In the run-up to Bad Bunny's Super Bowl LX halftime show in February, the public discourse was dominated by speculation about how political the outspoken Puerto Rican singer might get. Politicians and commentators from a certain party in particular seemed to be spoiling for a fight. But then Bad Bunny went and shut that talk down in the best possible way — by putting on a show that was so entertaining, so positive, and so joyous that it made all the doomsayers look foolish.
That's the exact energy that the cast of Cats: The Jellicle Ball is bringing to the latest revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's purr-fectly eccentric musical, which celebrates the 45th anniversary of its 1981 West End premiere in May. Co-directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, this new take transports all of the familiar Jellicle cats — from Bustopher Jones to Rum Tum Tugger — to the oh-so-fabulous ballroom scene created by New York's LGBTQ+ communities in the '80s and '90s. After a celebrated off-Broadway run in 2024, the show has its on-Broadway opening scheduled for April 7 after delighting preview audiences for weeks.
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Arriving on Broadway at a time when the current administration in Washington, D.C., is seeking to crack down on hard-fought gay rights, not to mention immigrants' rights, The Jellicle Ball harnesses the power of showmanship to makes the audience allies. "Without trying to, this show in direct protest to what is happening in our government, and we're doing it in a joyous way," Ken Ard tells Gold Derby.
"We're not slapping people in the face, and we're not screaming at them," continues Ard, who originated the role of notorious card-cheater Macavity in the 1982 Broadway production of Cats and now plays Jellicle Ball emcee, DJ Griddlebone. "We're basically saying 'We're here, we're queer, and this is the way life is. There's nothing you can do about it except enjoy and celebrate it."
"This is the moment to show that all of our voices and lives matter," echoes Jonathan Burke, who plays notorious Jellicle cat Mungojerrie opposite partner-in-crime Rumpleteazer (Dava Huesca). "So many stories are about how Black, brown and trans people are dying, but we also enjoy our lives and we look fab while we're doing it."
"Bad Bunny didn't need to speak English [at the Super Bowl], but he's still an American," adds Huesca. "You can be yourself without conforming to the people around you."
The Jellicle Ball cast features young performers making their Broadway debuts alongside such theater legends as Ard and Tony winner André De Shields, who plays the clan's leader, Old Deuteronomy. And speaking of legends, Junior Labeija — ballroom pioneer and featured player in the scene-defining documentary, Paris Is Burning — is treading the boards as Gus the Theater Cat. "We're the inspiration for the little kittens," notes De Shields, who likens their presence in the show to Sankofa bird, who holds a symbolic place in certain African cultures.
"The Sankofa bird is flightless, and walks deliberately forward, but his head is always turned over his shoulder," explains De Shields. "The lesson is that you cannot know where you're headed if you do not know where you've been. Junior and I are the totems for that."
For his part, Labeija says that his attraction to the role of Gus wasn't rooted in an affinity for Webber's musical. "I'm not interested in being a cat," he says matter-of-factly. "I'm not interested in being British or being connected to Webber or to Queen Elizabeth. I want the audience to understand the humanity of what a Black gay man experienced here in America. Playing Gus is an opportunity to do that."
The legacy of both musical theater and ballroom culture was very much on the minds of Jellicle Ball directors Levingston and Rauch as they orchestrated the revival. "Ballroom really goes back almost as far as Broadway does," notes Levingston. "These are two distinctively American institutions that are meeting at their most global influence. Ballroom has gone from something that was exclusively underground to something that's at the core of how we think about art, storytelling and fashion. It's the best time for ballroom to be intersecting with the world's greatest stage."
For the show's choreographers, Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, the union of Broadway and ballroom is best exemplified whenever the Grizabella — played by trans actress “Tempress” Chasity Moore — takes the stage to belt "Memory," the show's most famous number. "The fact that we have a trans woman as our Grizabella is a big moment," says Wiles. "It's super-important to show how human every part of our community is, and how relatable we are. If audiences can understand our stories, they can also understand why we're asking for respect."
“Tempress” Chasity Moore as Grizabella in 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball'Andy Henderson
In addition to Moore, trans ballroom legend Leiomy has a showcase role in The Jellicle Ball as the villainous Macavity, and the duo recognize the opportunity the show provides them in terms of blazing a trail on Broadway. "Being from a marginalized community, we were so underground at one point," marvels Moore. "All we did was dream of being in bright lights on big stages. Being able to do that now is amazing."
"When I first started coming into the mainstream, I was in spaces where they didn't really respect ballroom," echoes Leiomy. "They enjoyed my talent for what it was, but when it came to ballroom overall, there was a kind of mockery. The storyline of Cats makes people have compassion for others and it also celebrates others.
"But I also feel that the new generations are so used to being celebrated, they've maybe gotten too comfortable," the actress adds. "They tend to forget that things can also go back. The fight [for acceptance] has never stopped — and we're still fighting."