stolen. Meaning at the end of the song, what is usually a physical fight between Macavity and other Jellicle cats and the abduction of old Deuteronomy by Macavity slave henchmen. Question mark. Rats. Are they rats? I don't know. Anyway, in this production, Macavity's thievery has brought the police to the Jellicle Ball. The whole thing gets raided. Old Deuteronomy instructs McCavity to go and hide and then sacrifices himself to the authorities. He is arrested and then taken away. And it is the job of the magical Mr. Mistoffeles, as introduced by the Rum Tum Tugger, to magically bring old Deuteronomy back. And not everything is taking place place in this world of stark realism, where we are contending with, like the historic, disproportionate policing of the queer community of color. Like, we may be signaling all of that, but we're also living in a place where it isn't impossible for Mr. Mistoffeles to magically vogue all Deuteronomy back onto the stage. All of which, and I'm going to talk about it, once again, speaks to the sense of community created by the production, because within ballroom culture, it doesn't make sense for there to be an out and out villain, as Macavity would traditionally be. So they look at that and they go, how else can we integrate this meaningful into the plot? And we get a really tender moment between Macavity and old Deuteronomy. Of course, we get so much tenderness as well from the character arc of Grizabella. I question whether the aesthetic needs to be quite so pronounced. It's lovely, that syllabub, as a sort of young, hopeful character who isn't really participating in the ballroom of it all, but is watching on eagerly and notices Grizabella and goes to her and brings her address. It's lovely that all of that happens. I don't birth the before of Grizabella before she comes back to sing. The final memory needs to be quite as not put together as it were aesthetically, as she is I just think the makeup is a little gratuitous with like the clown red lipstick and the blue garage door eyeshadow. But I thoroughly enjoy what it builds to. If I'm remembering correctly, the reveal of Grizabella's garment as gifted to her by Syllabub was done a little prematurely downtown, and I like the way they have restated it here. And while I'm talking about garments, lest I forget, Queen Jean is the costume designer of all of these vibrant, incredible pieces. The introductory outfits alone are awards worthy, I'll say that much. But all of the subsequent looks that we get the reveals, the wit of them, the brilliance of the design, the uniqueness, the character of all of them, the vibrant use of color, the way in which it subtly speaks to the kind of more animalistic aesthetics of it all with the furs and the wig work by Nakia Mathis. Absolutely extraordinary. All of it. Anyway, let's conclude with some discussion of the performances by this berry talent.
- [27:54]
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- [28:21]
Skyrizi Warning Voice
Don't use if allergic to Skyrizi. Serious allergic reactions, increased infections or lower ability to fight them may occur before treatment. Get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor about any flu like symptoms or vaccines.
- [28:33]
Skyrizi Advertisement Voice
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- [28:54]
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
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- [29:04]
Host/Announcer
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- [29:07]
Caller/Contest Winner
Oh no.
- [29:08]
Liberty Mutual Insurance Spokesperson
We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Together we're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
- [29:14]
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Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
- [29:16]
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- [29:19]
Host/Announcer
Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Now since we were just on Grizabella we will continue with her. Temperance Chastity Moore is playing the iconic role in this production, as she did Downtown. She is an icon of the ballroom world. The cast is something of a hybrid between ballroom and dance and Broadway musical theater. And I will say Tempress's rendition of Memory, iconic song in the musical theater canon, isn't necessarily the most cleanly belted you have heard in your entire life, but it rivals, rivals any I have experienced for powerful, raw emotion. When she sings these words, they mean something anew. And to have a black trans woman singing Memory on a Broadway stage, to stand there looking sensational, audience members on every side of her and to so vulnerably sing the words, a new day has begun. That is truly meant and it is truthful, because to get to a time and a place when that is happening has been no small feat. And it would feel quite hollow if it weren't for the fact that right now there is pretty great trans representation happening across a handful of other Broadway shows. We haven't necessarily reached that day, as they would say in ragtime, but with performances like this and shows like these, we're doing pretty damn well. In any case, a beautiful rendition of memory, Teddy Wilson Jr. As syllabub is also a very important part of landing the emotional beats of that final moment and contributing beautiful vocals and this very endearing naive charm of a young Jellicle cat just eager to help and uplift Grizabella. I almost don't know who to talk about next. There are so many fantastic performances in this company. Let's talk about Andre de Shields. Broadway legend Andre de Shields arriving to extraordinary ovations as old Deuteronomy, looking extraordinary, moving through the stage with singular dignity and pathos and power, the likes of which he has brought to every role he has ever played. There is something, something so utterly individual about Andre de Shields as a performer on stage. If you have seen his performances, then you have witnessed this. The power that he commands, the conviction with which he offers every single word that he speaks. He is perfect for this because you get this innate sense of his authority within this space. As soon as he arrives, all eyes turn towards him and the judgments that he makes. Right up there with him, of course. But taking on a slightly different role in the procedure proceedings is ballroom icon Junior labeija as Gus, the theatre cat. This remains a great piece of casting. Something about how it was working downtown wasn't giving him the reverence and respect that I thought he deserved, and I was sort of shocked by this. Andre got this amazing welcome and I wanted more for Julia labeija. I don't know if everyone in the space realized how significant he was or the extent to which he had inspired the characterization of Manka Strap and a lot of the parlance that we now use conventionally when we talk about ballroom culture. Culture, opulence. You own everything, everything is yours. Tens, tens, tens across the board. Anyway. He achieves an awful lot through the subtlest of little expressions. Gus the Theatre Cat is a wonderful number performed both by Junior labeija as Gus and by Bryson Battle as Jelly Lorem. This was the song downtown that I thought stuck out the most from the character of the production for just sounding a little more traditional. We don't have that problem anymore, I think because of the way in which. Which a little comedy is found in some of the lines and just a little bit more character and the dynamic between the two of them really works. Gus gives a little bit of side eye, makes a little bit of a gesture. So much is done with the slightest little nod. There are some fantastic dancers I don't want to forget to mention. Baby Byrne as Victoria Primo the Ballerino as Tumble Brutus. Jonathan Burke and Dava Huesca dance up a storm as Mungo Jerry and Rumpel Teaser. They are very fun. Robert Silk Mason has. Has this enchanting, mystical quality as Mistoffeles. I would like a little bit more choreo maybe in that number because so much of it is just about Runway walking and they serve such fierce attitude. Looking absolutely fantastic, looking 23ft tall in like 80 inches of silky black hair. But the final moments of the song are punctuated with this incredible choreographic moment indicating that we could get a little bit more dance throughout, which is normally what Mr. Mr. Dyspheles is a showcase of. I just wanted just a couple more moments, I thought, just a sprinkling. Season it for me with a little bit of oak. Few performers on stage are as charming as Emma Sophia, who plays Cassandra but also plays Skimbleshanks. And she is wonderful in the number the Gumby Cat. The personality that she brings to her performances as well as the fabulous dance talent. It is all about attitude, or should I say catitude. And. And she brings as much to the show off stage as she does on. I was like a few rows from the front at the left side of the orchestra and she spent a lot of time mingling in that section. And her expressions and her reactions to everything else that was happening were brilliant. I would almost go as far as to say hers was my favorite supporting performance in the entire company. I would love a world in which she would get some individual awards recognition as a sort of an ambassador consider for the hard working ensemble. But there are some more standouts as well. Sydney James Harcourt is serving sexy cat realness as Rum Tum Tugger. Not a sentence you necessarily needed to hear me say, but it's the truth. He's another one to whom your eyes are glued for various reasons when he's on stage. The confidence that he oozes, the charisma of it all. The vocals, brilliant. Dudney Joseph Junior's Monkeystrap. I really appreciated this time around. All of his MC interjections. I had so much, so much to land. Especially some of the moments where we're kind of dragging the material of Cats into the ballroom world and he just garnishes the whole thing. A lot of cooking metaphors from me happening at the moment. But it is, and I say this very often, a question of tone. And he helps to really put us in the right realm with just a perfectly pitched performance. I almost have to tell you the names of every single performer in this cast because they are all, all so unique, so talented, so over the top. It's a joy to watch any of them. I think every member of this audience is going to walk away having gravitated towards a different Jellicle cat and a different personality. Javier Reyes is fantastic and an early scene stealer as Jenny Anydot. Nora Shell has brilliant moments and gorgeous vocals as Buster for Jones. Phoebe Nicole Simpson and Garnet Williams as Demeter And Bomb Ballerina are so wildly funny. Singing Macavity in the house of Macavity and Vogue superstar Leomi, who has joined the Broadway company as Macavity is one of my favorites in the entire company because it's so great to see a Macavity who is bringing joy to the stage. And even in the moments before she is singled out to be that character, she's another one who your eye is going to gravitate towards because of the charisma and the conviction with which she's delivering this choreography and the characterization, but also the joy. There's a thrill and a delight in everything that she is doing on that stage. And the Macavity sequence itself is so unbelievably brilliant in this production and I think even better with her. I love this with a femme Macavity with this trio of badass cat ladies. That doesn't sound like it was supposed to, but you get the idea. For Fear of sounding entirely nonsensical. Should I continue much further? That is everything I have to say about Cats the Jellicle Ball on Broadway. I loved this Downtown. If possible, I love it even more at the Broadhurst. I wish for nothing but the biggest success for this production in terms of revivals of the season. You know, you have great productions and then you have something like this. It's sort of, sort of incomparable. Because when we talk about reviving something, what could be bigger or more extraordinary than this, to take a show and completely reinterpret it and find such creatively rewarding and gratifying success the way this is making people feel, you will leave this theater feline Fantastic. And I think the production, the geniuses who came up with it, and everyone else involved involved deserve not only lasting artistic recognition, but also full, euphoric, excited audiences throughout the Broadway run. Go and see Cat's the Jellicle Bull on Broadway. I promise you you're gonna have a great time and that is everything I have to say about this show. But if you have had the chance to see it for yourselves, I would love to know what you thought. Let me know your thoughts on Cats the Jellicle Ball in the comments section down below. Below. And if you would like to hear more of my Broadway reviews, don't worry, there are so many more coming. Make sure you're subscribed here on YouTube with the notifications turned on so you don't miss any upcoming videos or following me on podcast platforms. And if you want to stay up to date with everything that I see at the theatre, the easiest way to do that is to sign up to my free weekly substack email newsletter, the link to which is in the description of this video. In the meantime, as always, I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a staging day for 10 more seconds. I'm Mickey Jo Theatre. Oh my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe.
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Okay, caller one wins courtside seats to tonight's game. What?
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Caller/Contest Winner
I won floor seats.
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Host/Announcer
You did?
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Caller/Contest Winner
I've been calling for.
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Wait, Chris.
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