#Barbara Obermeier

[junkyard-gifs]

... well now Alonzo needs his emotional support thighs. 🥺

yes thank you much better now.

Felix Martin and Barbara Obermeier as Gus and Jellylorum; George Maniadis as Alonzo, and Alexander Auler as Munkustrap. Plus a very attentive little Riccardo Sinisi Carbuckety in the foreground.

Vienna revival, 24 June 2022. Filmed by @cryptidvoidwritings and @falasta.

[white-cat-of-doom]

A Memory of the Vienna Revival from Barbara Obermeier covering Grizabella.

[lifewillalwaysbe-lavieenrose]

GUYS!! I saw Les Mis! In Munich!!!

Let's recap!

The Cast:

Daniel Gutmann as Javert. He was incredible. Definitely my personal highlight. Everytime he sang his voice just ROARED. And he was menacing holy shit. Aggggggh I'm normal about him

Barbara Obermeier as Eponine. When I first heard her sing in Act 1, I knew she was gonna kill it in Act 2. And she did.

Merlin Farcel aka Enjolras. His voice was so perfect I LOVED all the high notes, BUT:

The beard. Sorry, but in my world Enjolras doesn't have a beard. Plus, it makes him look like Peter Maffay

Madame Thenardier was PERFECT (I don't remember who played her that night😭) She was so funny and the audience really loved her.

The Music:

At first, I felt a bit underwhelmed by the orchestra. To be fair, I listened to the 10th anniversary recording SO much, that I really got used to that grand orchestra sound.

There was an electric guitar and at one point an electric bass when Javert sang, which I really loved.

During Master of the House/ Beggars at the Feast you could really see the orchestra bopping their heads and having fun and that made me very happy

I really loved the brass section, they really stood out (That French Hurn during On My Own????!)

The Costumes:

I don't know why, but the Les Amis were wearing these caps all the time. I have never seen a production with them in it. Is this a historically accurate thing?? I didn't really like them, they looked very plastic/shiny and fell out of place

I cannot find a picture but in the beginning of Act 1 Valjean wore a pink vest and then a purple coat which both looked very cheap and which I both didn't like (maybe it was because of the light? The colors felt very unnatural)

Eponine's outfit. At first I thought it didn't look shabby enough. But it looks so badass I'll let it pass

Why don't you let Enjolras wear his red vest??

What is Marius wearing? Goofy boy

Big Mad Hatter vibes from Thenardier. I loved his and the Patron Minettes outifits, they looked very edgy

This is perfect. Perfect. I only wished he had undone his hair for Javert's Suicide (he did, but only for the last 10 seconds)

The Stage:

The stage had a turning middle and stairs that could be moved around, similar like in Hamilton.

They did a cool transition with young Cosette walking up the stairs and old Cosette walking down

Also, they had some cool staging with buildings moving around for Stars. But I feel like there was almost a bit too much happening in the background for this song.

I don't know why they didn't have the Barricades turn and show Enjolras hang upside down. It's such a cool/tragic moment!

During the Barricade scenes, the stage sometimes felt a bit empty. I mean, there were always like 15 people standing around. Maybe the Barricades were to small/not high enough

Empty chairs at empty tables. Where were the empty chairs and empty tables??

In Everyday/A Heart Full of Love Reprise single leaves started falling down on the stage (Like Valjean entering the Fall/Winter of his life) I loved that.

Also, the parallel of Marius learning to walk again using a cane, and Valjean loosing his ability to walk using a cane. I never noticed this before!

There are SO many cool things about the staging I could talk about here. But I want to mention some other topics as well:

The "Spirit" of the Show:

There wasn't a single French flag to be seen. Some red ones, but no French flags.

In the trailer, the director said he wanted to create a more universal setting, speaking to everyone in the audience

I think that's a great sentiment but like. Everyone has French names. There were titles above the stage telling us the year and locations (Places in France) of the events. The title of the show is French.

So I think adding the flags (aka a bit more French nationalism?) would have seemed a lot more convincing for the cause of the students and the whole spirit of the show

But maybe this also has to do with the show being in German? I don't know and I'd really like to discuss it. Maybe someone here made a similar experience seeing it in another language

And last, but MOST importantly:

What about Valvert and Enjoltaire?

In the Confrontation, Javert and Valjean got really close to each other. And I mean fighting each other and then stopping just to sing directly into each other's faces.

Instead of running infront of the court in Who Am I, Valjean just goes to Javert and rips his shirt open? Okay, go off I guess

In Drink with Me, we have a platonic forehead touch between Enjolras and Grantaire. Sadly, that's all I noticed between them 😔

Also, the fact that Grantaire is supposed to be ugly/shabby/a drinker/a sceptic got totally lost, which really takes away from his character.

Conclusion:

All the actors were good, some of them were FANTASTIC. I'd watch it again just for the guy playing Javert, if I could. God, he was SO GOOD

The music was all it should be, maybe a bit too reserved (but again, this might be because I am so used to the 10th anniversary concert)

I really loved some costumes and I also really disliked some

The staging was great, some choices confused me (flags, barricades etc.)

Would I watch it again?

Absolutely!

To be clear, some of the things here might sound more negative than I actually mean. It's just that I have watched SO many different productions online, that I fixated on all the great performances and how I think they should be done. Of course everyone has different opinions here.

Okay thanks for reading if you made it here. Have a great day!

[falasta]

Alright. I had to meditate on this and get feedback from others on their personal picks before I could get my thoughts in order.

Most of these will be performers I've seen in person because that's just how preferences work. I don't doubt for a moment that in all the thousands of Cats shows there are multiple marvelous performers that would make this list if I had seen or experienced them. And probably many performing recently that just don't have any footage. That said, here's my best shot. (Yes, we have multiples and alternates. Because. )

Alonzo: George Maniadis

Gus/Bustopher/Growltiger: Felix Martin, alt. Ian Jon Bourg

 Bombalurina: Birgit Arquin alt. Lucy Rice/Petra Ilse Dam

 Cassandra : Anneka Dacres

Coricopat: Jan-Eike Majert

 Demeter: Giulia Vazzoler alt. Anneka Dacres

 Electra: Vicky Riddoch alt. Sophie-Rose Middleton

 Etcetera : Katie Hutton alt. Sophie-Rose Middleton

George: Matt Levick

Grizabella: Jo Ampil alt. Barbara Obermeier

Jellylorum: Barbara Obermeier

 Jemima: Sophie-Rose Middleton

 Jennyanydots: Kathi Lochmann

Mistoffelees: Harry Francis alt. Xavier Pellin

 Mungojerrie: Andrea Luca Cotti alt. Tommie Luyben

 *Munkustrap: Alexander Auler alt. Matt Krzan or vice versa

 Old Deuteronomy: Brad Little

 Plato/Macavity: Nick Li alt. Thomas Inge

*Special bonus: alt. Alex Snova in imaginary case where he isn't playing Tugger

 Pouncival: Cian Hughes

 Rumpleteazer: Anna Carina Buchegger alt. Katie Hutton

 Rum Tum Tugger: Alex Snova

 Skimbleshanks: Gerben Grimmius alt. Hayden Baum

 Tantomile : Petra Ilse Dam

Tumblebrutus: Aaron Hunt alt. Matt Levick

Victoria: Hannah Kenna Thomas

SUPER SWINGS:

Jo Lucy Rackham

Riccardo Sinisi

Tommie Luyben

*To be fair, Jack Rebaldi would really be first choice. I mean, he's a legend and he's incredible. Also it was impossible to choose between these two. They are *completely* different Munks but I love them both. Also special shout-out to Florian Fetterle who just didn't make the list but should really be in there somewhere.

Cats Fans

CONGRATULATIONS

You get to cast your own version of Cats to be filmed and turned into a movie!!! the only problem is you can't pick anyone from the 1998 movie, Unless it's for a different role then they were in the move then it's ok but is has to be a role they have once played in the past even if it was as a swing/cover (EX: Fergus Logan as Misto or Veerle Casteleyn as Victoria)

They can be from any production no matter the year or language used and you can pick actors from non-replicas too

Characters like Gus jr., George, and Exotica can be removed if you can't think of anyone but everyone else must stay and you can add other swings of you want and if need be you can change who plays the Rumpus cat and Macavity can have his own Actor if you want. and if you want a actor but they played the character under a different name (EX: Sillabub, Admetus, Carbuckety, Bill Bailly) they are allowed just keep the names from the 1998 movie

Your list of characters

Alonzo Asparagus Bombalurina Bustopher Johns Cassandra Coricopat Demeter Electra Etcetera Exotica George / Rumpus Cat Grizabella Gus Jr. Jellylorum Jemima Jennyanydots Mistoffelees Mungojerrie Munkustrap Old Deuteronomy Plato / Macavity Pouncival Rumpleteazer Rum Tum Tugger Skimbleshanks Tantomile Tumblebrutus Victoria

Have fun and reblog this to share your cast

[cryptidvoidwritings]

Peak Cats content just dropped

This is gold and I am dying everybody go home there will never be anything this good

(unless the US tour does it I’m waaaaiiiittttting)

[peterpandiedtoday]

Bomba & Griz ♥

[jelliclekit]

From Barbara Obermeier's insta story - 18/01/2022

[boho-days]

Anneke Brunekreeft, Birgit Arquin, and Barbara Obermeier in Cats, Vienna 2019

[practical-busy-cheery]

Jellylorum Week Day 1 - Favourite Jellylorum Actors

I LOVE every single Jellylorum actor (how can I not?), but I do have three favourites that come to mind.

Susan Jane Tanner - Original London Cast (1981-1982) Jellylorum/Griddlebone and CATS (1998) Jellylorum

She IS Jellylorum. She originated the character in London, and I adore her singing voice and the ways she portrays Jelly. She is so kind and gentle! Some people dislike her in the 1998 film due to her singing and the fact she is older, but those people are very much wrong. In my opinion she is underappreciated in CATS, as with Jelly as a whole.

I am not surprised to see that basically everyone has Susan as their favourite Jelly.

Bonnie Simmons - Original Broadway Cast Jellylorum/Griddlebone (1982-1992)

My other favourite Jellylorum, and my favourite Griddlebone. I ADORE her singing and wish I could have seen her perform! This is some footage of her as Griddlebone that I would recommend anyone watch, as Growltiger’s Last Stand on Broadway was an EVENT. I am also a big fan of the Braodway design for Jelly, which has influenced and carried on through the years in other productions and non-replicas.

Another very underappreciated performer, considering she was the third longest serving original cast member in the original Broadway production, behind only Susan Powers (1982-1997) and Marlene Danielle, who stayed for all 18 years until 2000!

Megan Ort - Oasis of the Seas Cast 4 (2016) Jellylorum/Griddlebone and Broadway Revival 2016-2017 Cats Chorus (cover Jellylorum, Grizabella, Sillabub, and Jennyanydots)

I can say with confidence that no one in this fandom loves Megan Ort more than me. Maybe a contentious pick as a favourite Jelly considering that she was only technically a fully casted Jellylorum for eight shows in the RCCL before jumping over to the Broadway Revival as a Swing/Booth Singer, but Megan has a absolutely phenomenal voice! I recommend watching her as Griddlebone in the RCCL because she is very talented, and is one of the best Griddlebone actors!

Megan performed over 70 shows on Broadway as Jellylorum, Grizabella, and Sillabub (mainly Jelly and Griz), and she loved playing Jelly! She also was a split track Jellylorum/Sillabub for one performance, where as Jelly she also sang the vocal parts of Sillabub, such as The Moments of Happiness and before and during Memory, which would have been amazing to have seen! She never went on as Jenny from what I can find. As an aside, Megan is a GORGEOUS Grizabella and definitely my favourite when it comes to overall appearance with the revival changes in 2014. I would have loved to see a JellylORTum day on Broadway!

I have some other wonderful Jellylorum actors (under the cut due to length) that also deserve some praise!

Clare Rickard - UK Tour 2013-2014 and London Palladium 2014-2016 Jellylorum/Griddlebone, Grizabella cover, and Dance Captain

Claire deserves a fair amount of praise! She has a fantastic voice and is one of only two Jelly actors (that I know of) who also were Dance Captains in their productions. She perhaps is the most talented Jellylorum ever casted in CATS! A true triple threat of singing, dancing, and acting, Clare is an amazing performer!

Barbara Obermeier - Vienna Revival Jellylorum/Griddlebone and Grizabella cover (2019-Present)

Although I have not been fortunate enough to see Barbara either perform or sing, she is a fun person and she loves to perform. The fact that she is one of the cover Grizabellas in Vienna would indicate that she has a fantastic voice, and I would love to hear it!

Anissa Hartline - US Tour 5 Jellylorum/Griddlebone (2006-2008)

Anissa has a beautiful voice in her performances as both Jelly and Griddle, but one of the key reasons she is on here is that she is so loving and gentle during the performance of Gus the Theatre Cat. Her respectful admiration and cheerfulness for Gus is so soft, and she reminds me a lot of Susan Jane Tanner's performance in CATS (1998) (and then she comes out as Griddlebone and she can SING!). I also love her design and she deserves some praise!

Alice Batt - Asia Tour 2020 Jellylorum/Griddlebone

This list would not be complete without me mentioning the lovely Alice! She is a fantastic singer and I wish we could have seen her (and everyone) for a bit longer in the Asia Tour before it was abruptly closed! She is always cheerful and smiling in any picture I see of her, I also wish there was more footage of her! She also has my favourite UK based Jelly design, and I love that they made her more floofy than previous Jellys!

There are many other wonderful Jellylorum actors as well that I did not mention, but I do truly love every Jelly that I see!

I should also mention that I adore so many of the Jellylorum actors in the Shiki productions of CATS, but trying to pinpoint actors is very difficult due to the largely complex cast lists.

[junkyard-gifs]

This look between Deuteronomy and Munkustrap...

... but then! the prospect of the Heavyside Layer being so overwhelming that Grizabella breaks away from the mystical Deuteronomy, and turns back to Munkustrap for some more grounded warmth and reassurance.

And oh, that bow... all the way to the ground, and the whole tribe bows with him.

(including foreground Carbuckety even though he was already on the floor, because he's being a Good Boy. at the moment.)

Vienna revival, 7 May 2022, filmed by @thunderwhenhepurrs.

Alexander Auler as Munkustrap, Barbara Obermeier covering Grizabella, Lucius Wolter covering Deuteronomy, Johnny Randall as Carbuckety, and Jo Lucy Rackham as Jennyanydots.

[prettynerdieworks]

Barbara Obermeier as Nannerl Mozart in MOZART! (2015)      for @angelofmusic1296

[white-cat-of-doom]

A full performance of The Rum Tum Tugger from the Vienna Revival in 2022, with Alex Snova covering the titular role.

With Anastasia Bertinshaw as Jemima, Susannah Murphy covering Victoria, Vicky Riddoch as Electra, Anneke Brunekreeft covering Bombalurina, Stephen Martin Allan as Mistoffelees, Anneka Dacres as Cassandra, Ricardo Sinisi covering Admetus, Nathan Luke covering Carbucketty, Rhys Batten as Coricopat, Petra Ilsa Dam as Tantomile, George Maniadis as Alonzo, Barbara Obermeier as Jellylorum, Florian Fetterle covering Munkustrap, Anna Carina Buchegger as Rumpleteazer, Jan-Eike Majert as Mungojerrie, Tommie Luyben covering Skimbleshanks, Giulia Vazzoler as Demeter, Katharina Lochmann as Jennyanydots, Matthew Levick as Bill Bailey, and Felix Martin as Asparagus.

[theveilfalls]

andy bieber singing the mozart score is absolute heaven thanks for coming to my talk

Barbara Obermeier is also ♥

[hysperia]

I need to find some fitting pictures other performers who've done both shows:

Barbara Obermeier: Chorus/Sarah & Jellylorum/Grizabella Gerben Grimmius: Nightmare Solo 1/Chorus & Skimbleshanks/Old Deuteronomy Thomas Borchert: Graf Von Krolock & Rum Tum Tugger

Performers who have played both Graf von Krolock and Munkustrap

Steve Barton, Ivan Ozhogin, David Arnspeger, Jack Rebaldi, Robert D. Marx

[cryptidvoidwritings]

June 26, 2022