"The very first thing they said was there is a very real plot to CATS. It’s not just poems put to song and talking about this real meaning behind the Jellicle Ball and who goes to the Heaviside Layer." This episode features Wendi Bergamini who played Jellylorum and is currently performing in the ensemble of Once Upon A Mattress on Broadway. Hear Wendi share how her casting story influenced the trajectory of her career, the fun times she was able to play with the Jellylorum character, and her ful...
Nov 12, 2024•42 min•Ep. 193
"They did the production of CATS, which at the time I really don't think I thought about how hilarious it was that the camp director just decided to name it KATZ but my parents obviously got a chuckle out of it." This bonus episode features Eitan Levine who played Macavity at his Jewish day camp named Camp Kaleidoscope where they renamed the production KATZ. Eitan's husband Spencer went viral after posting an Instagram Reel that said “can’t sleep thinking about how my husband did CATS the musica...
Nov 01, 2024•31 min
"We’d always say Shove With Love. If someone doesn’t know where they are going, you should Shove With Love." This episode features Allison Little who was a swing and a Dance Captain on the US National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Allison share how she had a full circle moment from seeing the show as kid, what the role of Dance Captain adds to the show, and fun stories from tour. Plus, Allison shares the story of that first experience on stage as Victoria. Check out Allison on Instagram: @allison_little_...
Oct 29, 2024•44 min•Ep. 192
"Our rule was eight minutes. If someone had some sort of injury, a sickness, or something that happened to them mid-show, as a swing we were told you need to be on the stage in eight minutes." This episode features Laura Cable who played Jellylorum on the US National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Laura share really fun stories from her time as a swing on tour including one infamous moment with Old Deuteronomy, the impossible eight minute swing rule, and how she learned the musical from a record player. P...
Oct 22, 2024•50 min•Ep. 191
"I feel like I always have intrusive thoughts. I do really want to knock that person’s water bottle over just to mess with them. But I would never do it in real life. But as Rumple, you kind of get to." This episode features Amanda LaMotte who played Tantomile and was a swing on the US National Tour 5 of CATS and is currently performing in the ensemble of Once Upon A Mattress on Broadway. Hear Amanda share her experience performing many roles all over the country, her experience in regional prod...
Oct 15, 2024•40 min•Ep. 190
"I went out and bought a cat tail, ears, cut up fingerless gloves. I had a white tank top with a black vest. I looked insane." This episode features JJ Niemann who played the magical Mr Mistoffelees in the Elon University 2017 Winter Production of CATS and is currently in the ensemble in the Back To The Future Musical. Hear JJ share all about the craziness and fun related to this weekend college production that produced many fun stories. Plus, JJ and Mike cast the Back To The Future characters a...
Oct 08, 2024•36 min•Ep. 189
Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "That was my immediate first question. I was like, are we doing tails? What’s the tea? I had some other ideas." This episode is with Qween Jean who was the costume designer for CATS: "The Jellicle Ball." Qween Jean dives into the creative process that went into creating these icon costumes,...
Oct 01, 2024•38 min•Ep. 188
"At the beginning of the show Grizabella was just the teacher. At the end, Grizabella went to the Heaviside Layer in a way that we could afford." This episode features Will Porter who played Mungojerrie on the US National Tour 5 of CATS as well as regionally. Hear Will share incredible stories from his time on tour, many new theories about the characters, and all of the fun they had on tour including making a parody video. Plus, Will shares the wild Alice In Wonderland version of CATS he had the...
Sep 24, 2024•55 min•Ep. 187
"We were like Taylor Swift's little side chicks." This episode features Sophie Carmen-Jones who was one of the Macavity Girls in the 2019 CATS Movie and is currently performing as Nini in Moulin Rouge The Musical on Broadway after originating the role in the West End. Hear Sophie discuss what it was like being in the infamous movie, her experience doing the Macavity number with the entire cast, and what it was like to work with Taylor Swift. Plus, Sophie and Mike cast the Moulin Rogue characters...
Sep 17, 2024•38 min•Ep. 186
"I've done it with Richard Stafford which is the American version and I've done it with Chrissie Cartwright which is the British version. And those are not the same shows." This episode features Erica Leigh Hansen who played Jennyanydots on the US National Tour 5 of CATS as well as on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Oasis of the Seas first and third seasons. Hear Erica share how they figured out navigating CATS on the ship for the first season, how the boat used the Prague Philharmonic as the ...
Sep 10, 2024•46 min•Ep. 185
Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "A theater is a temple. This is the fourth institution where the five necessary questions are answered. You have to answer a question. You have to resolve a crisis. You have to lift a burden. You have to break a yoke. Take that albatross off the neck of the people who have come for redempti...
Sep 03, 2024•57 min•Ep. 184
Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "He also has to have that edge of realness. Like straight passing. Because his life outside of this space is not the same." This episode features Primo who plays Tumblebrutus in this production. Hear Primo share his involvement since the early workshops, how he created the Tumblebrutus stor...
Aug 27, 2024•43 min•Ep. 183
Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "We were trying to figure out how to push that envelope with Sillabub being the watcher. Zhailon came up to me and was like, what if you had a camera?" This episode features Teddy Wilson Jr. who plays Sillabub in this production. Hear Teddy share how they watched YouTube clips of CATS befor...
Aug 20, 2024•39 min•Ep. 182
Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "It’s giving like she won Legendary and got the million dollar prize. This is a game show and she wants some coin." This episode features Dava Huesca who plays Rumpleteazer in this production. Hear Dava share how she learned the story of CATS through the rehearsal process, how she changes h...
Aug 13, 2024•36 min•Ep. 181
"Theater is moving forward and I think it happened the same way with the same show. When I saw it I had that feeling that this is a real mile marker in musical theater history again with the show." This bonus episode is a conversation about CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" featuring Jacob Brent who played Mr. Mistoffelees on Broadway and in the 1998 CATS movie. Jacob shares his thoughts on hearing about the show the first time and everything he experienced in the theater. Jacob also goes into some of t...
Aug 06, 2024•50 min
Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. We were live at BroadwayCon 2024 with Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, the choreography team behind CATS: "The Jellicle Ball," to chat about reimagining the hit classic and their inspiration drawn from Ballroom culture in New York City. Plus, we invited the audience to learn choreography from ...
Aug 02, 2024•34 min
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "We wanted to approach it as this re-contextualized version of fatness and what fatness means. The duality of Fat and Phat." This episode features Nora Schell who plays Bustopher Jones in this production. Hear Nora share their audition story, how they view Bustopher as the club owner, an...
Jul 30, 2024•39 min•Ep. 180
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "Macavity wants to steal Victoria from the House of Dots and have me join the House of Macavity." This episode features Baby who plays Victoria in this production. Hear Baby share about her ballroom experience she brings to this production, how her Victoria can be a metaphor for ballroom...
Jul 26, 2024•42 min•Ep. 179
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "There are all these sweet moments but does she not try to push his buttons a little bit?" This episode features Shereen Pimentel who plays Jellylorum in this production. Hear Shereen share how she plays Jellylorum as Gus' granddaughter, about Jellylorum's crush on Demeter, and which hou...
Jul 23, 2024•41 min•Ep. 178
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "We have to remember we’re angelic cats. This is what we’re finding and it’s crazy how it lends itself. It’s called the Jellicle Ball. It’s angelic. That’s the universe and it’s bigger than any of us." This episode features Antwayn Hopper who plays Macavity in this production. Hear Antwa...
Jul 19, 2024•42 min•Ep. 177
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "In this version we are brother and sister. We have decided that Rumpleteazer is my little sister that I’ve brought into the ballroom community and she’s trying to make her own little name." This episode features Jonathan Burke who plays Mungojerrie in this production and also performed ...
Jul 16, 2024•40 min•Ep. 176
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "Remembering the first episode I didn’t really understand CATS. Now I get it. I’m in. I drank the Kool Aid. I’m here and I love it." This episode features Emma Sofia who plays Skimbleshanks and Cassandra in this production. Emma was also Episode 35 of this show sharing her hilarious audi...
Jul 09, 2024•51 min•Ep. 175
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "If I had a dollar for every time someone said ‘I’ve always hated CATS but I love this CATS’ I’d have doubled my salary on the show." This episode features Josephine Kearns who was the dramaturg & gender consultant for the production. Hear Josephine share the four year journey to bri...
Jul 05, 2024•32 min•Ep. 174
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "I was able to let Tugger sit on me and fit on me listening to them say - you are already Tugger so just be Sydney." This episode features Sydney James Harcourt who plays the Rum Tum Tugger in the production. Hear Sydney discuss having a front row seat to the ballroom culture conversatio...
Jul 02, 2024•53 min•Ep. 173
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "All of us have talked about how our characters are us, who we are in life." This episode features Robert "Silk" Mason who plays the magical Mr. Mistoffelees in the production. Hear Silk discuss their experience learning about CATS, how they bring their personality into the dance numbers...
Jun 28, 2024•35 min•Ep. 172
Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "When we were building, the connection between us (Macavity & Grizabella) was that he used to be in the House of Glamour at one time." This episode features "Tempress" Chasity Moore who plays Grizabella in the production. Hear Chasity discuss her experience being back on stage, how s...
Jun 25, 2024•32 min•Ep. 171
"I love this show and I love this production. This production was so much fun because it spans all theater fans, all ballroom fans, and just people who want to go have a good time will like this." This bonus episode is a recap of "CATS: The Jellicle Ball" featuring Mike and Alan Seales of the Theatre Podcast recorded immediately after seeing a preview of this incredible production. This episode contains a few spoilers about the show but gives a breakdown of the what to expect when you enter the ...
Jun 21, 2024•38 min
"The interesting thing with CATS is that the actors eventually do their own makeup. They do all the cat makeup but it has to go into the wig." This episode features Mundi Gove who was the Head of Wig Department on the US National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Mundi share all of the background on the wig designs, how the wig helps determine the personalities of the characters, and some fun stories from her time on tour. Plus, Mundi shares a theory on how Grizabella's wig can give thought into why she's th...
Jun 18, 2024•37 min•Ep. 170
"I loved how sophisticated she was. How she allowed nothing to really bother her but she was still so fierce. And that seems like exactly the type of cat that I could be." This episode features Mariah Reives who performed as Cassandra on the US National Tour 6 of CATS before the pandemic and is currently in the ensemble in The Great Gatsby Musical at the Broadway Theatre. Hear Mariah discuss missing the final call back for CATS on Broadway, memorable stories from tour, why Jennyanydots is her Je...
Jun 11, 2024•42 min•Ep. 169
"Once they bought into the idea of doing the show they deep dived into the internet and quickly found the hardcore fans of the musical and would show up to rehearsal and they would have all of these theories that they had never heard of before." This episode features the 2024 St. Clair College Production of CATS where I was joined by the director Kristyn Wiklanski who also played Cassandra on the 5th US National Tour in 2006 as well as Tatum Roy and Camryn Winnicky-Lewis who played Bombalurina a...
Jun 04, 2024•50 min•Ep. 168
