#Young Grizabella

[emimii]

family things idk what to call this

[storyweaverofgondor]

@uppastthejelliclemoon i had forgotten this! This original Griz design is still so pretty!

I can smile at the old days. I was beautiful then.

I am VERY PROUD of this one! A young Grizabella just relaxing on a box in the light of the Jellicle Moon. She is so lovely and i loved doing her!

Thank you, @uppastthejelliclemoon​ for helping me decide on a color scheme! :)

[cillyscribbles]

young deuteronomy and young grizabella

naturally :3 thanks for writing in!

there must've been a first dance right? there must've been a first dance!

[per-the-jellicle-magician]

I'm using human ages in () as a reference point/general age brackets

[elita-prime1]

Unpopular cats Grizabella headcanon/opinion: ngl i feel like "Sexy griz" or current griz design kinda feels like its what grizabella looked like during her days when she left the junkyard before time went on when she came back now older to the junkyard during the events of the musical but she's now in her "old griz" design.

[jelliclekay]

I think my issue with the revival Griz design is that it really only works on performers who are already older.

This is Rachelle Rak. She was 17 years old and in high school when she was cast as a swing in US Tour 3 and covered Bomb, Demeter, Sillabub, and Griz.

Casting young performers as Griz isn't new. They've been doing it for decades. But idk at least the makeup helped in making them look old, especially from a stage.

[sunny-d-dandelion]

Grizabella 🐈‍⬛✨

Click for better quality ❤️

[rice-pudding-slaps]

I know that Jemima doesn't have a song and only sings parts of the Older Cats songs because it's supposed to mean echoing through generations and the youngest cat learning from the oldests but MAN do I want her to have a full song

[millenari]

i think CONSTANTLY abt how grizabella's story (worked by Trevor Nunn, a man™) revolves around the idea of this old woman who sees no value in her life now that she's no longer beautiful ('I can smile at the old days/I was beautiful then') that SPECIFICALLY uses imagery of prostitution (from the TS Elliot poem, written by another man™) to get its point across that she is 'sullied'.

But then VICTORIA'S story (worked by Gillian Lynne) revolves rather specifically around the idea of a young innocent girl coming of age, having a sexual experience, and NOT being 'sullied' or 'tarnished' by it. She enjoys it. It changes nothing about her. She's still young and beautiful and innocent in the aftermath, because of course she is, sex doesn't take these things from you. It feels almost like a deliberate counter to the slut-shamey elements of Griz's story.

[real-reulbbr-band]

Translating all the CATS Asia tour (2017) character descriptions!

Admetus, the Considerate cat is a kind cat who protects kittens. He is a thoughtful and easygoing cat.

Alonzo, the righteous cat. A proud and masculine cat. On the outside, he is lively and dynamic, but deep down, he is still uncertain about himself.

Bill Bailey the acrobatic cat is an adolescent cat who specializes in fluid dance moves and acrobatics, and is tough and confident.

Bombalurina, the sensual cat; she is extremely sensual and sexy, especially popular among the male cats. She shares a special bond of empathy with Demeter.

Bustopher Jones, the rich cat is not a Jellicle cat, but he is an aristocratic cat who is welcomed by all, enjoys golfing in his spare time and loves a big feast of delicious food.

Carbucketty, the reckless cat is a feisty cat that often gets into trouble.

Cassandra the Siamese Cat, she has a four-dimensional spiritual world with a mysterious beauty. As the only hairless Siamese cat, she is always confident and maintains an air of elegance and pride.

(4D is Korean slang for someone who has a weird, eccentric personality. They seem to live in their own strange world, often behaving unusually or unexpectedly. Though it may seem like an insult, calling someone 4D is actually considered a compliment, and 4D idols are loved for their weirdness.) 

Demeter, a sensitive cat, she is anxious and irritable about Macavity, always thinking that Macavity is nearby.

Electra, a busy cat, likes to intervene here and there, so she is always busy and distracted. She is an adorable, fluffy young kitten.

George, a braggart cat. is a spontaneous, stubborn and dignified cat always on the alert.

Tantomile & Coricopat, the twin cats. As feral cats they are wild, have excellent cognitive abilities, and have a sixth sense that other cats do not have.

Grizabella, the Mesmerizing cat, was once a beautiful cat and a member of the Jellicles, but she has gone to the world outside of the Jellicles and has gone through a painful and difficult time, and now she is old and shabby. She wants to come back, but is ostracized.

Gus, the theater cat. The second oldest cat after the prophet cat. He was a famous actor in his younger days, but now suffers from palsy.

Jemima, the curious cat, best friends with Victoria. She is a curious, intelligent, and innocent kitten.

Jennyanydots, the Gumbie cat; She always sits around during the day, seeming lazy, but at night she is busy educating the kittens. She is like a mother to the Jellicle cats.

Jellylorum, the kind cat; she always takes care of old Gus and looks after the young kittens. She is a warm-hearted cat.

Macavity, the villainous cat. The mafia of the cats; he is the center of evil, notorious for committing crimes and kidnapping other cats.

Mr. Mistoffelees, the magician cat; he can make objects disappear and reappear. He can perform various kinds of magic and is very competitive.

Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer, the thief cat couple; a playful and resourceful burglar cat couple who are always together and get into trouble, but are also fun and lively.

Munkustrap, the Moderator cat. He protects and cares for the Jellicle members. He has a noble, royal-like dignity and serves as the guardian of all the cats.

Old Deuteronomy, the prophet cat. The leader and ancestor of the Jellicle cats. Wise and knowledgeable, he is respected by all. At the Jellicle ball, he chooses one cat to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and begin a new 'Jellicle' life.

Rum Tum Tugger, the rebellious cat. The most popular Jellicle cat. He has strong opinions and likes to be the center of attention. Like the tree-frog, he's opposed to everything, but his presence alone is very charismatic.

(“청개구리” is an idiomatic term which refers to the Korean folktale story of tree-frog / blue frog. In the story, the young frog causes trouble for his mother by always doing the opposite of what he’s told. If you ask him for sugar he’ll give you salt, if you tell him to quiet down for bed, he’ll make a fuss etc.)

Skimbleshanks, the railway cat. A conductor who lives at the train station. He is an organized cat responsible for everything related to the trains.

Victoria, the white cat. The purest and most innocent cat. She performs an enchanting dance for the first time at the Jellicle Ball.

[gregrulzok]

Got really high last night and started conceptualising my masterpiece: The "Can You Smoke With This Jellicle" Tier List.

Explanations under the cut:

Old Deuteronomy: Absolutely the perfect choice for your blunt rotation. This man knows how to party and no one can tell me otherwise - but he'll also take good care of you and make sure you feel safe and comfy. He'll talk your ear off or listen to you, or let you sit in silence if you prefer. 10/10

Rum Tum Tugger: Very chill, very fun, very funny. Keeps things light hearted and doesn't lose his cool. The only possible issue is that there will 100% be sexual tension (not that that's necessarily a bad thing). 9.5/10

.

Electra and Etcetera: My crazy girls. They'll be loud and bouncy and fun, so you have to be ready for the energy, but they're hilarious. 9/10

Bombalurina: She's already the queen of gossip, with 0 inhibitions you can bet on her shit talking everyone she knows in the most entertaining way possible. Also, doesn't freak out and doesn't do anything that'd freak others out. 9/10

Bustopher Jones: Tells you absolutely insane stories in the most light-hearted and matter-of-fact way possible. 9/10

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer: Just like Electra and Etcetera, these bastards are really fun to smoke with... But it's not beyond them to pull pranks and try and freak you out a bit, so it's better to be careful. 8/10

Skimbleshanks: Fine about 90% of the time, with a small chance of him getting wound up about something small and getting really fidgety and uncomfortable. 8/10

Jennyanydots: An absolute sweetheart and will take care of you, but it's hard to feel totally at ease with such a mother-figure because she still has to make sure everyone is behaving themselves. 8/10

.

Mr. Mistoffelees: Total show-off, will try to put on a performance. Not a bad thing, but seeing his magic tricks while high might really mess with you, and he's not the best at calming people down or comforting them. 7.5/10

Jemima: A sweetie, gets really spacey and zoned out. Really really cute, until she suddenly says some weird outta pocket cursed shit and then acts like it never happened. 7.5/10

Tantomile and Coricopat: Same as gemima, except they aren't sweet and they do it on purpose. Good if you want a prophecy or two. 7/10

Victoria: Really quiet and spaced out. She's very cuddly though, but otherwise not much fun. 7/10

.

Grizabella: Young Grizabella is definitely in hell yeah, but nowadays she's a lot more mellow. She doesn't do anything bad, but she isn't fun either. 7/10

Alonzo: Fun, but a smart-ass. You'll ask a jokey question and he'll spend an hour actually explaining it to you. He can be... A lot. 7/10

Asparagus: Tends to say really out of pocket shit for no reason, can make you really insecure. He doesn't mean harm but it's not pleasant. 6/10

Exotica: Does entirely her own thing, barely interacts with you. 5/10

Munkustrap: Still tries to be a perfectionist. It's a little funny, but mostly irritating. Tries to take care of you if you aren't feeling well and fails miserably because his coordination is shot. Poor baby. 5/10

.

Demeter: Can NOT smoke without freaking out immediately. 4/10

The Great Rumpus Cat: Won't smoke.

Gus: Gets anxious and sad, now you have to take care of him. 3/10

Cassandra: Same as Asparagus, but she does it on purpose. 3/10

Jellylorum: Same as Munkustrap, but she does it on purpose. 3/10

Pouncival and Tumblebrutus: Will do their utmost to freak you out and make you feel like shit for fun. Show you scary shit and then pretend like you're freaking out over nothing. Make you feel like you're hallucinating. Gaslighting pros. Do not.

.

Macavity: Will slip you fent.

[mochatears]

Hello again! Back at it with the Oslo 85 prod! It’s my new hobby (oh no)!

So the cats from the 85 production I can’t confirm pictures for are George/Rumpus Cat, Coricopat, Tantomile, Quaxo, Carbucketty, as well as the three swing cats Godnattakatt, Potefar, and Kvesesta. I also don’t know what Victor or Plato look like, as the only pictures I have for them are of Bustopher and Macavity.

A second run of this production followed in 86, in which a majority of the cast reprised their roles, but there were some cast changes.

Based on these available images of this run of the production, it seems as though returning cast members (Jenny, Electra) wore relatively the same makeup/wig, while new cast had some changes (Jemima, Alonzo (although I’m tempted to say, in Alonzo’s case, it is not at all helped by the fact they had no idea how to shoot Calvin Ray Stiggers). With that being said, I think that these pictures of George, Quaxo, and Coricopat from 86 are probably mostly accurate to 85 as well.

On a final note, the 86 production may have featured the new addition of an ensemble character linked to Young Grizabella called MjauMjau (if you were unaware, the Oslo 85 prod is one of the ones that featured a younger version of Grizabella singing Memory alongside her, rather than Jemima; not to be confused with BabyGriz).

Disclaimer: I have no first hand sources for these character portraits, so it is possible that there maybe a mislabel somewhere here as a result of this decades long game of telephone.

If anyone wants to look at grainy group shots with me to see if we can spot the last few of these kitties, I’ll love you forever! Cos I think, even outside of my desire to know all the swing cats, having an incomplete list sitting here might actually drive me insane!!! ^w^

[just-before-dawn]

OKAY SO CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL!!

i watched it with my cousin and like i said in a previous post, it was so fucking amazing.

basically, its a ballroom competition where each cat is basically competing (through their character songs) to receive a trophy. then at the end, old deut chooses the one "cat" who will become the jellicle choice and ascend to become "reborn"

a side note, don't watch it with young kids LOL. some adult innuendos here and there especially with jenny's song (and of course tugger) haha, but very good!

okay let's begin (AND YES SPOILERS):

overture

i almost bawled my eyes out during this. the overture never fails to make me cry. its such an ethereal feeling.

pre playing overture - the dj comes out first and pulls out a couple vinyl, representing influential poc icons and then pulls out cats. he opens it and glitter sparks out. he then walks up to his turntable and starts the overture. in the front theres a projection of the cat eyes which has victoria's original white cat choreography dancing! then it turns into a silhouette of cassandra who starts doing vogue ballroom moves! so cool!

jellicle songs for jellicle cats

characters appear from all aspects of the theater. this show is hella interactive. they only had a few of the cats cast but it was still so very good. all of the outfits are so gorgeous. i honestly dont remember much bc i was so infatuated and i think i blacked out while watching. the part where they all gathered in the middle of the runway and did their catwalk was so fucking hype

naming of cats

macavity stared dead at me when doing the "theres a man over there!" but the cast disperses out the runway on the sides and munkustrap is the one mainly saying the poem like an mc (thats basically his role) from a microphone attached to a mic stand. the rest of the cast is also speaking with him and the spotlight flashes to the certain "cat" if they say their name

victoria the white cat

GIRLY POP WAS SO FUCKING GORGEOUS WITH HER MOVES I WAS IN FUCKING AWE SHE WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HER MOVES WERE SO AHHHHHH like i cant even describe it i dont even think i blinked once for real!!! her hair was gorgeous, outfit slayed, and HSIXKDKDKDK HER DANCING HER DANCING!!! AHHHHH

invitation

again, introducing munkustrap as the master of ceremonies. misto sang his usual thing (my god his hair was so long like SILK gorgeous long so smooth). munkustrap introduced it like a show. but it was so funny because they put it like "jellicle cats COME OUT tonight!" as in like actual queer coming out, they all carried signs and hung it up for everyone to see.

gumbie cat

off the BAT she is like...humping cassandra (who doubles as skimbleshanks) and theres a lot of sexual innuendos going on here and there LOL. she was so funny to watch tho and this was like the first part of the competition where it was "virgin vogue" first. i honestly forgot what was happening because SO MUCH was happening. but basically three cats were dancing and showing off their move, one cat won the trophy (it was cass) they all had a rainbow pride aspect to their outfit. i think jenny also won a trophy? i forgot.

tugger

dude was holding a fucking MCDONALDS HAPPY MEAL (i cant remember if it was right before his song or during his other songs). but jellylorum was holding a tugger fansign the entire time as he sang. his voice was UGH SO GOOD and my fucking god my cousin and i were flabbergasted over his moves like BRO we were gushing for realll. misto the entire time was just hovering around the runway as tugger was doing his usual flirting thing. of course dude attempted to strip. he won a trophy. but the last part (yknow the last part), he stood on the table (misto was mocking him as he did his riffs), sillabub was the one squealing and fainting. but mans is gorgeous. i forgot what his ballroom theme was tho. it definitely involved the guys like walking down the runway in different outfits trying to get his approval.

grizabella

ugh demeter's vocals were so gorgeous. but i looove the way grizabella's story was integrated with this show. she's washed out and wants to return, she wants to perform again. and sillabub had so much importance to grizabella's story. she was always the one reaching out to her while everyone looked away. her vocals were also gorgeous

bustopher jones

NONBINARY BUSTOPHER JONES!!! i loved how they did this number. their vocals were so powerful and their belts were so strong i was in shock??? also, the best part was the dance break when it was basically misto vs tugger (luscious body vs muscular body). bro...cheeks were OUT. literally tugger was only in like underwear spandex just flexing muscles, my cousin and i were like "OH MY GOD" and misto on the other hand was so fucking gorgeous oh my lord???? the hair and the sparkly outfit and the poses??? dude power couple FOR REAL!!

first macavity scare

demeter was like "macavity?? 🤨🤨🤨" her character is very different from normal productions but it was hilarious.

mungojerrie and rumpleteazer

I LOVED THEIR FUCKING JERSEY ACCENTS. IM FROM JERSEY AND IT WAS GREAT. even in the playbill, it said they came from victoria grove, new jersey I WAS AGHAST LMAOOO. but the theme for this one was duos! so it was mungo/rump vs victoria/tumble. their beginning outfits with matching jumpsuits was so cute and then they changed into these green fits that were so slay! they were basically going toe to toe with vic/tumble trying to outdance them. vic/tumble actually won the round but mungo/rump stole the trophy from them.

old deut

this part was hype!! munkustrap was doing his usual singing (through his handheld mic) and everyone was listening. when tugger's part came on, tugger was off the runway, so munk was crouching and putting the mic towards tugger. it was like a "your turn to sing now buddy! 😊" and tugger was like "okie :3" they both ended up on the runway and sang their duet. the cast held up "ALL RISE" signs and it was even projected on the stage, so we were all standing for old deuteronomy. he appeared from the curtain and we were all cheering for a long time until he silenced us. then he sang and held a note for like....maybe a minute long??!??? we were all cheering. he sat at his throne that was at the end of the runway. bc my cousin and i were sitting in normal orchestra seats, we couldn't see what he was doing half the time

*they removed pekes and pollicles*

jellicle ball

macavity scare again. well, actually, macavity appeared. he didn't seem to have a villain role? im honestly not sure what his role was but he seemed to be a jellicle. he also carried garbage bags (if someone could explain macavity more that would be great!!) nobody was like hiding (as in going offstage), but old deut was saying his usual thing and everyone was saying their parts of the poem. the jellicle ball was a showcase presenting different moves, it was so fun to see. for the fast part of the ball, misto made the "jellicle moon" appear (which was a disco ball!!) and the entire theater was just gorgeous. more showcase of moves! i was really jamming out during this part. grizabella was standing on the balcony area, watching.

memory

grizabella had now appeared on the ground floor, everyone went away, old deut was walking away too but stopped at the staircase to watch grizabella. sillabub also came back into view and watched her. i really did love her voice, it was gorgeous. and at the end, sillabub tried to get her back into the group by showing her a sparkling dress, but grizabella ran offstage. however, she did leave behind a scarf which now sillabub wore for the rest of the show

act 2 - moments of happiness

they brought out a screen and projected images of past history. i really loved how they did this. all the other cats were around to watch, but it was mainly all about old deut and sillabub. the older generation speaking to the new young generation. they presented the different "houses" and the last one was "grizabella of the glamour house"

gus

looooooved gus's look in this. and looooooved jelly's blue wig. gus's song was pretty much kept the same, with jellylorum singing about what he did in his past and so on and so forth. apparently they were taking out playbills from a bag and one of them was 2016 broadway revival cats (according to my cousin), but they were also flipping through a photo album. (to be honest, i was distracted by tugger and misto sitting together on the couch so close to each other) but all the cats eventually settled on the runway stage as gus performed. they had the "and once i played the rumpus cat" part (but no pekes and pollicles), so there was a cat as "gus as the rumpus cat from the past" and gus mimicking his moves. i really liked how they did this

*there was no growltiger*

skimbleshanks

FEM SKIMBLE!!!!! my cousin and i were so fucking hyped during this WE LOVE SKIMBLE IN THIS HOUSEHOLD!!! number one, the wig was fucking OH MY GOD SOOOO GORGEOUS???!??? so skimble is the train conductor of the mta! so they were mimicking being on the subway IT WAS SO FUNNY. she fr pulled out a metrocard and they played the "please stand clear of the sliding doors" announcement pfft. but the most surprising part was that she sang some of the lyrics in spanish??!??!??! TOTALLY ATE FOR REAL!!! my cousin and i were so shocked it was such a fun sight to see!!! she slayed so hard along with rumpleteazer. they were literally going toe to toe with each other dancing! (i think the theme for this was old way vs new way?) and also misto and skimble were also going toe to toe with each other ugh they were so goooood

macavity

again, i was still confused on macavity's role in this (someone please explain!!) but old deut was not taken away yet. he did however fucking flashbang a flashlight at all of us. he was taken away after the song and during the fight. but i LOVED how they did this. the theme was "labels" and UGH the demeter and bomba were such a good mix. they were basically wearing high end brands for the runway (like louis vuitton and prada), going against victoria, tumble, and mungojerrie?? i think?? macavity showed himself during the climax of the song in such a cunty outfit it was amazing. they were all showing off to old deut. mac/deme/bomba won the trophy i think, but then it was discovered that their outfits were fake? i think? i honestly dont know, but the police barged in and old deut sacrificed himself for macavity. this is when he was taken away

mistoffelees

tugger sat at the end of the runway, contemplating, thinking in distress, as everyone was trying to figure out how to save old deut. and then an idea hit him and thats when he starts the song. bro i was literally shaking in my seat. tugger was trying to hype everyone up for misto, but they were all like "you're crazy bro" however when misto showed up in that GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL EXTRAVAGANT SPARKLY OUTFIT AND CROWN bro we were all so shook OH MY GOD its the magical mister mistoffelees. the theme was runway! so people were walking down the runway like a fashion show and misto was taking an aspect of their outfit away from them (this is also when misto basically rips off tugger's underwear HAHA). misto also fucking SNATCHED demeter's wig it was so funny (this was all during his "dance break") but yes of course, misto did dance and UGH IT WAS SOO GOOD I LITERALLY COULD NOT STOP CHEERING. a covered box was taken out as misto kept doing some more moves and posing, then removed the blanket to reveal old deut! (posing some more, literally ate and left no crumbs) everyone cheered as misto continued to dance, doing another version of the conjuring turns. old deut returned to his chair and everyone was encouraged to sing along! we were all standing and cheering! and YEP at the end! as tugger is giving misto the trophy, THEY FUCKING KISSED. TUGGOFFELEES SO REAL. THEY KISSED GUYS.

memory reprise

grizabella comes out again from the curtain, this time in full glam and the dress that sillabub offered, trying to make her case and perform again. the duet between sillabub and grizabella was so gorgeous oh my god. i was in awe at their voices. i really do love how they interpreted their relationship. it made so much sense. sillabub is basically a big fan of griz and wishes to see her perform again, but griz cant, so sillabub encourages her. at the end, old deut chooses griz as the jellicle choice

heavyside layer

one by one, everyone is accepting griz, giving her hugs. old deuteronomy makes a staircase appear and that is how griz ascends. the harmonies were so beautiful.

addressing of cats

old deut is singing to the audience. the cats are posing. they form the catwalk formation and drinks are being passed out as they sing. again, gorgeous voices

bows

we managed to record some of the bows! but im screaming and crying during most of it. munkustrap introduced the cats individually and they did their own stuff down the runway (including the conductor!) it was like a whole ass party. i was so lightheaded and full of adrenaline when the show ended. literally shaking.

and thats my rundown. i for sure forgot some things but ugh i really wanna go see it again. if i do, i can do a better explanation LOL. but yeah, please go see it if you can. its going on until august 11. and feel free to add stuff too! this is just what i saw.

each character was done so well and everyone ate so hard. i fucking love cats. okay good night it is 2am.

[cillyscribbles]

i promised cats metaposting 2 bagpipe boogaloo and i am a bitch of my word here we go

cats 1998: the rum tum tugger + these hands are rated G for grizabella

(theory wank under cut call that catracter development)

(theory wank about munkustrap & grizabella here for those uninitiated)

RIGHT SO unfortunately this one is no longer semi-coherent overanalysis of microexpression but a full descent into conspiratorial madness, so please remain aware of the fact that this is a tangent missing textual support at the best of times. it's entirely possible and even likely that rum tum tugger is genuinely just a bitch to grizabella because that's who he is as a person and doesn't like what she smells like or something idfk. anyway.

welcome to my red string board of why rum tum tugger actually doesn't dislike her for no reason and totally has depth and yeah we're poor little meow meowing a white boy with more hubris than eyeliner, classic essay genre on tumblr, at least he's a catboy this time and the hubris-eyeliner ratio is actually a close call.

anyway, for any of my theorizing to make sense, here are the two headcanons it's all based on:

grizabella is an (ex-)wife of old deuteronomy and the mother of rum tum tugger (and munkustrap if you're so inclined)

grizabella left the jellicle cats at some point when rum tum tugger was a kitten or otherwise a very young cat

and honestly the rest just flows from the mommy issues to be honest. there's a load of alternate explanations and theories and headcanons and mine's by no means the right one necessarily, but i do have to admit the family angst it allows for is balls to the walls insane because it just. it fits what we see on screen so well!

look at this clown i love him. he ONLY does the puff-up at grizabella. and even though that supports my theorizing it's also honestly a bit of a loss i think. it's such an evocative cat-thing. i want him to do that when something jumpscares him lmao. i NEED him to do that at old deuteronomy jokingly and get cuffed on the back of the head by munkustrap for being a professional youngest child. anyway

don't get me wrong, the fact that tugger has a grudge against grizabella isn't anything special, most older cats do; hell, some of them deliberately walk past her Judgementally (bombalurina, notably) or shake their head at her in disapproval (jennyanydots), but it's so pointedly constant and so pointedly Pointed with tugger that it draws my eye. every time she appears, he has to clearly and explicitly broadcast his displeasure with the fact that she's daring to breathe at them.

like, she's not In His Way or anything here. he doesn't have to walk past her if he doesn't want to. he doesn't have to look at her; plenty of other cats pretend she doesn't exist when she looks at them. but not only does he do all those things, he explicitly looks at her and puffs his coat up again. he's walking at a fairly brisk pace toward her and actually slows down to do it. it's such a deliberately mean thing to do it's stuck between really extra and really petty. exactly the same with the jellicle choice scene.

my man's being so petty this should be constituted as bullying lmao. look at that! nobody likes you still! sucks to be you i guess! like. this man would be pouncival doing the fake pranks and scratching her if he was a kitten. he's just, constantly upping his level of mean to her. in the first scene he at least has the decency to walk out in the opposite direction of her.

a really professional youngest child. again, all that ^ is fairly grounded thought on character performance i think if you don't really connect it to anything, but i'm connecting it to abandonment issues for maximum ouch lmao.

so, bear with me for a moment: for whatever reason, grizabella leaves the jellicles, including her husband and kid(s). (if you're a fan of the theory about macavity being the third brother to munkustrap and tugger, i mean, she might've just left with him because he was her kid. i dunno.) and you're tugger. Baby tugger, even. you don't understand why she'd leave you. was it you? were you too much? were you not enough? of course not, but you're a little cat with a lot of pride and all the makings of a Petty Little Bastard in you, so you say fuck all that. i'm not too much; i'm actually more than enough. i'm the best! and i'll make damn sure you never forget it!

i feel like if you include munkustrap in that too it gets to be a really interesting dynamic. tugger's mean and angry and going out of his way to show it, and munkustrap is just kind of. "can we not do this" about it. really seems like he'd rather be somewhere else, but, i mean, welcome to The Unpleasant Shit being his job. professional eldest sibling.

she approaches him and he actively goes absolutely not oh look at that what a nice corner i'll just go stand over there. meanwhile tugger's determined to be all OH! OH LOOK WHO'S HERE!!!! WELCOME HOME CHEATER!!!!!! about it. like i already made a post about this so i won't get into it again but i really don't think munkustrap is all that mad at her, which gives tugger's attitude some nice contrast.

continuing with dynamics for a moment, i feel like tugger either has real Attuned Parental Figure Senses or is surprisingly perceptive for his character? this isn't necessarily connected with the point before, but i mean, he stops his whole entire number MID-DANCE MOVE to point out grizabella. he does do it with great flow though you must admit.

he loves attention!! that's established!! whether or not he's up for it at All Times we can have a discussion about (he really just dips out after his number to recharge for a good while lol) but he's here having the time of his life, BOOM one whiff of grizz and he's tearing down the party decorations, that's it, everyone go home.

i'd attribute it to him just Really Having That Big of a grudge if he didn't also kinda sorta activate his Deuteronomy Detect power during the lad's arrival LMAO.

look at that! he beats munkustrap to it! admittedly i can't see the rest of the stage so it might be that all the other cats already saw it and he's just pointing old deuteronomy out to munkustrap as the latter's too busy looking the other way. but it's still a funky way to get in character traits besides Mean & A Whore!

ok and another notable thing, and to me something really interesting, it that tugger never does end up touching grizabella, even though he has the choice to.

after she's first accepted back via touch from victoria, the cats sort of line up to show their affections too. it's a really nice scene in my opinion, you get the sense that all those cats really are happy to be able to take back an old friend and i'm all for it. but the cherry is that tugger is being Really Interestingly Acted here - he leads cassandra closer so she can reach out to grizabella, but tugger himself stays behind with this sort of blank expression over him. even those cats i mentioned before - jennyanydots and bombalurina - get the moment to hold grizabella's hands and smile and encourage her on. tugger doesn't do that.

grizabella doesn't touch every cat, granted, but even those she doesn't touch are reaching out to her, which is pretty much as good as. they all do enough of that sort of implied gesture throughout the musical that it shows it's affection and acceptance all the same whether or not physical contact is made, like for example old deuteronomy's greeting and the moments before the jellicle choice; the first one's posed similarly to grizabella's return, everyone's trying to touch old deuteronomy, but they're perfectly fine with sort of just reaching out and being reached out to (note mr mistoffelees and bombalurina). in the second one it's even sillier because both munkustrap and old deuteronomy could clear the like 10cm of distance between them, but the reaching and willingness is more than enough for that mutual understanding to come between them. basically intent > result (side note: this is not a good rule for life outside of the cats musical).

tugger doesn't reach out. doesn't try to get any closer than he already got and stays in the shadow behind the rest, just watching her go for a bit before he dips again.

with the way he's squashed behind asparagus jr here i can't tell if he's bowing or nodding or what, but i think it'd be really funny if he was just trying to make himself shrink a little. like hanging his head nope i'm not here don't look at me goodbye. so completely contradictory to his usual vibe it's hilarious.

it is interesting to think about though, in my opinion, that he spends pretty much the rest of the musical in the shadow and separated from the other celebrating cats. he climbs up onto the chest and stays on that platform for the rest of the show while the other cats are being directed by munkustrap to follow and then surround old deuteronomy.

it's interesting - he may be positioned above the other cats physically, but it makes him feel sort of separated if you know what i mean. there's usually this pretty clear separation between munkustrap and the other cats when they're on screen, they might crouch when he stands and reach out to him when he's talking, but this time munkustrap is just down there calling upon the vibes with the other cats, and only makes his way up to old deuteronomy's right after grizabella's gone and it's time for the closing number. rum tum tugger straight up bounces as they're going to the russel hotel LMAO.

he does hype her up as she's going up, which is also really cute. he's off to the side so the other cats aren't really looking at him, but even as old deuteronomy shows her the rest of them, grizabella's eyes linger on tugger's wee rockstar schtick and it just kind of melts me.

anyway. man may be conflicted but he's happy mum gets a retry whether anyone likes it or not. and i think that's nice. :)

[margo-mania]

"Just like that old Glamour Cat"

rambling under the cut

hi!! so this is my first like..lore piece thing for razzle and i might be cringe but fuck it i'm gonna do what i want/lh XD

so a few things first

grizabella is/was a persian. fight me (dont really) but i always see persians as glamourous cats so my brain has decided.

this is young griz

i really like the idea that when cats go to the heavyside layer they are reincarnated

so my idea is that razzle is grizabella reincarnated (though he doesnt remember anything about his past life) so he gets an odd feeling whenever She's brought up

he's been told a lot about her and is terrified of ending up like her (and repeating past mistakes without realising/knowing)

Deuteronomy knows (bc he knows everything lets be honest) and keeps an eye on him (also deut knows he's magic)

[munkustance]

Hmmmm what did Macavity do to get banished/ leave the jellicles in ur hc?

Oooh this is a good one. Well I have two versions that I think of regularly but I'll just talk about the one I have a full on story for.

...yeah so I might have gotten a bit carried away... whoops. So let me just, tldr: big ego not good.

Ehem, hope you'll enjoy 😅

Ever since he was born Macavity was told that he was special, more special than any other cat. Because he had magic, something the Jellicle tribe had been lacking the last few years since the last magical cat became the Jellicle choice.

His mother Grizabella was the most proud out of everyone. She showered her son with praises day in and day out, overcome with the sensation of her son being special. His father, Old Deuteronomy, was just like his mate in the begining. But rather than praising his son Deut choose to train him, train him to use his power for good, to help the tribe and other cats around him. And Macavity did, earning even more praises from the others. Nobody being any wiser about effecting the ginger cat's ego. Well, old Deut was starting to have his concerns. And they grew more and more when Grizabella had their second son Munkustrap.

Macavity hated his brother even before he was born, constantly thinking how the unborn kit would take his place, take his attention, take his spotlight. His grin had never been wider when Munkustrap was born with not a singel speck of magic inside of him. Not soon after the kit craze dulled down the attention returned to Macavity, and he loved it. And so did Grizabella, she never stopped showering Macavity with praise. After all, he was growing into a young powerful tom.

But once again Old Deut saw the same thing, only differently. The constant praise was making his son into something Deut feared, a powerful powerhungry magical cat. He tried to talk with Grizabella about it but she refused to listen. Why don't you focus on the other one and I'll focus on Mac, she had said, cold in the tone but meaning every word. The other one soon became the other two.

Tugger, or The Rum Tum Tugger as he prefered to be called, was born. This time Macavity hadn't been worried at all. Munku didn't have magic in him so this one wouldn't either. Because they weren't special, he was. As the months passed Macavity realised something, the difference between his two brothers, the difference in opinion on him. Macavity had hated Munkustrap from the start so their relationship had always been the one most thin, the one most likely to snap in two. But Tugger, he liked Mac, because he was special.

Macavity started enjoying his younger brother too, or rather, started enjoying how desperate Tugger was to make Macavity like him. He could flick Tugger's ear and he would pretend it didn't hurt. He could slap Tugger a bit to hard on his arm and Tugger would try to hide himself rubbing his paw against the same spot. He could punch Tugger in the stomach and he would try to hide his tears. He could just a flick of his magic to light a bit of his fur on fire and Tugger would try his best not to gasp. He could practise his powers on Tugger and he would try but fail not to scream in pain.

It was one long winter night where a silent scream rang through Munkustrap's ears. He hated how fast he knew who it belonged to. He ran to his mother and woke her up. I don't care, she had said, let him practise it will be fine. She wouldn't even let him tell her who rather than what he was practising on. With the dismissive tone from Grizabella, Munkustrap once again ran. He tried listening to the scream again only to realise it had gone quiet. So he ran, searching every corner of the junkyard before he finally heard the tiniest sound of somebody sobbing. And he found them. He found Macavity flicking peppels at a shaking fluff of fur on the muddy ground.

Munkustrap screamed horror, said scream echoing throughout the otherwise quiet junkyard. For the final time he ran, he ran straight over to, what he desided right in that moment, his only brother. Putting himself between him and the stranger infront of them. Expecting nothing other than the worst Munkustrap was shocked when he was only met by an annoyed glare from his former brother. Almost as if Munkustrap had interupted his playtime, not even as if. He had.

Jennyanydots was the first of many to arrive. Without a single word to any of them she went over to Tugger, the curled up tom still quietly sobbing. Minute by minute more cats arrived, all reacting in various degrees of horror at the scene infront of them. Not before long Jenny was able with the help of three other cats remove the two younger Deuteronomy brothers from the situation. Macavity's glare never leaving Munkustrap's view.

The adult cats started circling around Macavity as the air around them clogged their thought's with even more horror and fear. It was then that Grizabella finally appeared. She broke the circle by pushing herself through, hissing at the cats around her son. When they tried to tell her what Macavity had done she refused to listen, yelling over their voices telling them that they were just jealous over her son's powers.

The morning soon came and with it Old Deuteronomy arrived at the junkyard having spent the night together with Bustopher Jones and his sister. He had been there to help care for the two new kittens that had been born the day before. But when he had felt the air shift during the last hours of the night he quickly made his way back. The young tom Alonzo came with him after Deut had urged him to. When they arrived the air was thick. Too many cats looked his way as they stood now uncertain and unsafe around his oldest son. And he understood... the fear he'd had all these years finally showed itself in the most truest of forms.

And in that moment Old Deuteronomy banished his son, his heart only breaking when Grizabella refused to leave their son's side. Yelling at him that he was wrong, that Macavity had done nothing wrong, that the whole tribe was just wrong. She left with him, even helping him urge the young queen Demeter to come with them, despite the other cats pleads for her not to she eventually caved in and left together with them. Old Deuteronomy's heart was broken, just like his family.