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white-cat-of-doom · 2 months ago

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You've probably answered this before, but who are your fave actors? Either in general or by character?

Hello Anon. Thank you for the question!

Apologies for going on long here in answering, as I feel I need to add an explanation of how I consider performers to be my favourite before I actually say who they are :).

I have answered something like this before many years ago (and with way too many words capitalized), and it is interesting to think about this once more, as some things have largely changed. I also answered which characters are my favourite later on that same year (notwithstanding that I do love other characters not mentioned), which has not changed. That answer also came with a list of great performers I enjoyed in the roles as well.

To be honest, I used to be much more attached to certain performers and productions because I was still new-ish to the fandom and musical at large, and there was not a whole lot going on production wise at the time. Those lists I linked are ones made up of performers that I thought were great in their roles and maybe added a bit to personalize them, and also perhaps of note, the first was made before I started my neverending quest to clean up the fandom wiki.

After many years in the fandom, with productions having opened and closed, I have become more appreciative of past performers and also dropped most of my thoughts that only one performer could portray a certain character.

Furthermore, I have probably become more specific in the way I analyze how performers protray their roles and the types of things I look for. The way a performer looks as a certain character plays into a bit of this as well, but I always felt that was a superficial way of considering things. If they look how I can imagine a character would look ideally in my mind, but they do not give off the mannerisms and personality of the actual character themselves, it does not solidify them as a definitive performer for that role, at least for me. In addition, when I see or read a performer mention how much the show means to them, and that it was their dream to play a certain character, it makes me appreciate them a whole lot more. Hundreds of performers for any character have come and gone over the last 43 years and counting, and I wish I could view how they played their characters!

There are many fantastic performers, in addition to a multitude of Swings that made the productions possible, that I really should mention, but we would be here all day, so I focused instead on my favourite characters, and one specific character you can probably guess if you have followed here at any point.

I am still enamoured with Naoimh Morgan, and she will probably always be my favourite performer in the show. Her Rumpleteazer in the 2019 movie really altered my brain chemistry upon first seeing the musical in any capacity in theatres, and I have never really been the same, have I? No. Learning more about her time in the International Tour and her as a person made me appreciate her even more, and she is one of the few very few instances where I ever wondered more about a performer themselves in a personal way rather than them only doing a job and having fun onstage. I am always holding out the smallest of hope that she returns to the show, but I do not believe that will happen, especially as the castings worldwide seem to be skewing very much towards new performers right out of school for most roles.

Naoimh occupies this interesting niche as my favourite Rumpleteazer performer, as I adore the way she protrayed the character as mature in the movie, working with the original jazz version of the song, but then the other performers and the character themselves (at least now) are not really operating in the same way. I find the (modern) Rumpleteazer role fun and all, but no performers have really ever made me appreciate the character as Naoimh did, and she also did a fantastic job as stage Rumpleteazer, in addition.

For the sake of completion, however, I would consider Dominque Hamilton as probably my favourite Rumpleteazer performer outside of Naoimh, and have to mention Katie Hutton as well, as she loved being in the musical.

For Jellylorum, I will always have a soft spot for both Susan Jane Tanner and Bonnie Simmons, mentioning them the first time I answered this question, and them both essentially being the gateway to the character for most people. However, Jackey Good has won me over and she is not going anywhere soon as my favourite, it seems. The way she conducts herself and acts as Jellylorum is so spot on, and it helps that she also looks just like her in my mind. This video (one that I have watched many times) captures that, along with one from a newer performance. (I cannot believe I am saying this, given my dislike of the podcast, but) If you have a chance to listen to The Wrong Cat Died episode with Jackey, you will understand even better where I am coming from, as she goes into details of how she appreciates the character and how it really fits the way she is as a person. I was so happy to see her return for Cast 14 of the Oasis of the Seas after her time years before in Cast 8 (with the addition of being Griddlebone), and do hope that she returns for another Cast in the future. Please, let me see her live, Everlasting Cat.

Admittedly, any Jellylorum performer has my heart, but I will mention that I enjoyed Aimee Hodnett, Francesca Benton-Stace, and Alice Batt during her respective times in the show, and cannot help but love Charlotte Scott for some reason (it is the Swing -> Jemima -> (almost a decade later) Jellylorum -> finishing off as Jellylorum and Griddlebone timeline), even if I have not come across a performance with her that I can see or hear (at least I have listened to). And I absolutely adore and love Miki Okudaira, enough to make a post specially about her. She is my favourite performer from Japan, a place that is unfortunately quite restricted for content as compared with the other worldwide productions, as no backstage or audience shot photos are allowed.

For Victoria, while I do still love Phyllida Crowley-Smith and Hannah Kenna Thomas, I think Issy Moore has become my favourite. I knew deep down from the first time she announced joining the musical that she was going to be special, and she again showed her appreciation with the most recent announcement. To me, Issy is exactly what I would imagine Victoria looks like (although Phylldia is pretty close too), and her love for the character and show shined through to me during her initial time in it. She loves being Victoria! I cannot wait to see her back, and it is going to be interesting to see her in the new Victoria design costume.

If you wanted more Victoria performers that are magnificent and who I love seeing, the last five Casts of the Oasis of the Seas have them: Gina Gagliano, Charlotte Lovell, Ebony Jayne Kitts, and Sarah-Ann Mclaren, which Issy above was also a part of. Every Oasis Cast had a great Victoria, as I have to also mention Sophia McAvoy (who would also be a part of the UK/International Tour for a few years). It is hard to go wrong with past Victoria performers and Anique Bosch is another good one. Truly endless White Cats :).

Right now, I do not think that I have one favourite Gumbie Cat. Ellie Nunan was my favourite for quite some time, as mentioned in my other posts, and still is one of my top choices, as she had a certain chaotic energy that I enjoyed. Namiko Hanada and Miki Kasahara are two performers from Japan that are always fun to see across the different stops over the last near decade. Otherwise, I always enjoyed Ceili O'Connor, and thought Taylor Bryant and Michelle E. Carter were great recent Jennyanydots performers.

Much like Jennyanydots above, I do not have one Jemima/Sillabub performer that I would say is my one favourite. There have been many great ones in the recent years, however, but not one that especially sticks out. Top of mind is seemingly Veerle Casteleyn, as I mentioned in the previous posts, as she portrayed the character well in the 1998 film and on stage throughout her CATS career. I will also mention Amy Everett and Caroline Eby as they were two that I really enjoyed seeing in the last few years, both of whom could be considered my favourite. Caroline really added silliness to her Sillabub role and I loved that!

I also do not have one favourite Demeter performer currently. As mentioned in the other posts, Ella Nonini was a great one, and so were Giulia Vazzoler or Hannah Lancaster. Two recent performers that were great would be Devon-Jade Clark and Nora DeGreen. My appreciation for Demeter as a whole has diminished somewhat over the years, although she is one of the characters I am very particular about, making it harder for a performer to impress me.

Outside of the list of my favourite characters, and the ones I had mentioned before, and to give a quick list: Brittany Tooms Peel was a really fun Tantomile and Rumpleteazer, Anina Pletscher was a fantastic Swing Electra, Kayleigh Thadani was a very fun Swing "Electra" (although not officially casted as the character), Lucy Rice was a great Bombalurina and Swing, Robert Wilkes was always fun to see as Skimbleshanks and Asparagus, and John Anker Bow always did a phenomenal job in the Asparagus/Bustopher Jones/Rumpus Cat track.

There are many more performers to mention, even more that will be in consideration as the years move forward and new productions start up, and there are so many performers that anyone can appreciate throughout the last four decades and counting. You never need to look very far to see someone you will really like.

#The White Cat Speaks #CATS Musical #CATS the Musical #After all this #My three favourite performers are Naoimh Jackey and Issy #It seems like I have a lot to say but you need to understand that I know almost too many performers to have a nice cut and dry list :)#I hope this is what you were looking for Anon and that it is not too long

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