#c: grizabella

[junkyard-gifs]

Alexander Auler's Munkustrap is not perfectly confident, and I love that for him.

He will be brave and strong and make a big protective pose between his kitties and anything scary, but the scary thing is still scary and if he can't see it, or isn't sure what to do about it, he gets twitchy and starts to breathe too quickly because what to do?

With Ana Milva Gomes as Grizabella. Vienna revival, 24 June 2022; filmed by @falasta and @cryptidvoidwritings.

#cats the musical #2021 vienna #vienna revival #220624 #munkustrap #alexander auler #c: munkustrap #grizabellaxmunkustrap #c: grizabella #ana milva gomes #s: song of the jellicles #s: memory i

[whit-on-the-side]

“Where is Grizabella from?” “Africa!“

You heard it here, folks.

Ana Milva Gomes as Grizabella, Gerben Grimmius as Skimbleshanks, and Denise Jastraunig asking the question. Vienna revival, 29 April 2022.

#220430 #2021 vienna #ana milva gomes #gerben grimmius #denise jastraunig #artist quotes #sort of #if it counts as a headcanon #c: grizabella #c: skimbleshanks #grizabellaxskimbleshanks

[ratherchaseamouse]

I like that the vast majority of the ballroom Cats cast is black because it seems like black actors only ever get cast as the same handful of characters in this show.

#I feel like I only ever see black actors cast as Old Deuteronomy Cassandra Grizabella Alonzo or Mistoffelees #and maybe Tugger bomba and C+T #(and obviously there are exceptions) #and yeah while that seems like a lot and they’re all great roles #that’s still a really narrow section of the cast of characters #blue’s thoughts #cats the musical

[millenari]

I promise I will shut up about the Broadway Revival sometime soon but thinking about it again, I do think that if it were just bad, I wouldn’t pay any attention to it at all.

Like… I don’t really clown much on the West End Revival. I mean, yes, the three big changes in that production I know off the top of my head are A) Rap!Tugger, which most everyone hated, B) Growltiger costumes, which most everyone didn’t care about, and C) Sexy!Griz, which most everyone either hated intimately or didn’t care about. But even so, nobody really dissects the West End Revival the way we do the Bway Revival. And part of that may have to do with less accessible boots, but I’ve seen (probably) most of the West End Revival footage that exists and yet it’s the Bway Revival that gets my goat.

And, yes, the Gillian Lynne snub element of the Bway choreo definitely plays a big part in that.

But also… the Bway Revival is sometimes really good? The West End Revival just... *is*. It’s a 98 clone with slightly different (and generally disliked) costumes. If it weren’t for the sort-of-racist and unbearably cringe Rap!Tugger, I don’t think this production would get much attention within the fandom at all (despite doing really well financially), because that’s all it really is: a perfectly serviceable 98 clone.

(And that’s not a bad thing. I like 98. I like the West End Revival. It’s a good production with skilled performers, chunks of it are on yt check it out.)

But the Bway Revival changes don't universally suck. There are elements (lots of elements!) of the Bway Revival I adore and I genuinely think are better than the original. Everything to do with Macavity, imo, is just brilliant. The old Macavity fight choreo had this kind of cool abstract tribal vibe to it, but the new choreo looks violent. It also looks more catlike; Munk and Mac crouch low to the ground like hunched-up cats, they circle each other, and the hits actually look like they connect at the right angles. The goofier parts (the mutual ass-slap, the playing tug-of-war with Demeter, the piggyback ride) are removed so it feels more serious: Munk actually looks nervous or frightened sometimes despite not backing down, and it looks like the background cats might be being controlled (which explains why few cats try and help Munk during the fight until the end). Not even to touch upon the lighting and music.

Revival!Macavity’s style of movement is super unique and recognizable too, Daniel Gaymon’s Macavity is amazing, I love how the way he moves sometimes makes him look possessed by something (also his Plato was adorable, He Has The Range Darling). His costume is cool on its own, (I don't love the old Macavity design, which simultaneously makes him look more like a tiger and also a little boy wearing pajamas rather than a housecat) but I love how the little mane-like collar and wig curls makes him look like Tugger & I love the parallels between the two that this production emphasizes. Tugger, the tribe’s most popular cat & pride and joy, versus Macavity, the outcast. Tugger, who everyone wants, versus Macavity, who can’t seem to acquire the one cat he wants.

Plus Macavity’s mind control? In the classic Mac freezes the cats; in the Bway Revival he forces them to dance. In the show where dancing together is a symbol of togetherness and community.  In the show where characters frequently imitate each other to indicate closeness or admiration. In the show where you spend like 5 minutes watching Grizabella the Outcast Cat fail to dance along with the others, Macavity forces the others to dance with him. NO NOTES WHATSOEVER.

And the extra lore and worldbuilding they add to the magic element? I don’t love the Macavity Interlude, but “He hypnotizes with his eyes/His head moves like a snake” in combination with the fact that it seems like Macavity needs eye contact to control other cats? Plus how Tugger, Munk, and Deuteronomy all seem to be immune to his powers to a degree?

This element isn’t really in the boot on yt but in later performances there’s a bit at the end of the fight where Macavity, (on the top of the car) visibly tries to use his powers on the gathered cats, and when he fails he looks down at his hands and then scrambles to grab the jumper cables. The idea that he has some kind of ‘magic meter’ that he is capable of using up somehow? Potentially explaining why he went the subtle route and tries to impersonate Deut rather than go in guns blazing for Demeter?

THE WAY DEMETER REACHES FOR HIM WHEN HE FIRST GRABS HER? The way she looks like she’s flailing and trying to get away from him the second time, after the fight? Tantomile jumping between Demeter and Mac the second he lets go of her?

AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE MISTO/MAC PARALLELS I’VE BEEN WORKING ON A GIFSET FOR THAT

It’s so good. Those changes make me go insane. Because they’re deliberate, and pointed, and they add things to the story, build upon the story, and add more depth to the story. They’re also just cool and fun to look at and play around with. That’s the thing that gets me about the Bway Revival, because they were capable of making insightful and meaningful changes that genuinely elevated the source material in really cool ways.

#cats fan on main #and this all especially holds true in a piece of media like cats that relies so heavily on visual storytelling #from which like half of its audience walks away going 'wait was that just 2 hours of nonsense?' #if you dont want your audience to think theyre watching a bunch of fun nonsense (which fun nonsense is fine but the bway revival clearly-- #--wanted to be taken seriously) then those visual storytelling elements have to be tight asf #jelliclerants

[terpsichoracle]

“Please, listen to me - and don’t scoff.”

I take issue with the way RTT is described in the various wiki entries I’ve seen for him, because they like to point out that the older cats merely tolerate him or are impatient with his activities.

A) no

B) really? No

C) evidence pls

but what he says at the start of Misto’s song is kind of telling, and I think it says something about who he is.

RTT has a reputation - he’s a cat that does what he wants, when he wants, which is - every cat tbh but he wants to feel special! he jumped in on the very very end of Jennyanydots’ number which is still rude, but he a) didn’t interrupt the song itself or the story and b) no one seems surprised or upset, they just go oh! it’s RTT being RTT. and he isn’t particularly kind to Grizabella; he’s kind of sarcastic in his interaction with her, but it’s not like he’s the only one to be dismissive of her.

During the Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles, he jumps in with the bagpipes at the end and Munkustrap is exasperated - but arguably less so than when Mungojerry and Rumpleteazer get their barks out of order or when the Great Rumpus Cat enters on the wrong side of the stage. This isn’t an RTT thing - this is an everyone around Munkustrap being a goof while he’s trying to hold it together thing lol.

RTT sings Old Deuteronomy with Munkustrap - they BOTH obvs have a tremendous amount of respect for Old Deut, but RTT is the one who specifically says the village is proud of him in his decline. And when Old Deut shows up, he gets fucking psyched - RTT is a cool kid but he also gets excited about stuff! He is also the last one to officially greet Old Deut; it’s framed in a way where they kind of stare each other down, which is especially notable because RTT is standing on the pipe to be tall (I also like standing on things to be tall). But Old Deut is obviously relaxed and smiling, and RTT’s got the biggest fucking grin when he bows. It gives me cheeky “you’re not the boss of me” vibes, but he is very much accepting of the fact that Old Deut’s in charge, and I don’t think he cares much either.

RTT is also consistently pictured near Old Deut, when he’s not on stage or skulking in the shadows; shaking hands with him, or resting a hand on his shoulder, or just kind of vibing near him. He’s the one who suggests a way to get Old Deut back, to boot, so - I just don’t really get the idea that he’s got a tremulous relationship with the others. He cares SO MUCH, SO SO MUCH. He’s just also REALLY COOL.

What this tells me is that RTT does have mutually respectful relationships with a lot of the older cats; he’s also especially close to Old Deut. The kittens love him because of who he appears to be, and he’s just as goofy as the other older cats but in his own distinct way. It also tells me that he does know when to be serious and he also knows how to make that clear to his peers.

I’m still ruminating on the ‘don’t scoff’ thing, but for the most part, am inclined to believe it’s about what he’s going to suggest. imo, the cats know Misto has magic; he uses it for Munkustrap and Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, Cat of the Railway Train. It’s never been crazy, though - lifting the trunk or turning lights on is relatively small, compared to magicking an entire person back. So I think he’s saying ‘don’t scoff, I know Misto can do it’.

Which also stands in contrast to a trope I saw when poking at fanfiction - that Misto has magic and the other cats dislike or fear him for it. I never got that vibe! The cats don’t like Macavity much but it doesn’t seem to be because of his magic so much as it is because, you know, he likes to break laws lol. And I guess because of the kidnapping and stuff. They come together once a year to decide which cat is gonna reincarnate, Old Deut’s apparently telepathic, etc etc - I think the magic is just part and parcel of who they are as Jellicles and he’s got a little more than most. It was more of a “I know you can do a cartwheel, but can you really do a backflip?” kind of vibe. He is still cheeky and exuberant during the number - but it’s coming from a place of respect and belief in Misto’s abilities.

(or he’s just hoping really hard that it’ll work, but doesn’t want Misto to doubt himself - either way, his faith is justified or his faith is what it takes for Misto to believe in himself; it gets the job done.)

Which is funny because even Misto is like “uhh” at certain points while RTT is like NO YOU GOT THIS

Anyway this is, in part, why I think RTT is going to be the next Jellicle leader rather than Munkustrap

#tuggoffelees #rum tum tugger #wow why do I have so many thoughts

[rutadales]

dsmp characters as cats (1998) ((the stage recording)) (((NOT the CGI butthole movie))) songs

c!Tommy & Tubbo: Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer. need i explain. british duo who causes problems

c!Philza: Gus: The Theater Cat. KIDDING he's Old Deuteronomy.

c!Wilbur: Grizabella: The Glamor Cat. But he's singing it abt c!dream. do u get me.

c!Sapnap: Rum Tum Tugger. i think he's the horny cat.

c!George: The Old Gumbie Cat. cuz haha it's a song abt sleeping. also just very funny to me

c!Karl: Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat. It's abt the vibes also for some reason I think Karl has some train motifs??? am i crazy ?

c!Foolish: Mr. Mistoffelees. Magic dancing cat who has more power than anyone else. kinda goofy. foosh would definitely say "Presto!"in a gay ass voice.

c!Dream: Memory (Reprise). DESPERATELY wants to go back to his old life. wants his friends back. is horribly lonely. is ostracized by the rest of the group. dies at the end.

#root talks #dreblr #c!dream #c!wilbur #c!tommy #c!tubbo #c!philza #c!sapnap #c!george #c!Karl #c!foolish #unfortunately techno doesn't really fit any of the songs :( #he could be Daylight (specifically the verse that plays in memory (reprise) but idk I feel like that's a stretch #daaayliiiiight i muuuust wait for the suuuunriiiise #sorry sillabub has such a gorgeous and sweet voice #the fact she was removed from the movie for a weird has self insert version of Victoria I am going to explode #listen to my autism rant boy

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

“German musical performers Frank Logemann (C-L) as 'Old Deuteronomy' and Kerstin Ibald (C-R) as 'Grizabella' on stage during a preview of the musical 'Cats' as part of the 'Thunerseespiel' open-air musical event in Thun, Switzerland, 11 July 2017. The event runs from 12 July to 24 August.”

Photo by Thomas Hodel

#cats the musical #cats thunerseespiele #Cats Thunerseespiele 2017 #cats non replica #grizabella #old deuteronomy #frank logemann #kerstin ibald

[the-witching-ash]

WBW for Andrew?

world building wednesday

send me the name of a character, and i’ll reply with:

B A S I C S

full name: Andrew Stephen Berry

gender: cis-male

sexuality: Bisexual, also identifies as demisexual

pronouns: he/him

O T H E R S

family: Hiram & Leroy Berry (fathers) , Rachel Berry (sister), Perdita (dog) Grizabella (cat), Alma Berry (aunt), Ezra Berry (uncle), Simone, Corbin & Mona Adams (honorary uncle, aunt & cousin.)

birthplace: Lima, Ohio

job: Waiter at Breadstix, various jobs threw-out collage, Broadway Actor

phobias: Will Shuester, Bugs

guilty pleasures: musical films (but doesn’t actually count them as guilty pleasures), Dolly Parton

M O R A L S

morality alignment?: Newtral Good

sins - lust/greed/gluttony/sloth/pride/envy/wrath

virtues - chastity/charity/diligence/humility/kindness/patience/justice

T H I S - O R - T H A T

introvert/extrovert:

organized/disorganized:

close minded/open-minded:

calm/anxious:

disagreeable/agreeable:

cautious/reckless:

patient/impatient:

outspoken/reserved:

leader/follower:

empathetic/unemphatic:

optimistic/pessimistic:

traditional/modern:

hard-working/lazy:

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

otp: Andrew/Mercedes

ot3: none

brotp: Andrew & Mike

notp: Andrew/David Karofsky

#oc: andrew berry

[white-cat-of-doom]

Congratulations to Emma Breton for making her Grizabella cover debut last night (09 December 2022) in Cast 12 of the Oasis of the Seas!

We love seeing Griza-Breton the Glamour Cat!

With Ebony Jayne Kitts as Victoria, Caroline Eby as Sillabub, Taylor Bryant as Jennyanydots, John Neurohr as Skimbleshanks, and Henry Rhodes as Mistoffelees.

Having Emma as Grizabella meant that Taylor Bryant got to belt the High C in place of Jellylorum, covering her part as a split-track with Jennyanydots.

#CATS Musical #CATS the Musical #CATS RCCL Cast 12 #Grizabella #Emma Breton #Sillabub #Caroline Eby #Jennyanydots #Taylor Bryant #Mistoffelees #Henry Rhodes #Skimbleshanks #John Neurohr #Victoria #Ebony Jayne Kitts

[kittycast-archive]

4/27/22

Kelliann DeCarlo (c. Grizabella), Elana Valastro (c. Tantomile), & Michelle Carter (Jennyanydots)

#042722 #ic #backstage #kelliann #kdecarlo grizabella #elana #evalastro tantomile #michelle #jennyanydots #april

[junkyard-gifs]

The fun of sitting near the auditorium exit door in Oasis! You get to see Grizabella do her little walk of shame and try to hide from the audience...

.... get jump-scared by a sweet-faced Macavity...

... and enjoy fake Deut being a zombie!

Ellie Monkley as Grizabella, Lewis Rimmer as Macavity, and Peter James Lake as Deuteronomy.

Oasis cast 13, May 2023 (X).

#oasis #oasis 13 #230500 #cats the musical #audience interaction #c: grizabella #c: macavity #c: deuteronomy #s: macavity fight #s: abduction #s: grizabella the glamour cat #ellie monkley #lewis rimmer #peter james lake #c: henchcats

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

into the woods/cats AU because it turns out i'm VERY impatient and honestly can't wait for when i see the show next week so i'm making the list of characters now lmao:

The Baker: Tugger

The Baker's Wife: Bombalurina

Cinderella: Demeter

Red Riding Hood: Jemima

Jack: Pouncival

Jack's Mother: Jellylorum

The Witch: Grizabella

C's Prince/The Wolf: Macavity

Mysterious Man: Old Deuteronomy

Red's Grandmother: Jennyanydots

Rapunzel: Victoria

C's Father: Bustopher

C's Stepmother: Griddlebone

Lucinda: Electra

Florinda: Etcetera

R's Prince: Plato

the biggest change to this AU will be that Victoria's ending will be the same as movie!Rapunzel's ending, because her musical!ending is just way too sad

also all of the familial/romantic relationships in this AU will be the same as in "Into the Woods" canon (but they obviously don't carry over into my regular canon)

@storyweaverofgondor here's the au bestie <3

#keeping c's prince and the wolf as the same character #idk how that'll work out #but yeah lmao #also iykyk with tugger and vicki's relationship 👀 #that's the other reason she's not having musical!rapunzel's ending 👀 #also tugger and bomba's baby will be hestia she will be included in this au lmao #because i can't resist #into the woods #cats the musical #into the woods au #rum tum tugger #bombalurina #demeter #macavity #jennyanydots #old deuteronomy #victoria #plato

[whit-on-the-side]

Congrats to Denise Jastraunig on her Grizabella debut!

Vienna revival, 24 April 2022—video by ablaalaoui on insta. (Watch to the end for some cute Bombatugger too! Bill Bailey looks like Tommie Luyben, and Bomba and Tugger like first cast Birgit Arquin and Dominik Hees.)

Photo by stage_shadows.

#debuts #news #2021 vienna #vienna revival #denise jastraunig #c: grizabella #videos #s: memory #s: grizabella the glamour cat #220424 #s: bows #tuggerina #c: bombalurina #c: rum tum tugger #c: tumblebrutus #tommie luyben #birgit arquin #dominik hees #bombalurinaxtugger #grizabellaxtumblebrutus

[jellicle-home-for-jellicle-ships]

Michelle Carter, 2021 US tour Jennyanydots:

"So I'm here with Kelliann [DeCarlo], who just made her Grizabella duet last night and it was fabulous. And I wanna say this with her, because she actually doesn't know, but: Tayler Harris (who usually plays Grizabella) and I have a story that Griz and Jennyanydots used to have a duet. Like, it was a big tap duet: like Chicago, Velma and Roxy style duet. And that she obviously fell into some bad things and she's not in the duet anymore, and that's part of the reason why I'm so pissed off with her all the time."

Which makes it even cuter that, when Michelle returned to the stage after an absence of more than a week, Tayler and Indalecio (Deuteronomy) did some tapping with her to welcome her back!

(Filmed by @selnost - please do not repost these gifs without his permission.)

Anyway, Jennybella rights!

Compare Chelsea Nicole Mitchell (Bombalurina)'s more general comments about Grizabella's backstory.

#grizabellaxjennyanydots #c: grizabella #c: jennyanydots #stage cats

[hysperia]

Is Skimbleshanks really Charon, the ferryman of the death?

Let's talk about the musical connections within the show and some really obscure Skimbleshanks headcanon I've come up with. We often read deeply into characters, backstories and their relations Usually we get into the visuals with that. But there are some quirks in the score that I have questions about, so I'm getting a bit into Sideways story telling through music territory here.

One very big question for me: Why does Moments of Happiness contain the Leitmotiv for Skimbleshanks? It's only seven notes, but very much there. To me it doesn't sound like something that needs to really be there a simple embellishment. So I'm wondering if it is deliberately put there it actually is just a simple embellishment.

That Moments of Happiness is more or less a slower and more dramatic version of Glamour Cat is pretty obvious. Tying the song to Grizabella. Especially after we hear Deuteronomy singing it right after his deliberation during intermission. The Moonlight section by Sillabub/Jemima and joined in by the full ensemble ties it to the climax of big Memory and Journey to the Heavyside layer in the finale. These musical connections are pretty well thought out by ALW, so I have a hard time thinking that the Skimbleshanks doesn't have a deeper meaning. That little motiv must be there for a reason that connects Grizabella and Skible together.

I've taken these two sections from the Definitive Edition Piano/Vocal score and put them side by side in Musescore. In Moments of Happiness it's the part were Old Deuteronomy sings "of many generations ... not forgetting". (Right here: video) In Skimbleshanks the motiv repeats multiple times, it's every "Skimbleshanks, the railway cat ..." in the song. I have kept it in the key and time signatures as the appear in the printed score. But it's the same pattern of notes shifted an octave. Or two octaves, as Deuteronomy sings a full octave below the kitten that joins him in the opening of Skimbleshanks' song. (Depends on the production; the score says Rumpleteazer, in the 1998 film it's Jemima.)

My theory:

It signals Skimbleshanks to be Charon, the ferryman that carries the souls of the deceased across the river Styx to the realm of the death. Skimble's song only tells us about the journey away from London, not passengers coming back. The train literally falls apart on stage, with only Skimble being left to return in the Junkyard at the end of his song. I'd say that you can read the line "the northern part of the northern hemisphere" as an analogy to "up, up, up past the Russel Hotel, up, up, up to the Heaviside layer."

Depending on where in London the Junkyard is located (do we know that?), you could go past the Russel Hotel, now known as the Kimpton Fitzroy, in order to get to Euston Station. The Russel and Euston are about half a mile apart, and the station is the starting point of the West Coast Mainline on where Skimble's train would run.

In his song we also see Skimble getting paid/bribed by Cassandra, with him biting the coin to check before pocketing it. Traditionally the death are given coin to pay for their crossing over the Styx. Either by putting it in their mouths or covering their eyes.

So after Grizabella leaves the junkyard she will board Skimble's train, to travel across the river Styx, which might be represented by the English-Scottish border, to the realm of the death: the Heavyside Layer. With Skimbleshanks as the train conductor as a stand in for ferryman Charon, and her journey already been paid for by Cassandra.

So maybe I'm reading way too much into it, but those seven notes just stand out like a sore thumb to me. And it was a lot of fund spending the better part of my evening over analyzing this.

Skimble checking the coin he just got from Cassandra: (via @noriseyebrow)

#skimbleshanks #cats the musical #cats 1998 #grizabella #charon #headcanon #c: grizabellaxskimbleshanks

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

“German musical performer Kerstin Ibald (C) as 'Grizabella' on stage during a preview of the musical 'Cats' as part of the 'Thunerseespiel' open-air musical event in Thun, Switzerland, 11 July 2017. The event runs from 12 July to 24 August.”

Photo by Thomas Hodel

#cats the musical #Cats Thunerseespiele 2017 #cats non-replica #grizabella #cats thunerseespiele