#Sara Jean Ford as Jellylorum

[white-cat-of-doom]

A pair of signed, stage used jazz shoes from Sara Jean Ford, who played Jellylorum in the Broadway Revival.

It was always my goal to own something from a Jellylorum performer, and these were the shoes I wanted most from the lots sold by BCEFA. They are fairly worn and were put to good use!

As with any of the shoes, the real details in the paintwork can be admired up close, which is something that is not easily done even watching the show in person.

I hope to own more costume pieces from Jellylorum in the future.

[statisticalcats2]

Seven Cat Calls 2024

Week 6: Jellylorum

Sara Jean Ford Kayli Jamison

(CW: Talk of character death)

Sara Jean Ford!Jellylorum goes with Christopher Gurr!Gus. They can be a tough watch because they bring so much sincerity and weight to the roles in regards to Gus's story. I talked a bit about this in my Gus post too, while Gus is always an elderly character, it's very clear in how they play it that Jellicle Choice or not, Gus is in his last days (in fact I'm pretty sure Christopher Gurr has said he thinks Gus died even right after the Jellicle Ball shown in the play) and they bring so much of that emotion to the scene. Jellylorum's keeping a smile on through Gus's song but her complex emotions are still so clear and she even seems close to tears at times. I adore this way of playing this storyline and it's a top-tier example of the deeper parts of Cats (it is a fun, feel-good musical about singing and dancing cats but it also has serious themes and it's always wonderful to see such sincerity brought to these parts of the story.)

(CW: talk of divorce (no, really))

On a lighter note (for a given definition of lighter) is Kayli Jamison, who is a Jellylorum I saw personally. She was a very sweetheart Jellylorum and deserves a mention because of that and because of her part in the little drama storyline that could be picked up on between Grizabella, Skimbleshanks, and Jennyanydots. This was the cast/run I've semi-jokingly referred to as "Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots Get a Divorce: the Musical" and Jellylorum's in that story too, as she and Skimble gravitated towards each other a lot and had some very cute moments and I ended up with the perception of Skimbleshanks having growing feelings for her as his relationship with Jennyanydots breaks down for better or worse.

[catsheadcanons]

Alonzo - Ahmad Simmons

Gus/Peter/Bustopher Jones/Rumpus Cat - Christopher Gurr

Bombalurina - Abigail Gatlin

Cassandra - Katherine Margo Brown

Coricopat - Corey John Snide

Demeter - Jessica Dillan

Electra - Lili Froehlich

Grizabella - Betty Buckley

Jellylorum - Sara Jean Ford

Jemima - Sarah Brightman Jennyanydots - Alexa Shanahan

Mistoffelees - Ricky Ubeda

Mungojerrie - Jess LeProtto

Munkustrap - Andy Huntington Jones

Old Deuteronomy - Quentin Earl Darrington

Plato / Macavity - Daniel Gaymon

Carbucketty - Giuseppe Basilio

Rumpleteazer - Maria Cristina Slye

Rum Tum Tugger - Tyler Hanes

Skimbleshanks - Jeremy Davis Tantomile - Emily Tate

Tumblebrutus - …I am realizing that I somehow have no recollection of any Tumblebrutus ever besides Fergus Logan. I’ll try to remedy that soon.

Victoria - Georgina Pazcoguin

(How much of this is the Broadway revival cast? A good amount. But I think I got a decent amount of not that in there too.

I am going to see PAC CATS next weekend so I may publish a second version of this list after that!)

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

[annoyedcatdad]

The cast of CATS with cats! 2/2

[junkyard-gifs]

The origin of the Jellylorum In Traffic story: Sara Jean Ford making up a joking backstory to cover for her lack of experience as a dancer compared to the rest of the cast.

Broadway revival, posted early December 2017 (X).

This is completely of a piece with her usual sense of humour, by the way, so I wouldn't take it as serious actor backstory, just the equivalent of shitposting. But I've occasionally seen the rumour pop up in the fandom, devoid of that context and therefore taken seriously—possibly because someone added it to the 'headcanons' section of the CATS wiki in 2019:

Which isn't to say that nobody should ever adopt that headcanon seriously, of course, if you want some angst! But it did start as an actor's joke, not as official canon.

[sevenkittensinatrenchcoat]

Cast Interviews From 1986 vs. 2016

So, I���ve found a podcast that’s been interviewing various Cats cast members and superfans. Most of the interviews come from the cast of the Broadway Revival, but there are also several interviews from US Tour III which went from 1986 to 1988. So we’ve got a bit of both old and new. Here’s what I’ve learned about how things have changed over the years and why the Broadway Revival is such a confused mess:

In the interviews of US Tour III cast members, it seemed like everyone was told the story of the play and had a pretty clear idea of what was going on. Some actors were given backstories for their characters, but the amount of detail varied. Actors cast as Munkustrap and Tugger were told that their characters were brothers and the sons of Old Deuteronomy. Actors cast as Demeter were given a full backstory for the character. However, Grizabella’s story remained vague. Bombalurina, Mistoffelees, and Sillabub also had no confirmed backstories, and most of their characters were improvised during rehearsals. Also, since this tour was from 1986-1988, a lot of cast members don’t remember a lot of what they were told. It’s been a while.

Out of the backstory and character information provided, Demeter’s was the most consistent. She was kidnapped by Macavity, escaping shortly before the events of the play. She’s an outsider to the tribe, but she knows Bombalurina and stays close to her. Bombalurina also had some experience with Macavity, but she enjoyed it more than Demeter did. This lines up with what Jacob Brent said about Demeter in the 1998 version.

Some character dynamics are different from more modern versions. Alonzo is Demeter’s love interest, as was typical with Broadway-based productions. Also, in most productions, Alonzo doesn’t get along with Tugger, but he’s a fan of him in this version.

Outside of Alonzo, it was made perfectly clear that Mistoffelees was played as a full adult, the same age as Munkustrap. The actor who played him throughout the tour, Randy Slovacek seemed to have made up most of Misto’s characterization in that production by himself. Misto was friends with Grizabella in the past and wasn’t upset by whatever she did to upset the others. When she first appears, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, taking the place of Coricopat and Tantomile, who were cut for the tour, run up to her and try to chase her away. Misto calls them off, but Munkustrap won’t let him do anything else to help her and he respects his authority too much to try anything.

The interviews of the Broadway Revival cast tell a very different story of what was going on behind the scenes. Apparently, they were rushed for time and there weren’t as many rehearsals before the show as there usually are. That, combined with the new choreography meant that nobody really knew what they were doing. Munkustrap and Tugger were confirmed to be siblings, but very little backstory information was given outside of that. The few cast members who worked with Gillian Lynne seemed to have a better idea of what was going on with their characters. Andy Blankenbuehler was still figuring things out and wasn’t able to offer similar clarity. The few times anyone was told anything, it was usually by Trevor Nunn.

Basically, Nunn and Lynne invented Cats, and nobody else seems to know how the fuck any of it works.

Tyler Hanes and Sara Jean Ford knew each other before being cast and they came up with a lot of backstory for their characters, which everyone else got drawn into. Ford played Jellylorum as the same age as Tugger. Since the actors are best friends, so are the characters, even though that makes little sense with their personalities. Jennyanydots, Bombalurina, Demeter, and Grizabella were in that same age range as well. It appears that nobody was anywhere between Munkustrap and Old Deuteronomy in age, for some reason. Jenny and Skimble are a couple in this version, so Skimble’s probably also in this group. They have kittens together. Electra and Rumpleteazer are among them, though nothing was said about Mungojerrie. The merge with Coricopat and Tantomile in the US Tour implies that they’re twins in that version. In the Broadway Revival and the tour based on it, they’re apparently unrelated.

Grizabella ended up with a far more detailed backstory, all made up by the cast. She’s Jellylorum’s sister and she stole a man away from her and Jelly never loved again. None of the kittens are Jelly’s, though she’s sort of the nanny to all of them. Griz also had some sort of affair with Tugger and broke his heart, which is why he doesn’t do commitment. Then, Griz ran off with Macavity, got dumped for Bombalurina, and then she got dumped for Demeter who decided that Macavity was bad news pretty early on and ditched him. The relationship was abusive, but no one mentioned a kidnapping. After leaving Macavity, Griz was no longer welcome in the tribe, even though Bomba and Demeter were because Reasons. Forgetting that these characters are not human, she then got addicted to drugs, was driven to prostitution to support her drug habit, had a bunch of kids, and then left those kids to be raised by Jenny, who resents her for it. Nobody says which kittens are Grizabella’s. Portions of this backstory were used in the 2019 movie.

Also, I can say that some of the characterization issues with Tugger were, in fact, a direct result of the choreography changes. Tyler Hanes wanted to play up the sexuality of the character in a way that the new choreography didn’t allow. If Gillian Lynne’s choreography had been used for the number, Tugger’s characterization probably would’ve turned out very different, but the changes meant that what Hanes knew about the character, and how the audience perceived the character, were altered by the new choreography putting emphasis on vanity instead of sexuality.

So, that’s the story so far. Compared to at least one early production, the Broadway Revival was rushed and poorly thought out. The actors were given little information and left to fend for themselves, and they prioritized their bonds with their irl friends over what made sense for their characters. Interviews of cast members from both the revival and the following tour reference Andy Blankenbuehler as the one who had all the information, who the cast looked to for instructions. But, he had no idea what he was doing and couldn’t really help them.

Most of the problems can be traced to Blankenbuehler not knowing what he was doing and never really figuring it out. Though, some blame has to be placed on the cast who, left to their own devices, had a lot of bad ideas. Hanes and Ford in particular, though it was good that someone was trying to take charge, created a bit of a mess. None of Jellylorum’s character resembles any other Jellylorum characterization I’ve ever seen, and it doesn’t even come across clearly on stage. The young cast all seemed to struggle with the idea of playing older characters and nobody told them that they couldn’t age them down. The generation gap between Tugger and Jenny and Jelly is character information that’s now completely lost on the audience. You need older characters disapproving of Tugger to show that he’s a controversial figure to the tribe, not just an annoyance to Munkustrap.

But, some of the worst characterization problems were not entirely the fault of the cast. As I mentioned before, Tugger’s characterization was changed by the choreography. Grizabella had already been aged down by her redesign. Since Demeter’s kidnapping backstory wasn’t explained, this affected how Demeter was portrayed. Her sympathy for Grizabella came from having been on that side of town as Macavity’s prisoner and seeing the condition she was in. Without that backstory, Kim Faure may have not known that Demeter was supposed to have sympathy for Grizabella and interpreted her part differently. This was the result of unclear direction.

What We’ve Learned Today:

1. In the 1980s, Mistoffelees was, in fact, played as older than Jacob Brent played him in the VHS.

2. Munkustrap and Tugger (and not Mistoffelees) have pretty much always been the sons of Old Deuteronomy.

3. The backstory Jacob Brent gave for Demeter was the standard backstory for the character well before the VHS was filmed.

4. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were considered twins in the 1980s and most likely continued to be seen as such until the revival era, though I haven’t exactly checked in with every single production.

5. The Broadway Revival was a behind the scenes and nightmare and it’s mostly Blankenbuehler’s fault.

6. Gillian Lynne wrote Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote a concept album.

7. There are no middle-aged cats in the 2016 revival. I think Sara Jean Ford started it.

8. The idea that Grizabella’s backstory involved Macavity started with the 2016 cast improvising.

9. Kim Faure’s Demeter was most likely OOC due to a removal or lack of explanation of backstory.

10. Sometimes it’s okay to do things the same way they’ve been done before.

[theimpossiblescheme]

I’m listening to some episodes of the “Wrong Cat Died” podcast where they brought in members of the 2016 revival cast, and Christopher Gurr really came right out and said--speaking as Gus--that if Grizabella hadn’t been there that night, he would have put in a vote for Jellylorum as the Jellicle Choice...

[isolationstreet]

[ange-de-la-musique]

Some Christine actresses who have been in Cats.

[fictiongeek]

ma’am.........ilu........

[white-cat-of-doom]

Something a bit newer in my CATS programme and souvenir brochure library, all part of my larger CATS merchandise and related items collection, is this CATS Broadway Revival 2016 souvenir brochure, dated to the middle of March 2017, just before Georgina Pazcoguin, who played Victoria, left the company.

This is the largest souvenir brochure I own size wise, and it has some fantastic photographs of the cast and specific Cats or songs. My favourite one is the 'Gumbie Cat' photograph. Eloise has the perfect look of a cat who sits around all day.

This brochure goes well with the other items I own from the 2016 Revival, like the signed jazz shoes or the signed cats windowcard, and I am glad that I own it.

[statisticalcats2]

Statcat's official list of favorite Cats performers

(I'm horrible with specific ranking so performers are listed in alphabetical order gfiuedw)

Alonzo: Jason Gardiner, Matt Huet

Bombalurina: Erica Lee Cianiculli, Rosemarie Ford, Chelsea Nicole Mitchell, Christine Cornish Smith

Cassandra: Lexy Bittner, Emily Pynenburg, Mette Towley

Demeter: Nora DeGreen, Kim Faure, Juliann Kuchocki, Aeva May, Madison Mitchell, Cornelia Waibel

Electra: Lili Froehlich

Grizabella: Tayler Harris, Jennifer Hudson, Elaine Paige, Mamie Parris

Gus: Christopher Gurr, John Mills, Tony Mowatt

Jellylorum: Sara Jean Ford, Kayli Jamison

Jemima/Sillabub: Arianna Rosario, Ahren Victory

Jennyanydots: Eloise Kropp, Susie McKenna, Emily Jeanne Phillips

Macavity: Daniel Gaymon

Mistoffelees: Jacob Brent, Tion Gaston

Mungojerrie: Danny Collins, Max Craven, John Thornton, Drew Varley

Munkustrap: Robbie Fairchild, Michael Gruber, Matthew Pike, Kade Wright

Old Deuteronomy: Ken Page

Plato: Daniel Gaymon, Tyler John Logan

Rum Tum Tugger: Jason Derulo, John Partridge, Hank Santos, Siegmar Tonk

Rumpleteazer: Jo Gibb, Shonica Gooden, Bonnie Langford, Taryn Smithson

Skimbleshanks: Jeremy Davis, Geoffrey Garratt, Steven McRae, Christopher Salvaggio

Tumblebrutus: Daymon Montaigne-Jones, Devin Neilson

Victoria: Phyllida Crowley Smith, Francesca Hayward, Yuka Notsuka, Georgina Pazcoguin

[practical-busy-cheery]

Anissa Hartline, US Tour 5

Sarah Jane Tanner, CATS 1998

Maria Failla, US Tour 6 (cover)

Sara Jean Ford, Broadway Revival 2016

Madison Mitchell, La Mirada 2014

Olivia Bucio, Mexico City 2013

Barbara Obermeier, Vienna Revival 2019

💛Jellylorum Appreciation Post💛

[jellicle-home-for-jellicle-ships]

Some Broadway revival Jennylorum! Sara Jean Ford as Jellylorum and Jonalyn Saxer as Jennyanydots.

[theimpossiblescheme]

Here’s an important thing about “Gus The Theatre Cat”: Gus does not start. Jellylorum does. Jellylorum. Sara Ford. She holds my heart. Instantly. I just teared up typing that sentence and I’ve only known her for three weeks and we’ve sung the song once. I think it’s going to be ok.

Christopher Gurr,  “Another Cat's Diary : Chapter Seven : From Griz To Gus”

[junkyard-gifs]

Broadway revival: Georgina Pazcoguin as Victoria, Daniel Gaymon as Plato, Ahmad Simmons as Alonzo, Eloise Kropp as Jennyanydots, Sara Jean Ford as Jellylorum, Arianna Rosario as Sillabub, and Lili Froehlich as Electra.

“ If you touch me you’ll understand what H A P P I N E S S is.”