#munkudots

[junkyard-gifs]

Alonzo steps up.

Samuel Buchanan as Macavity, Nora DeGreen as Demeter, Sammy Fossum as Alonzo, Kade Wright as Munkustrap, and Michelle Carter as Jenny. US tour 6, October 2022.

[jennanydots]

[jellicle-home-for-jellicle-ships]

Squad goals!

Beth Tarnow as Jennyanydots, Abbey Sierakowski as Bombalurina, Regan Featherstone as Munkustrap, and Aaron Davey as Tugger; Oasis/RCCL cast 7.

(X X)

[sevenkittensinatrenchcoat]

1998 Film Munkustrap Rewatch Part One

So, since there are a lot of screenshots to cover, I’m going to include a Read More break, like I did the last time something like this happened.

But first, here’s Munkustrap glaring at the audience in a moment of awkward silence. 

Onward! 

During the opening, Munkustrap just picks up Victoria and spins her around a bit. Actors playing Munkustrap have to be good at lifting people.

Munkustrap can roll his eyes at an upward angle. I think we now know where Misto learned his eyerolls from.

Munkustrap has to stand in the back with his dad, but he’s too short and almost completely hidden behind Bombalurina. Oops.

And another creepy eye moment. What’s with that? Are you trying to frighten the children out of the theatre?

Now, I’ve already reblogged a gif set of Munkustrap greeting various characters before the ball gets started, so I’ll just stick to a highlight reel:

From what I’ve noticed in previous watches, Electra is the kitten who cuddles up to Munkustrap the most. Here, she’s not as much “cuddling” as she is “using dad as a scratching post”.

I only realized after I posted the gif set that I had a better joke for this scene.

Original: Misto, trying to be an Adult™

Better: Misto, practicing his airs and graces

As Misto leaves, Munkustrap has a brief moment of confusion. Wasn’t he a kitten like two minutes ago? They grow up so fast!

Misto learned his eyerolls from Munkustrap and his airs and graces from Skimble, who greets Munkustrap like the prince that he sort of his. But, Munk’s a man of the people. He doesn’t really like being treated like royalty.

Here’s some Demestrap again. Due to future screenshots in this post, I would like to reaffirm that I ship Demestrap and see it “endgame”, so to speak. They’re a couple by the end of the show.

Also, the Psychic Twins look like they’re judging, and that’s not cool.

Etcetera can’t read a room and doesn’t realize that Munkustrap’s spending some time with a woman he loves who’d just escaped from being kidnapped. To be fair, it’s hard to explain that to a kitten.

Demeter and Alonzo are the only cats Munkustrap greets with nuzzles. That means they’re both Important.

When it’s time to start up The Old Gumbie Cat number, all the kittens, as well as some younger cats who aren’t kittens anymore, gather round. They are all sitting down to hear the story. Except for Misto, who thinks it’s either his turn to sing, or his turn to be sung about. In the original London production, Misto sings Munkustrap’s part here, so it’d be an easy mistake to make, I suppose.

Anyway, Munkustrap has already noticed that Misto’s not sitting down and seems to realize that Something Is About to Go Wrong.

Sure enough, Something Goes Wrong. But, notice how Munkustrap handles it. When we get to The Pekes and the Pollicles, we’ll see a lot of Munkustrap getting annoyed with everyone’s screw-ups, but throughout this number, he’s very laid-back.

As Misto tries and fails to save face, Munkustrap keeps singing and acting like nothing happened. Misto already feels bad about this mistake, so there’s no reason to get onto him for it. And, as The Center of Attention at the moment, other characters will possibly decide how to react based on his reaction. This can serve as a cue to the kittens that they should also ignore what just happened. The kittens don’t listen, but I suppose it’s the thought that counts.

He also gives Misto the job of opening the car. He both knows that Misto has magic, at least enough to do that, and that Misto really just wanted to be included and giving him some sort of job would make him feel better and distract everyone from his previous mistake.

I get the feeling that this sort of thing happens quite often.

But, enough about that. Let’s talk about the cat Munkustrap is singing about.

Munkustrap shows a lot of affection for Jenny throughout the number, an affection that she appears to return. In general, Munkustrap gets along well with the older cats, especially when compared to his brother.

And then things like this happen. 

And this too. 

We see kittens playing with the tails of older cats from time to time, but they usually tug on them or pounce on them. Munkustrap spends several seconds just stroking Jenny’s tail.

Look, I’m not saying they’re a couple, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was something between the two at some point.

Another interesting thing about the number is that when other cats mess up, Munkustrap lets Jenny handle it herself. Pouncival comes out in his beetle costume too early and Munkustrap barely reacts. He trusts Jenny to share the job of directing the kittens.

The Tugger crashes the party. Munkustrap leads Jenny away to safety. This sort of youthful debauchery could give a lady like her a heart attack.

Munkustrap spends Tugger’s number standing on the tire and just waiting for it to stop. Once his brother starts something like this, all he can do is wait it out. Still, Skimble worries a bit.

He also checks on Asparagus, possibly apologizing for his brother’s behavior. Yeah, he does this sort of thing a lot, but the older cats will never get used to it.

[1-800-crystalball]

Ship song ask: Alonjerrje (their ship name changes everytime 😤)

Otp ship ask: Jellylorum! Or Jenny :D

Alonjerrie: Sofia by Clairo (whenever I see it it’s Munglonzo xD)

JELLYLORUM

OTP: Asparalorum!!! My favourite ship!!!

BROTP: Jellyshanks (1998-verse. In 2019-verse I ship them h a r d)

NOTP: Jellylorum x any of the kits

MEHTP (A ship you don't hate but don't ship either, you just find it ok): Jellyanydots. It’s not my favourite but I don’t mind it

Rarepair: Alonzorum!! Alonzo x Jellylorum!!!

JENNYANYDOTS

OTP: Skimbledots!!

BROTP: Tuggerdots!! Jenny doesn’t mind him flirting with her, just not in front of the kits 😌

NOTP: Jennybella. I headcannon them as sisters soo...

MEHTP (A ship you don't hate but don't ship either, you just find it ok): Jennypher Shanks

Rarepair: Munkudots!!

[munkustrap-rp]

Munkustrap: That's ridiculous, Jennyanydots doesn't have a crush on me.

Tugger: Yes she does.

Bombalurina: Yes she does.

Jennyanydots: Yes I do.

[namethat-i-oughttohavetoldyou]

That was your first ask??? O: Well don't mind me breaking down the door some more!!

May I please ask for a rant on something that makes you happy? 💖 First thing that comes to mind 🌟

(sets the broken-down door aside and gives you a cup of hot chocolate) come sit with me, friend ;_; ♥♥♥

So. A thing that really makes me happy (and what I will write about some day, I think, because it's related to Cats, of course) is how the entire characterization of Munkustrap probably came to be, or at least how I like to think it did. After all, neither the casting call nor his three words say anything about the Munkustance™, and that had to come from somewhere, right? So Gillian Lynne and Trevor Nunn and whoever else was part of the creative team behind the characters went 'okay. he's tall, he's strong, he's imposing. he needs to have the longest legs ever' and honestly, they were so right. So what to do with all that leg? I unfortunately haven't seen any og footage, so I can't say when the Munkustance was first introduced or if it was there from the start (which would crack me up because I would LOVE to hear Gillian "the man was wonderful when he made love to me but i hated him" Lynne describe to the OLC Munkustrap where to put his legs exactly and what's supposed to fit between them), but it's very entertaining to imagine that at some point a Strap actor just went 'yo I have so much leg. I'm so damn imposing i need to take up more space. let me spread those legs 20 meters wide and maybe a kitten or three can sit underneath them?' and the directors just went "sure" and other London Straps, Broadway Straps and later productions' Straps went '👀 this rocks' and from then on started Munkustancing so religiously that we now have an actual word for it. Isn't that just wonderful?! Also! A thing that I think is so damn unique for a musical from the 80s is that Munkustrap is the complete opposite of the ole strong leader stereotype, and the great thing about that is that it was completely intentional. Sure, some Straps are more kitten wranglers and honourary dad cats than others, but so far I haven't seen a Strap who's been played as the same old, same old strong, independent, unemotional, callous, unfriendly leader type. Maybe they just did that so the audience could emphasize more with the Jellicles as a whole, since Munkustrap acts as the narrator and has the most lines in the show, but other than that, I think that it's a huge thing that the leader is this friendly, kitten-loving, gentle more-or-less giant of a cat who just loves his family and would die for them without thinking. There is like,,, no cat other than Macavity in the entire show that Munkustrap doesn't like, and it's mutual with all of them. :') Imagine being a little cat so full of love... (additionally, first-time cats watchers never get to know his name but he still seems to be a favourite character of a lot of them, so that says a lot, I think :’)) Three more things, then I'm done sfksjfkjsdkf Let's get to in-universe Strap, then! As already mentioned, there is no cat that he doesn't like, so in well-done productions there are usually almost no other cats that he doesn't have some kind of chemistry with. Which - you guessed it - makes him so easily shippable with almost EVERYONE. Alonzostrap? Sure. Demestrap? Hell yeah!! Demebombastrap? Yes! Demelonzobombastrap?? (Guilty pleasure of mine.) Of course!! Munkussandra? Bombastrap? Skimblestrap? Munkoffelees? Munkudots? Munkujerrie/Mungostrap? Mungoffeleestrap? Tuggerstrap? (If you don't hc them as siblings, of course - another guilty pleasure of mine. Please don't hate me XD) All valid! This cat just needs some love and he's gonna get it from all sides if he's not careful. Furthermore, what makes me soft the most is imagining how other cats perceive him. He's just casually Munkustancing somewhere in the junkyard, chatting with Alonzo, a kitten or two hanging out between his legs, and the other cats look over and just go "Yeah :')" because-- just hdffhhhdhgj there he is. Just standing there, being his wonderful, whimsical self, and you could walk up to him and speak to him and he would listen. Give him a kitten to hold for a sec and he'd do everything for you (and the kitten, who certainly doesn't mind being held for a sec). Do you know the feeling when you look at your pet and suddenly have like an epiphany that this is your pet, an actual, small living being that lives with you but exists on its own? I couldn't describe that feeling any further, not even in German sjdfks But I think other cats would have that feeling, regularly, when they look at Munkustrap. Maybe I'm just projecting. All just my headcanons here, don't execute me! And the last thing, I just love his name. It's so fun, and shortening it to "Strap" instead of the more usual "Munk" never fails to bring me joy. Additionally, you can make so many puns by just hanging "-strap" behind a word.

Yeah. :') Rant over. This is my emotional support theatre nerd dad cat and he makes me very happy. There hasn't been a Strap in any production so far that I didn't like. I think if I adopt two cats one day, I'd name one after him. ♥

Thank you so much for asking! Such an interesting request as well, this was fun (and it made me happy... imagine that XDD). The one from before was indeed my very first ask and I'm so happy that it was you! ♥♥♥

[jelliclehell]

i cannot believe i have not drawn munkudots yet

[junkyard-gifs]

Can Munkustrap help it if cats just. Fall at his feet? dive through his legs? what can you do. 😌

Oops, got a bit lost in the moment there.

Alexander Auler as Munkustrap and Denise Jastraunig as Jennyanydots. Vienna revival, March 2022.

[jennanydots]

shiki production munkudots (with bonus silly and jem babs)

[jellicle-home-for-jellicle-ships]

Thanks to Erica Leigh Hansen for this photo - some perfect Munkudots for Jenny day! (Day 14 of Jellicle ships month.)

[sevenkittensinatrenchcoat]

Macavity Family AU: The Grizabella That Alonzo’s Next Kid Will Be Named After

This one is really long and combines different headcanons and interpretations I’ve either heard or thought of. A lot of popular Cats Fanon is thrown out the window, because it doesn’t really matter.

Part 6: The Story of Grizabella

Grizabella was a show cat. She brought fame and fortune to her human family. Outside of her performance in cat shows, the humans weren’t particularly interested in her. She spent more time with the stray Jellicles than she did at home. Among the strays was a tom kitten whose mother was dead and whose father lived in a village far outside of town. Grizabella brought the kitten back to her humans and they decided to take him in. At the time, Grizabella had no idea why, since he wasn’t cut out to be a show cat and that’s all they cared about with her.

Munkustrap, the tom kitten, had little in common with cats his own age. Once he was old enough to socialize outside, he preferred to spend his time with Grizabella and other cats closer to her age. As an adult, this factored into his choice of mates. These were the queens he knew, so they were the queens he wanted.

His first love was Grizabella herself.

Though she rescued him from the cold as a kitten, Grizabella was never a maternal figure to Munkustrap. When he grew old enough to think about such things, he saw her as a very attractive queen who helped him when he needed it. Old Deuteronomy’s firstborn and the queen who all the younger queens wanted to become seemed like an ideal match.

Despite all the attention she got from toms, Grizabella had little experience in mating, at least at first. It wasn’t from lack of interest, but because cats have no way of preventing pregnancy, and she didn’t want to have kittens. If she had kittens, the humans would sell them and they could end up anywhere. It’d happened to Jenny and Jelly. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were sold to some wealthy family. Jelly’s first litter had completely disappeared. Plato and George ran away from home to live in hiding to avoid being separated from their mothers.

The Jellicle Ball came around and mating season came with it. When everyone was wandering around under the Jellicle Moon, mating with whoever showed interest in the moment, Munkustrap and Grizabella had a moment together. Munk promised that if she had kittens, he’d take care of them, even if she couldn’t. He’d later regret feeling like he pressured her, though she never saw it that way.

Munkustrap actually mated with two queens that night. He had a turn with Jennyanydots as well. They were both each other’s second partner of the evening. Jenny had two kittens a few months later, one, Electra, was Munkustrap’s and the other, Tumblebrutus, came from the first cat she’d mated with.

Grizabella also became pregnant from that night, but she’d only been with Munkustrap and she only had one kitten. Her humans were delighted with the little queen, a queen they named after a queen, Victoria. It was a name that meant victory. If Grizabella had known, she would’ve realized why the humans were so happy about the kitten.

Grizabella was getting old. All the strain that came from a life of performing only made her age faster. Soon, she’d be unable to be a show cat. Her kitten was to be her replacement. Among the Jellicles, Victoria was Munkustrap’s firstborn, his heir, a princess of cats. She was to be a big deal among humans and cats alike.

Grizabella found herself growing a bit jealous of her daughter. When Victoria’s star rose, hers would fall. She was being replaced. Munkustrap was so invested in being a father that he paid little attention to the mothers of his children, unless they were equally invested. Jenny was equally invested, so they grew closer, but Grizabella was still uncertain of how to be a mother, making her a bit reluctant, and they grew apart. His daughters and the little magic tom he was helping Alonzo raise were his entire world and it wasn’t one that she could live in. She loved Victoria, but the kitten had changed her life for the worse.

Knowing that Munkustrap could take care of Victoria on his own, Grizabella left the house, the tribe, and everyone she knew, while they slept. Munkustrap was furious. Victoria was still a baby kitten, not yet weaned. Grizabella hadn’t thought of that. Luckily, both Jenny and Jellylorum had new litters and they were happy to share. Jellylorum in particular was very fond of little Victoria and, to the best of her ability, seeing that she didn’t live with the same humans, raised her as one of her own.

Victoria never became a show cat. Munkustrap didn’t understand the whole thing, but there was something wrong with her hearing. The language of cats is often spoken through gesture, but humans spoke with sound. When they made sounds to Victoria, she couldn’t hear them. She couldn’t be trained like a proper show cat if she couldn’t hear commands. The only reason Victoria wasn’t put up for adoption was that the humans had a kitten who adored her. The little girl picked out an expensive, sparkly, pink collar for her cat and she became part of the family, more than Grizabella had ever been, but that was before the human kitten could walk and talk.

As for Grizabella, she wasn’t built for living on the streets. Without humans or her fellow Jellicles around, she struggled to survive. Cats are not normally scavengers, but she’d never learned to hunt, so she had to scavenge. She thought that some human might take her in, but, she’d become filthy from living on the streets and none of them wanted anything to do with her. She walked around Tottenham Court, seeking scraps of food in the garbage bins behind pubs.

The Jellicles had no idea what became of Grizabella, but rumors and accusations spread. Tottenham Court was on Macavity’s side of town, so perhaps she started working for him, or even became one of his many mistresses. With all the attention she got from toms, some cats speculated that she’d found more lovers and possibly gotten pregnant again. Some believed that Victoria wasn’t her first kitten. She was eager to mate but not to be a mother, so she might’ve abandoned or even killed her other kittens, with Victoria only surviving because of Munkustrap’s devotion. None of these rumors were true, but everyone was upset with her, and people sometimes say nasty things about people who upset them.

Grizabella was never discussed in front of the kittens. None of them, not even Victoria, knew of her existence. She knew that her father became very sad and quiet when she asked about her mother, so she assumed that she had probably died. When she was very little, she thought Jellylorum was her mother, but her father said she wasn’t. Jellylorum wasn’t Victoria’s real mother, but she might as well be. Mistoffelees said that if a queen raises a kitten, she’s that kitten’s mother. He said a lot of things that weren’t always completely true, even though he seemed to believe them. Victoria really liked this one. She also liked that Misto had decided that Munkustrap was his father, so that made Victoria his sister. Munkustrap said Misto wasn’t his son, but it was like Victoria with Jellylorum. Victoria and Misto continued calling each other “brother” and “sister” anyway. If you all love each other, does it really matter?

[1-800-crystalball]

Do you have any rare pairs that it seems like no one else has

Many!!

Alonzorum (Alonzo x Jellylorum)

Cassagus (Cassandra x Asparagus Jr)

Tuggerdots (Tugger x Jennyanydots)

Munkudots (Munkustrap x Jennyanydots)

Bombalorum (Bombalurina x Jellylorum)

[junkyard-gifs]

Munkustrap is an attentive gentleman.

He sees a lady in need of spinning? He spinny.

Kade Wright and Michelle Carter, 2022 US tour; March 2023.

[jennanydots]

better :)

no actually its not enough I need 2 hug her or Im going to explode

I need to look at images of jennyanydots right now

[jennanydots]

munkudots Is canon in shiki cats btw. if u even care.