Cat-egory is: the Mother of Reinvention
Five years after the critically mauled movie adaptation of Cats, that not even Taylor Swift could save, New York’s Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) ends its inaugural season on a major high with an inspired, exhilarating reinterpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1981 musical theatre classic as the worlds of Broadway and Ballroom merge for an unforgettable experience.
As the audience settles into their seats, the golden cat-tipped trophies are stacked behind the judges’ table at the head of the runway stage, brilliantly conceived by scenic designer Rachel Hauck. Then the DJ (Capital Kaos, also a Ballroom consultant on the production), with a sharp 80s flat top, enters the space and prepares his vinyl for the night ahead (including dusting off an LP of the original cast recording of Cats). We hear the voice of Junior LaBeija from backstage, who reminds us to switch off our electronic devices—only after those who are unfamiliar with the Ballroom icon have duly Googled him—and encourages us to react to what we are watching as if we are at an actual Ball rather than the theatre. The enthusiastic audience that I was part of took note, going on to cheer, clap along, snap their fans (available at the merch stand), and get to their feet at least half a dozen times. With the house lights remaining partly up throughout, the crowd not only feels involved and engaged, but is an integral part of the show, with some seats up close and personal around tables on the side of the runway. The infectiously jubilant atmosphere on the night I attended was electrifying.
Tens Across The Board!
Munkustrap (Dudney Joseph Jr.) is our dynamic Master of Ceremonies for the evening and sets the scene as midnight strikes. These are not the traditional feline figures of T.S. Eliot’s poems presented as performers dressed in leotards with tails, leg warmers and cat makeup. Instead, the characters are reimagined as human members of New York’s Ballroom scene—the House of Dots and the House of Macavity—who compete for the ultimate prize of impressing their “Jellicle leader”, Old Deuteronomy (Broadway legend André De Shields), who will make his “Jellicle Choice” just before dawn breaks and select the one among them who will be reborn. As the annual Jellicle Ball unfurls, co-directors Zhailon Levingston (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Chicken & Biscuits) and Bill Rauch (PAC NYC Artistic Director) have the characters thrillingly battle it out on the catwalk in a series of “cat-egories” announced by Munkstrap—like Body, Hair Affair, Butch Queen realness, Tag Team, Bizarre, and Old Way vs New Way—and projected on to the back of the stage in giant bold letters. Instead of numbers, the judges’ cat-shaped paddles feature the words ‘meow’, ‘purr’, and ‘chop’.
Legendary
All rise as Old Deuteronomy makes his captivating first entrance, gliding across the runway to his throne at the centre of the judges’ panel. De Shields embodies the role of distinguished Ballroom Father so exquisitely that it is impossible to think of anyone else playing it. Demonstrating why he is one of the greats of American theatre, he makes even the smallest of movements, like slowly turning on the spot, utterly mesmerizing as he basks in the adulation of cast and audience alike. His performance of “The Moments of Happiness” is sublime, with impactful staging that sees images and film footage chronicling the origins of Ballroom projected behind him as he sings (with projection design by Brittany Bland), culminating in a stirring tribute to the original House Mothers of New York Ballroom. It is a deeply moving scene that imbues the entire production with meaning and purpose, underscoring the vital importance of remembering and revering our trailblazing trans and queer ancestors of colour. We can’t rely on mainstream history books to record these crucial figures, but have to keep their memory burning bright for ourselves. There is also a display of posters paying homage to past and current Ballroom icons on the walls of the theatre’s fourth floor lobby.
Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles’ choreography is rich with character and the runway is bursting with vibrant movement as the cast werk the floor, serve face, duckwalk, pop, dip, and spin in battle sequences that feel immediate and unpredictable, authentically capturing the spirit of Ballroom in this musical theatre framework. With sharp, detailed direction by Levingston and Rauch, when Lyons and Wiles bring the whole company to the runway to move as one, with their voices in union like a choir, they create a powerful, showstopping spectacle that not only makes us gag, but reinforces the sense of strength and empowerment of the community and chosen family at the heart of Ballroom.
The entire ensemble delivers first-rate work to the point that it almost feels unfair to single anyone out, but Robert “Silk” Mason as Magical Mister Mistoffelees brings some jaw-dropping moves to the runway as he slowly lifts his impossibly long legs to the gods and glides across the floor in a dip, living up to his character’s “conjuring cat” status.
Sydney James Harcourt is serving some serious pec-popping, bicep-bulging body-oddy-oddy-oddy as Rum Tum Tugger and has the impressive vocal prowess, comedy chops, and charm for days to match his swagger. While Jonathan Burke (The Inheritance, Patience) and Dava Huesca make for a delightfully entertaining pairing as mopping cat burglars Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, complete with a hilarious quick change number. Nora Schell is the cat’s pyjamas as Bustopher Jones with a tuxedoed, top-hatted silhouette that conjures Harlem Renaissance blues singer Gladys Bentley, while Shereen Pimentel stuns with her ravishingly crisp vocals as Jellylorum, and Teddy Wilson Jr. brings his heartbreakingly beautiful soprano voice to Sillabub. I couldn’t take my eyes of A Strange Loop’s radiant Antwayn Hopper who is a riot as Macavity, making the most of every second he’s on stage and delivering typically impressive vocal gymnastics with his deep velvety tones.
Amidst all the revelry, someone everyone has counted out is “Glamour Cat” turned disheveled bag-lady, one of the original House Mothers, Grizabella (the iconic Ballroom Hall of famer “Tempress” Chasity Moore). Moore brings a compelling vulnerability to Grizabella, and her delicate, tentative movements when she first appears hold our attention just as much as the explosive voguing on display by other characters on the runway. Later, as dawn begins to break, with a spotlight hitting the giant mirror ball, the entire space fills with glints of light, and Moore’s stunning vocals on “Memory” combine with this simple but striking effect by lighting designer Adam Honoré to create a truly breathtaking, transcendent moment of theatre.
With Lloyd Webber’s mournful, bittersweet melodies—beautifully arranged here by music supervisor, music director, and conductor William Waldrop with 80s synth vibes, and added beats by Trevor Holder—this new vision of Cats taps into the show’s existing thematic concerns of aging and nostalgia, along with the potential for new life and reinvention. These themes are particularly poignant and affecting as Moore’s Grizabella recalls her former beauty and happiness in her trophy-snatching “old days”. The actress’ own history in Ballroom enriches the performance, just as Junior LaBeija’s Ballroom legacy comes to the stage with him as he embodies Gus. That knowledge brings another layer to the character’s reminiscences, as he holds court with tales about the fierce feats of his glory days, when he knew how to “gag” and received “seven catcalls” from the gallery for one of his famed theatrical performances, and goes on to throw shade at the way today’s “kittens” enter the profession.
“Why you all gagging so? She brings it to you every Ball”
Put your paws up for Qween Jean’s (The Seagull/Woodstock, NY, The Seven Year Disappear) exceptional costume design which sparingly includes elements that tip a cat-eared hat to the show’s origins, with touches of faux fur and animal print (there’s even a cheeky flash of some Hello Kitty underwear), among pieces that bring a riot of colour and the opulence of Ballroom to the stage. One standout creation is a golden headed ancient Egyptian-inspired lewk with wings that brings down the house. While the crowing jewel of Nikiya Mathis’ excellent hair and wig design is Old Deuteronomy’s majestic mane.
What makes this production all the more impressive is that the original lyrics remains intact, with references to British locations and all things feline. The New York Ballroom setting is so strongly established and fully realized in every element, and the cast so committed to the world that they have helped establish, that nothing that is sung ever detracts or distracts from it. The comparability of cats gathering in a junkyard and rejected LGBTQ+ youth coming together in community proves to be a rewarding exploration that never feels forced but rather brings out unexpected emotional nuances. In this context, I felt like I was hearing these songs afresh and found a new appreciation for the music, some of it immensely catchy.
Despite its record-setting West End and Broadway runs, decades before Judi Dench’s un-CGI’d human hand become a meme, Cats was frequently the butt of jokes among theatregoers and theatremakers alike, with lines at its expense in plays such as Six Degrees of Separation and Angels in America. This new production might just silence the show’s detractors for good. Boldly bringing Broadway veterans and Ballroom icons together has resulted in musical theatre purr-fection. This not-to-be-missed limited run of Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” has been extended until August 11th, so book your tickets now. Trust me, you will have a ball.
By James Kleinmann
Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” runs at PAC NYC (251 Fulton Street, New York) until August 11th, 2024. For more details and to purchase tickets head to pacnyc.org.