This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Mike Abrams: Welcome to The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown of the Cats at Ashby. I'm your host, Mike Abrams, and today we have a bonus episode. As you all know by now, Cats the Jellicle Ball recently announced its upcoming closing. It's an extremely bittersweet moment, and it had me looking back at how incredible this whole run has been. And I was hoping to use this footage later, but now that the Jellicle Ball is closing, it feels like the perfect time to share it. A few months ago, on opening night of Cats the Jellicle Ball, before the gold carpet, I was lucky enough to be invited to a reunion brunch for what they called the Jellicle Tribe. It was a gathering of Cats alumni, mostly from the US National Tour and a few other productions, and a few people who've actually been on the podcast before. And this was a get-together before many of them had even had a chance to see the Jellicle Ball and this new production. It was great to meet some of these people in person for the first time and get to sit down with them. And since I was invited, they asked if I wanted to film some. So I brought my camera with me and we just chatted. We talked through their time on the road, their anticipation for the Jellicle Ball, and obviously we had to weigh in on the ultimate question of who was the right Jellicle choice. So a quick disclaimer before we jump in. This is definitely pretty raw, fly-on-the-wall type of footage. I've cleaned up a little bit of it, but we were in the middle of a live crowded brunch venue. There's a lot of background chatter, glasses clinking, people talking, and it's definitely not the studio quality that we usually put together here. But it's a really fun time capsule. It's an amazing look back at the excitement that they had before going to see the Jellicle Ball. And especially as we get ready to say goodbye to the show, it's something I felt like we needed to share. So ignore the background noise, maybe pretend you're having a mimosa with us, and enjoy this catch-up with the Jellicle tribe. So let's roll the tape.

[1:57] Natasha Davison: So let's talk about the Jellicle Ball. Are you going tonight? It's the first time or have you seen it?

[2:01] Leslie Trayer: I have seen it.

[2:02] Natasha Davison: Okay, you saw it on Broadway or downtown?

[2:05] Leslie Trayer: I did not see it downtown, but my daughter Alexis saw it and told me she just raved about it and how much she loved it. I'm like, well, that is really interesting. I'm interested. And then when I was first approached about it, I had this crazy idea. I thought, what if I reached out to all of the Cats alumni, which there are so many. It ran 18 years on Broadway. There were four tours, plus a Los Angeles company and a Canadian company. What if I just reached out to see if they want to participate, sort of as micro-investors, you know what I mean? And the response was huge. It was overwhelming. In fact, I had to turn many Cats away because we surpassed our goal by two times. And it's just been so fun to reconnect with all of the folks for whom Cats, the original version, was really pivotal for most of us and transformational. It was a huge hit in the 80s and 90s. It was Hamilton or Wicked of its day, a mega musical. For many of us, it was our very first show. So it was our big break and we were all young and frisky.

[3:26] Natasha Davison: What's the investor group called?

[3:27] Leslie Trayer: The Jellicle Tribe.

[3:28] Natasha Davison: The Jellicle Tribe. We are the Jellicle Tribe. We're passing the baton from our era to this new group. And I say, baby Byrne, take it away. What did you think about seeing it, the reimagined production?

[3:34] Leslie Trayer: I thought it was incredibly clever. You know, in terms of the context, the Jellicle Ball always was a gathering one night every year for the Jellicle Tribe. And so it really makes sense that it fits into the context of ballroom culture as well. And it's essentially poems about different aspects or personalities of cats and really people. And so I think it's amazing. I also loved how they really stayed true to the score, you know, aside from the rap, which I thought really worked for a couple of the numbers that they used it. But the dancing was incredible. It looked really difficult. I'm like, I can't do that. Different type of difficult dancing. But they were trained. I mean, I was seeing, we saw turns in Alessicon, Pirouettes, you know, and they're doing it in high heels, not only high heels, but like spike high heels. Yeah. I mean, like everybody. Yeah. So I was impressed. I was impressed.

[4:55] Natasha Davison: Okay. For this production, does your Jellicle choice change?

[4:56] Leslie Trayer: Oh, for the end? I think we had talked about this before. No, it still makes sense to me that it would be Grizz. You know, she's the one that's looking for that spot. She's the one that needs it the most. Yeah. And she's earned her spot. She's earned it. And I think you have to earn it. Going to the Heaviside later. I agree. So who's your Jellicle choice and why?

[5:04] Natasha Davison: My Jellicle choice. You know what? I would have to go with Gus. Team Gus. He's a good guy. Yeah. He's ready to go. Because Grizzabella, she's got some time. Yeah. She's got some time left. Exactly. You know, she just came back for her second act. Yeah. Come hang with the family. Gus, he's doing his third act. He's ready to go. He's ready just to let it go and purr on into the Heaviside later.

[5:20] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. So when you performed, who did you perform as?

[5:25] Natasha Davison: I did Cillabub for the 4th National. Cillabub for the 4th National Tour. And Natasha and I were kittens together.

[5:29] Leslie Trayer: Okay. Okay. And so was Cillabub at all ever thinking about being the Jellicle choice or just way too young?

[5:35] Natasha Davison: Oh, my God. She was the youngest of the tribe. Not ready at all? No. She was just coming out. Trying to figure out what's going on.

[5:44] Leslie Trayer: Did you have a chance to see the Jellicle ball yet?

[5:49] Natasha Davison: I saw the Jellicle ball at the Perlman Center two years ago. We had the privilege of seeing the final dress. I saw it last week in previews and I saw it last night and I still cannot get enough of it. I think it is the most joyous, most unbelievable experience that you can possibly have right now.

[6:08] Leslie Trayer: Amazing. So you have some ballroom experience?

[6:09] Natasha Davison: I love that culture so much because I did, I grew up or had my young adult life in the 90s. And so I was very familiar with Paris is burning. And also that time growing up, AIDS was very prevalent. And so I was a member of Act Up. I had that Keith Haring shirt. So that whole culture centered around that, you know, that whole pandemic. So it was very close to my heart at that time. And just that sort of release and that sort of freedom through movement and just that whole culture, like coming into play with that. It was just extraordinary then. And I think it's so important now to bring that back.

[6:51] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Amazing. Which house would you be in if you were in one of the houses from the show?

[6:56] Natasha Davison: Well, I do love the Arturo Leon. I did see his ball and I know he's the house of Miyagi. Yeah. So I'm full on house of Miyagi with Arturo.

[7:02] Leslie Trayer: Okay. What about with the Cats houses, the Dots, Macavity?

[7:08] Natasha Davison: Oh, I had to go with Macavity. You're gonna be house Macavity. Oh, hello. Okay. Okay. Okay. That purse. Awesome.

[7:15] Leslie Trayer: Have you seen the Jelfa Ball yet? Are you going tonight?

[7:19] Natasha Davison: We went last night. What'd you think?

[7:25] Leslie Trayer: Oh, it was so much fun. Yeah. The energy and the fans. And I don't mean just the people in the audience, but the fans. I have to get the flick. Did you get your fan? I didn't have a fan. I didn't get that memo.

[7:31] Natasha Davison: Okay. So I didn't bring one. Yeah. What'd you think about this Rumple teaser and Mungojerri?

[7:36] Leslie Trayer: Oh, so much fun because they have a New Jersey accent because they're from New Jersey. They're from Victoria Grove, New Jersey. Yes. Right. Is there a Victoria Grove, New Jersey? I don't know if it's real or not, but this says it in the playbill that they're from Victoria Grove. Yeah. Which I thought was really funny. I heard it in the song and I said, okay, so they still live in Victoria Grove, but they're from New Jersey. So I have to look that one up. Okay. Yeah.

[8:00] Natasha Davison: And so this whole podcast is around me not believing Grizabella is the right Jellicle choice. Yes. So I want to hear who's your Jellicle choice and why?

[8:04] Leslie Trayer: Well, I do think Grizabella is the choice.

[8:11] Natasha Davison: You do think, okay.

[8:12] Leslie Trayer: I do because she's the outcast, right? She was a big deal and in her day she would have been a part of the tribe, right? And then had a bad time and then just went downhill and was ousted by the group. Now we don't know why. Yeah. And as I said, I think in our interview a while ago, I was a kitten, so I wouldn't have known why and I probably wouldn't have cared.

[8:38] Natasha Davison: Rumpelstiltskin is not ready.

[8:39] Leslie Trayer: No. She's just following whatever the adult cats do, mimicking them.

[8:46] Natasha Davison: Yeah. So since we've talked, have you had further discussions about it, thought about it, talked to the other wonderful people in this room about it?

[8:51] Leslie Trayer: No, because it was top secret. Top secret. Yeah. Top secret.

[9:01] Natasha Davison: My show is about the Jellicle choice and you can see the wrong Jellicle choice. So let's start there. I want to hear who your Jellicle choice is and why.

[9:09] Jacob Brent: Oh goodness. My Jellicle choice in life. She's actually around here somewhere. It's following. No, okay. In the show. In the show. If you're picking your Jellicle choice, who are you going to pick?

[9:21] Leslie Trayer: That's a tough one. It is because a choice for what? That's the question. That's the million dollar question right there. Because the cat that's chosen knows what's up there. Yeah. So they know the secret, whatever the secret is.

[9:36] Jacob Brent: Yeah, true. And I mean, for me, I get moody and so it depends on what kind of mood I'm in as to who I'm going to choose.

[9:50] Leslie Trayer: Every night, different choice? Yeah, probably. Okay. Okay. What's your mood today? If you're picking right now?

[9:57] Jacob Brent: Well, right now, I'd probably say Mistoffelees.

[10:00] Leslie Trayer: Mistoffelees. Perfect. Little connection to them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course. Even though we are completely different. You bring back Old Deuteronomy. I mean, without you, the show doesn't go on.

[10:08] Jacob Brent: It is true. Right. That would be the end. Yeah, yeah. It would be the end. Final. The end. He's gone. Sorry.

[10:15] Leslie Trayer: Okay, we're done. And Fibbitt. How about for you?

[10:20] Jacob Brent: That is a really tough question. I mean, the contenders or the, I mean, Gus brings it so much. Yeah. And, oh gosh. I mean, just watching that performance in the production that we did and the production of last night, it was just so beautiful to see someone who experienced so much and then sharing that knowledge with the younger coming up, passing the mantle almost. So, I think, I would like to have Gus have a chance. Team Gus.

[10:55] Leslie Trayer: Team Gus every once in a while. I mean, Grizabella. Absolutely love. I'm team Gus, too. Are you really?

[11:01] Jacob Brent: Oh, yeah. Oh my gosh, yeah. So, I think that's-

[11:04] Leslie Trayer: So, you saw last night, you saw the show. You did, yeah. What did you think of the Jellicle Ball and the difference, especially someone who's done Cats for so long and seeing a reimagined production?

[11:11] Jacob Brent: Fine. Fine. I loved it. I think it was so, I mean, of course, the physicality of it when we did it was outrageous and incredible, especially being a young dancer. But I think it was a perfect vehicle for Ballroom. I mean, just bringing the flair, the style, the personality. Everyone was unique and you just, you be you. And you bring that joy, style, the flair. And I just think the musical takes you on this journey, or the music of the Ball, rather, takes you on this journey.

[11:52] Natasha Davison: And it was phenomenal. Yeah. It was phenomenal. Amazing. There was simplicity about it that was beautiful and very concise. Could you do one of those death drops or whatever?

[12:03] Leslie Trayer: Probably, but I wouldn't be able to get up. Yeah, that's me. Exactly. I would never get back up.

[12:09] Natasha Davison: And what about, did you see it last night too?

[12:12] Leslie Trayer: Yes, I did. And what were your thoughts?

[12:15] Natasha Davison: I loved it. I've seen it a couple of times. Okay. We saw it downtown and my wife and I saw it earlier during the previews also. Amazing. And we love it. I mean, it's reimagined and it's nice to see something that's completely different taking this familiar material and just doing something completely different and wonderful with it.

[12:38] Leslie Trayer: Awesome. Because it's hard to redo a show.

[12:40] Natasha Davison: Yeah. Right. Oh, definitely. And so, you know, coming up with a whole new concept and making it completely different is fantastic.

[12:52] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Even though there's, you know, there's a lot of similarities because of the music and what the songs say as a story, you know, you're dealing kind of with the same subject.

[13:06] Natasha Davison: Yeah. That's what I've said. It's a different context. Completely the same and completely different at the same time. Right. It's cats and not cats. They're both beautiful.

[13:15] Leslie Trayer: That's great. Welcome back. I guess we'll start with, have you seen the Joe Cabal yet?

[13:20] Natasha Davison: We saw it last night.

[13:22] Leslie Trayer: Okay. What'd you think?

[13:25] Natasha Davison: Off the rails. It was amazing. Amazing. So much fun.

[13:27] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Yeah. Spectacular. I think it's a show that is, it came at the perfect time and I think everyone needs to see it and I think everyone will love it.

[13:35] Natasha Davison: Yeah. Yeah. It was fabulous. The dancing was very different from what we did.

[13:43] Leslie Trayer: And I go, no, that's not the way it goes.

[13:45] Natasha Davison: Oh yeah, but it's a different show.

[13:49] Leslie Trayer: Well, that's, I guess, coming from knowing cats so well, but it is a little different, but it's also almost exactly the same. So is it besides the choreography, is there anything else that you kind of liked about the changes or any differences?

[14:00] Natasha Davison: You can, yes. And I loved, yes. What I liked too is there's very, the very body positivity. I loved that about that.

[14:13] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. And I love that trend now.

[14:15] Natasha Davison: Yes. Yeah. It's helped the Bustopher Jones argument. Bustopher Jones gets a lot of criticism in the cats lore, but this Bustopher Jones is amazing.

[14:28] Leslie Trayer: Yes. Loved, loved, loved that.

[14:30] Natasha Davison: Awesome. I bet. I bet you too. And Gus still didn't get the prize.

[14:39] Leslie Trayer: No. Not to spoil the ending or anything.

[14:45] Natasha Davison: Yeah. It's been around for like 40 something years. I think we're all right. Just had a hope that Gus would have pulled it out at the end on this new iteration.

[14:51] Leslie Trayer: Do you think this Gus is ready to go?

[14:56] Natasha Davison: I don't think Junior's ready to go, that performer. Oh my gosh. He was phenomenal.

[15:02] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Brought a tear to my eye and brought laughter in certain aspects of his story that didn't come through when I was doing it, for example.

[15:09] Natasha Davison: He's hysterical and heartbreaking and just a wonderful character.

[15:19] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Okay. So who's your joyful choice in this production?

[15:25] Natasha Davison: Cillabub.

[15:30] Leslie Trayer: Cillabub. Yeah. All right. I like that answer. I thought Cillabub was wonderful.

[15:36] Natasha Davison: Yeah. And just brought pathos and openness to the production that it was hinted at in the previous iterations of Cats, but I thought he did a tremendous job.

[15:51] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Okay. What about you two? Do you have a different joyful choice from this production?

[15:57] Nancy Melius: I don't know if Cillabub is my choice, but I will say I think Cillabub was my favorite part of the show. I think that the way that her story is very clear and so loving, and I feel like it makes Grizabella's story even more heartbreaking and poignant.

[16:23] Natasha Davison: And also the performer who portrayed Cillabub was so joyful and naive, but curious and perfect.

[16:36] Nancy Melius: And even the outfit that they had her in, I just love it. Obviously, she was dressed up for the ball. Her ball outfit didn't look like the other people's, the other Cats' outfits, but she was still dressed up.

[16:49] Natasha Davison: And then as the show went on, this is a spoiler, but I just loved everything about Cillabub so much, but my choice is still Grizabella.

[17:01] Leslie Trayer: Still Grizabella. Okay. What about you?

[17:06] Nancy Melius: Mine too.

[17:08] Leslie Trayer: Still Grizabella?

[17:09] Nancy Melius: It is.

[17:10] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Okay. So who did you play?

[17:11] Nancy Melius: I played, over the years, I did the show a total of five years. And when I came into the company, first I was in the booth, so one of those fabulous singers there. And then I moved into the role of Gumby Cat for a long time on our tour together. And toward the end of the tour, and I was also a Jelly Lorem understudy. And then David Taylor asked me to go to Hamburg and do Jelly Lorem. And so I did that for about a year there. And then I did Grizabella for six months. So I did all the old broads.

[17:33] Leslie Trayer: So you had to learn in Germany?

[17:35] Nancy Melius: I did. I did. And it was great. Our production was in Hamburg, but there was also a production in Vienna at the time. Total different translation, but it was really great to see the difference between the two.

[17:51] Leslie Trayer: Different translations.

[17:52] Nancy Melius: Very different.

[17:53] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. And they thought it was French. It was interesting. I guess my German wasn't quite hard enough. My glottals weren't hard enough. So I would come to the stage door and they'd talk to me in French. Luckily, I knew French, so that was helpful.

[18:07] Natasha Davison: Okay. So you did Jenny and Idas, and then you did Jelly Lorem and Grizabella.

[18:14] Nancy Melius: Okay. Was Grizabella also in German?

[18:16] Nancy Melius: It was. Oh wow.

[18:18] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. All right. So could you make an argument for all three of them on why they should be the Jellicle choice? When you were Jenny and Jelly, were you going like, hey, it's my turn?

[18:24] Nancy Melius: Well, Jenny, not so much. Okay. Not ready. Jelly Lorem, though, I feel like she was the supporter of a lot of the characters, but also her care of Gus, the theater cat, was incredible. And the fact that she and Gus both got to fulfill their fantasy, which is not actually in this production, this current production.

[18:46] Leslie Trayer: No. It's not been in a lot of productions recently.

[18:48] Nancy Melius: I was going to say, and it got pulled out pretty quickly.

[18:50] Leslie Trayer: Well, because first of all, it was expensive to produce that particular set. A giant boat, four pirates, parrots on the shoulder, you know, the whole thing.

[19:03] Nancy Melius: So I've never seen that in any production.

[19:05] Leslie Trayer: Really? Because I only saw cats from 2016 forward. The costumes were the most fabulous part about it. Gretel Bond was amazing.

[19:12] Nancy Melius: Some of them will do Peaks and Policles at that point instead.

[19:15] Leslie Trayer: Well, no. Peaks and Policles was one of those other numbers.

[19:17] Nancy Melius: No, I know. But some of them will now put that in Gus's part. They'll put that in. If they have a big ensemble, they'll put it on, because it's great for the ensemble. And they still get to be dancing cockroaches for Jenny and Eda, for Gumby Cat. So that's cool.

[19:30] Leslie Trayer: Yeah.

[19:31] Nancy Melius: Okay. So this whole podcast is that I don't think Grizabella is the right Jellicle choice. So you got to play Grizabella, but you also, as Jelly, you probably wanted Gus to go. So who's your Jellicle choice?

[19:38] Nancy Melius: I really did want Gus to go.

[19:40] Leslie Trayer: Okay. So you're team Gus?

[19:43] Nancy Melius: Yeah, I'm team Gus. Yeah, I guess so.

[19:45] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. I mean, I feel like Griz, I think that she deserved it to some extent in the end. My argument is not that Grizabella doesn't deserve her redemption.

[19:56] Nancy Melius: Right.

[19:57] Leslie Trayer: It's that she deserves a year with her family. So I want her to be accepted back, spend a year with the family.

[20:01] Nancy Melius: Before it would happen.

[20:02] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. And then she can go next year.

[20:04] Nancy Melius: I got that. Well, she does have to make some reparations. You know, she was kind of a needle bitch. So that's a problem. But you know, she's trying. She's got a whole year to make it up to her family. We all make mistakes. Good people make bad choices. She'll make it up to her family. It'll be time to go.

[20:22] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Time to go.

[20:23] Nancy Melius: There you go. Next year.

[20:25] Leslie Trayer: Gus is this year. I love that.

[20:26] Nancy Melius: Okay. I'm slowly convincing everybody in this room.

[20:29] Leslie Trayer: All right. I like that. Have you seen the Jellicle Ball yet?

[20:32] Nancy Melius: I have. I got to see it last night, final preview. It was brilliant. It's an incredible reimagining of the show. There are a lot of things that are very different, but I feel like it's something that's so necessary in our world climate right now. It's such a support of the LGBT community. And we just need to see that joy and what they do.

[20:48] Leslie Trayer: I mean, generally, my dear friend, General and I have, you know, done that dancing before, but that dancing is very different.

[21:03] Nancy Melius: I have a couple students. I also teach in a college and a couple of my students are involved in ballroom in Texas. And when I showed them the promo for the show, they were like, Oh my God, Miss Linda, we have to go see it. I said, yes, you do. So I brought them fans because fans are a big part of ballroom.

[21:18] Leslie Trayer: And we saw many, many fanning and flipping the fans. You know, last night in the show, amazing talent and incredible cast of just incredible young performers. And I'm so happy for them. I'm proud of them. And I just hope it goes forward, you know, because we need some redemption from the movie of cats.

[21:41] Nancy Melius: So it's, it's really, I think it will be that Andrew Lloyd Webber did not hold back on his comments on CBS about the movie.

[21:50] Leslie Trayer: He did not. And rightfully so.

[21:52] Nancy Melius: Yeah. I almost wore my movie t-shirt today and then I was like, ah, he's supposed to be walking on the red carpet. I don't need my Judy Dench t-shirt in front of him.

[22:01] Leslie Trayer: But yeah, that was a, that was not one of her, her seller roles. Great to have you back on the show. Have you had more discussions since we chatted about the job with choice? I know I asked questions that you weren't thinking about.

[22:14] Nancy Melius: I had never heard of your choice. And so I asked my friends and they said, that kind of makes sense.

[22:25] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. So people agree with you. Even people here today, I was asking them. Grizabella only has 40% of the votes.

[22:37] Nancy Melius: Is that true?

[22:38] Leslie Trayer: Keep track. 40%. Only 40% of the votes.

[22:44] Nancy Melius: So what are you most excited for, for tonight?

[22:50] Leslie Trayer: I'm actually not going to get to go tonight. I went last night to the preview.

[22:56] Nancy Melius: What'd you think?

[22:58] Leslie Trayer: I loved it. I mean, it was, it was fun. It was different, but it was, the music was still the same. Still cats. I mean, but to hear the music go from like Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer to this like rock out ballroom. It was great.

[23:16] Nancy Melius: Super fun. Super unique.

[23:18] Leslie Trayer: Okay. Did that production change your mind on the job with choice at all?

[23:22] Nancy Melius: A little bit. Yeah. A little bit.

[23:25] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Especially after seeing, well, not just Gus, but even Jimmy.

[23:30] Nancy Melius: Yeah. You know that.

[23:32] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. But I thought, Misophilies.

[23:38] Nancy Melius: Misophilies?

[23:39] Leslie Trayer: Yeah. Okay. I would've seen Misophilies. Misophilies has the most votes from that production when we did the stuff down here.

[23:43] Daniel Wright: Mastoffely has gotten most of them. What's this kid? The same? Yeah. He's amazing.

[23:49] Natasha Davison: Amazing. Incredible performer. Yeah. Incredible. Yeah. And no, no bones. No.

[23:57] Daniel Wright: Can't even consider doing any of those things. Yeah. My name is Daniel Wright. I was Pounceable. Not many people know who Pounceable is.

[24:03] Natasha Davison: We know. We know. We know. This room knows.

[24:09] Daniel Wright: And I was lucky enough to understudy Mastoffely's too. So it was great. It's a really incredible chapter in my life. Yeah. I feel very fortunate to have done it. Do you remember your Pounceable story? Like what was Pounceable's character story?

[24:25] Natasha Davison: That's so funny that you say that. Because I remember once we were, we had our supervisors coming around and they had a backstory for all of us and they got to Pounceable and they're like, we don't know about, we don't know anything. We don't know.

[24:40] Daniel Wright: Thanks. That's so funny. I think he was just like one of the kittens that just really was always trying to, I guess, I don't know, show off is the right word, but you know, be where all the action was.

[24:50] Natasha Davison: Yeah. Okay. Okay. A little mischievous.

[24:56] Daniel Wright: A little mischievous. That's why you understudied Mastoffely.

[25:01] Natasha Davison: That's why you understudied Mastoffely. That's it. Okay. So this whole podcast centers around, I don't think Grizabella being the right Jellicle choice. So I want to know who's your Jellicle choice and why. Wow. And you can say Grizabella, but I'll argue with you if you do.

[25:16] Daniel Wright: Wow. That's a trick question for me. I don't know. Maybe, I mean, I guess it would be kind of too obvious to say like someone like Old Deuteronomy because he was the oldest to go to the Heaviside Lair.

[25:31] Natasha Davison: Wow. I kind of feel like everybody.

[25:42] Daniel Wright: Everybody. What's Pounceable's reason? Is he ready to go or no?

[25:48] Natasha Davison: No, he's, no, that's true. He's, you know, that's true. He wasn't really, he wasn't ready to, too young, too much to live for.

[25:53] Daniel Wright: Yeah. But I guess I feel like maybe I think of the Heaviside Lair as being more like sort of a state of mind.

[26:00] Natasha Davison: Yeah. As opposed to like, you know, the final resting place. It's not death.

[26:06] Daniel Wright: Yeah. Okay. To be a higher registry. So then everyone's ready to go.

[26:10] Natasha Davison: Yeah. Okay. You know, the experience of the tribe and.

[26:15] Daniel Wright: Yeah. I like that. We're all going together. Just one. All going together. All drink the Kool-Aid together at the same time.

[26:19] Natasha Davison: Exactly. Okay. So when was your first production of Cats?

[26:27] Daniel Wright: My first production of Cats was January 1st of 1991. Okay. The national tour, Bus and Truck 4, which is a lot of these people did.

[26:33] Natasha Davison: Yes.

[26:39] Daniel Wright: And I was in high school.

[26:39] Natasha Davison: High school. Yeah. Wow. Okay. Yeah. I finished high school on the road by correspondence. There was no internet. So, you know, it was all, I had to write it down, all my work and FedEx it to my teachers.

[26:43] Natasha Davison: Wow. Okay. And who were you playing at the time?

[26:48] Daniel Wright: At the time I was a Kitten Swing. Kitten Swing. So I covered Rumpelteaser, Victoria, and Cillabub.

[26:53] Natasha Davison: All right. And then you said you made your Broadway debut in Cats.

[26:57] Daniel Wright: Yep. Then they moved me to the Broadway company as Cillabub.

[27:02] Natasha Davison: As Cillabub. Amazing. Okay. So this whole show is about the geographical choice. Yes. So if you could choose any cat to go to the Heaviside Lair, who would you choose and why?

[27:09] Daniel Wright: Wow. I hadn't anticipated this. Oh, I'm getting a prompt over here that he should be chosen. Steve Watkins over there who covered Old Deuteronomy and Gus. Old Deuteronomy's got to go sometime.

[27:20] Natasha Davison: But does he? I think so. Or does he live forever? Like he's timeless.

[27:26] Daniel Wright: Yes. I mean, he should be the one. Old Deuteronomy's your choice.

[27:32] Natasha Davison: Old Deuteronomy. Okay. I mean, I think he's lived enough cat lives. Yeah. Wouldn't you say? It's his time.

[27:38] Daniel Wright: Yeah. It's definitely his time. But then who's going to be the one to choose if he's gone?

[27:41] Natasha Davison: Monkistrap.

[27:45] Daniel Wright: He's being groomed to take over.

[27:45] Natasha Davison: He's being groomed. Okay. So you know a lot more than I do. You really delve deep into the cat's world. 200 plus episodes, 250 plus episodes of different people telling the story. You know it inside and out.

[27:51] Daniel Wright: I know a lot of it. Yeah. I mean, I could do the Jellicle Ball for you. I can't do that. I can't sing it. I can't dance it. But I can tell you about the characters in the story.

[27:55] Natasha Davison: I can't forget that Jellicle Ball. I know it. You still do it.

[28:03] Daniel Wright: I do it in my sleep. I can do it in my sleep. And one of the things that happens sometimes in my sleep, I think a lot of us cats have had this sort of reoccurring dream slash nightmare, is in the beginning, the green eyes, you know, when you go through the audience. And when you're on tour, it was literally like spinal tap. Because you know, when they can't find their way to the stage, like that's what it was like for us in a lot of theaters. It was a maze. Even though they'd have all these signs of, you know, stage this way with arrows, you would get so confused. And the overture is playing. You've already been in the audience doing your green eyes. And you can't find the stage. And your entrance is coming up.

[28:40] Natasha Davison: That's amazing. You've got to weave your way in.

[28:45] Daniel Wright: Yeah, so it's a reoccurring, you know, stress dream. Awesome. Green eyes. I went to the heavy side. I went to the heavy side. So my whole show is about how I don't think Grizabella is the right Jellicle choice. So how you don't think that I don't think she's the right Jellicle choice. She sure is. Are you kidding me? I want Grizabella to have a year with the family after the redemption. I want you to have time with your family.

[29:03] Natasha Davison: Okay, I hear that. Spend time with family hang out. You know, they welcomed you back. They did welcome me back. And then you immediately go to the heavy side layer. But up there I could sprinkle fairy dust down on everybody.

[29:11] Daniel Wright: So the first time I went to the heavy side layer, right? This is probably kind of crazy. I'm afraid of heights. That's tough to go for. So the first time every night, well, and when I first so I joined the show in Atlanta, and I got to see that they were going up really high. And I thought, I'm going to have to get my notice and I haven't even started the show yet. That's how scared I was.

[29:30] Natasha Davison: Oh, wow. But what was so amazing. The first time we did it, the stage hand held my hand. He goes, I'm going to have you don't worry, I have you I have you because you're up on the catwalk.

[29:37] Daniel Wright: Yeah, it's scary. Yeah. Are you like hooked in though?

[29:40] Natasha Davison: Pardon me? Are you hooked in?

[29:46] Daniel Wright: No, just you just walk from that tire to a very tiny catwalk.

[29:51] Natasha Davison: Wow. And he's holding my hand the whole time. And if he didn't, if he said, Don't be scared. I would have hated him because of course you're scared. You could die. I mean, if you fell, Heaviside layer or not, right? I would just be.

[30:06] Daniel Wright: But I hear what you're saying. It would be nice if she hung out. Yeah, send Gus you go next year.

[30:27] Natasha Davison: No, be nice. But you know, that's my argument. I love you.

[30:33] Daniel Wright: Just hang out with the cats. The kids, right? Have you seen the Did you get to see the dog?

[30:36] Natasha Davison: No, I'm gonna sing tonight. Yeah. Yeah. Looking forward to everything. All of it. Everything. I can't wait. It's just everybody. You know, the people who went last night. Yeah. They're just over the moon for it. These are my cast members. So you know, the best time I'm so excited. And I love Natasha, of course. Yeah. And her daughter. Yeah. You know, Claire, do you know?

[31:00] Daniel Wright: No, I don't. Oh, well, her daughter was in one of my musicals. I wrote I write music. So okay. But I can't wait. I can't. I'm very excited. I'm very excited for you to hear. I want to see if you still think this Grizabella is the right choice.

[31:05] Natasha Davison: Oh, she's got big shoes. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. No, no, it's such a it was such an honor to play that role. Yeah. So I couldn't believe it. I'm gonna ask you my Grizabella question. Okay. When Grizabella leaves the tribe, where does she go?

[31:21] Daniel Wright: Oh, you mean before? Before she comes back. Well, she goes into this hiding place where she's meditating and trying to figure out what she did wrong because everybody rejected her. And now she's you know, she goes into this place of like, okay, maybe I could have done it better. And you know, she goes into this place of self-examination. She's you know, she's trying to figure out. Is that a good answer?

[31:37] Natasha Davison: Yeah, it's more wholesome than meditating is more wholesome than I usually get as an answer for this.

[31:46] Daniel Wright: Oh, well, I didn't do any heavy drugs. Yeah. So usually, it's a much darker backstory before she comes back.

[31:52] Natasha Davison: She could have done that. She probably did it for a little bit. A little bit. Yeah, a little bit. She probably did it. But when the show starts, you're already in that place, but she probably felt sorry for herself for a little bit. And being rejected is horrifying. That's why you get the redemption. Yeah. And what I love to leave right away.

[32:10] Daniel Wright: I know, but I loved it that I'm going through the line and everybody's touching me and like giving me and like, I feel accepted. Yeah, finally. Yeah. And it's just I could use that. I always every, every night my, you know, as an actor, you have to substitute sometimes. Yeah. I don't even know if I had to substitute. It's a really amazing, powerful thing. If you see people accepting you, and singing that song has to get you all the emotion.

[32:41] Natasha Davison: The first time I sang it, I still sing it. I do. I do cabaret shows. And I just did a show called Everything's Coming Up Rosie. And it's all my Broadway shows that I've done. And all I've did Mama Rose and all those shows. And I always do Grizabella. Yeah. And you know what everybody in the audience says? Wow, that still works. Yeah. It's a great song. Great song. It's a great song. And everybody can relate to it. Everybody wants to feel like they get a second chance. Yeah. You know? Amen. Look at this. This is like you've stepped up my friend. Official.

[33:16] Daniel Wright: This is good. Official. Yeah. This is awesome. All right. So this is now your third time talking. You've been on the show twice. I love it. Yeah. And I'll be on more times. I still want to do the reunion. We've got to do the reunion. I want to do the reunion really badly. I mean, unfortunately, we, you know, Ken's no longer with us, but he's there with us in spirit for sure. I really thought Ken was going to be Andre's.

[33:31] Natasha Davison: Me too. Me too.

[33:36] Daniel Wright: Okay. So you've already seen the downtown production. Yes. Have you seen it in the transfer yet?

[33:49] Natasha Davison: I did. I saw it last night and I'm going tonight.

[33:54] Daniel Wright: You're going tonight. Okay. What did you think about the differences between the two?

[34:00] Natasha Davison: It's basically the same, but it's just like a little more, there's some parts that are clearer. I think they just like were able to just fix some things that I think really, really helps the audience.

[34:04] Daniel Wright: Yeah. I really like the Macavity updates.

[34:09] Natasha Davison: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was really, that was really cool.

[34:16] Daniel Wright: Yeah. So since we've last talked, how many times have you consulted on different shows for Cats?

[34:24] Natasha Davison: A few. A few? A few. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like two or three. Yeah. Okay. Two or three. Has there been any like changes in the way you now perceive or think about it now seeing the Jellicle Ball or just doing it of how you go in and tell the story to the new kittens?

[34:36] Daniel Wright: I don't because I try to keep to what is like the lore of the original, right? I feel like that's sort of my duty to like continue carrying that on and passing that on. Yeah. Okay. And so you've answered a couple of times now, but who's your Jellicle choice and why?

[35:02] Natasha Davison: Oh, well, I think it's Mustafa.

[35:09] Daniel Wright: Mustafa? No, no, I don't. I don't think he gets picked. In this production, Mustafa gets a lot of votes.

[35:15] Natasha Davison: I know. I know. He does get a lot of votes. Yeah. I'm going to stick with Gus.

[35:22] Daniel Wright: Yes. Gus. Team Gus. Gus should be picked, but then we do pick Grizabella, right?