Okay, this is the first time I've seen CATS live. We were on our way to San Antonio, where it was showing, and I couldn't wait. We got to the Majestic Theatre with 45 minutes to spare and found a parking space in a parking garage close by, six floors up. We went downstairs and got in line, that was about half a block long, to get into the theatre.
        We get inside and head for our seats in the mezzanine (that's kinda like the balcony, only a little lower), but got sidetracked by the souvenir stand. My step dad and grandfather went to grab ours seats and me and my mom went to go buy souvenirs. My mom got a shirt. It has CATS written on the front, and the eyes on the back. I got a shirt too. It has the cover from the video on the front, and CATS and the eyes on the back I also got a souvenir book, that had stuff about the tour in it, stuff about T.S. Eliot, stuff about the show in general and lots of pictures in it. I also got a double-sided poster with video cover and the logo with eyes on one side, and the logo without eyes and Mungojerrie, Electra, and Alonzo on the other side. They were also selling the commemorative video and the DVD. I now have the DVD. My step dad came and got us, gave me a Playbill, and we got into our seats.
    Our seats were up high in the mezzanine on the left side. We had a great view of the stage, but both my step dad and me would have preferred, if we could of gotten them, center stage. (I think I would of gone for about third row.) So we sit down and they come over the intercom with who a few of the cats were going to be played by, because the people who normally play them couldn't for the performance, and they also told us that we could not take pictures during the show or record any of it. If we were caught the film would be taken away. They then said that strobe lights and pyrotechnics would be used through out the show, and that sometimes the dancers will be in the audience. After this the music starts and up on the stage, cats eyes start to flash yellow and green, making it look like there are a lot of cats on there. Speaking of cats� The dancers are entering the theater from the back and are coming down the aisles. I recognized some of the cats, but not many. They came up on the stage and got into their places.
     It was about this time that I started to notice some differences between seeing CATS live and just seeing it on video. In person the cast seems a lot smaller in the video they feel bigger. There are some cats that aren't in the tour, but they are in the video. In the tour, there are no Etcetera, Electra, Exotica (she's video/DVD only), Tantomile or Coricopat. (Yeah, no mystical twins, can you believe it?) There is a cat named Genghis, that I have heard of but didn't know was in the tour, I just thought he was used overseas. There is no trapeze, so when they say "We can dive
The stage door we waited outside of for pictures.
like a flying trapeze." they have, I think it's Rumple, back flip across the stage. At one point Jemima (Sillabub in the tour) sings a line, and her voice is very high pitched and girlish (she's a kitten so it would be), and I didn't like it at all. Victoria's solo dance was incredible to watch in person. It was just wow, and one of the things I would of liked closer seats for. Jenny's song was a little longer then it is in the vid, and of course Pounce tried to chase her with his knife, when he was supposed to be a good little roach, and Jenny made him get back in line. Remeber in the vid how Munku, Demi, and Bomba just appear out of thin air in front of the beatles tattoo? Well they're in front of them here and to get there, they walk out in front of them.
        When Rum Tum Tugger showed up he was just as good as John Partridge. He was very funny, and kinda sexy at the same time, and played to the audience as much as he could. When he says that he only likes what he finds for himself, and sniffs Bombalurina's arm, you could hear it over the mic, and when he pushed her away, rejecting her, the look she gave him in return was priceless. During the guitar solo, he went out into the audience and picked a woman to dance with. She looked a little embarrassed, but danced with him anyways. (Wish it was me, would of loved to dance with RTT.)
       When Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer came around, she was wearing a black lace teddy, stockings and a garter on one leg over her costume. (For real, she was.) Got to see the entire song. (Yay!) After Old Deuteronomy, they went straight into The Jellicle Ball and we skipped The Battle of the Pekes and Pollicles. (I just looked at my book of lyrics for the Original Broadway Cast, and it isn't there either. Is that song just used in shows over seas, or what? But we do get Growltiger's Last Stand. During which, Jellylorum yanked on Growltiger;s waist, so he'd pull her back to her feet, and he yelped while singing. And he also picked on Misto a lot. Jellicle Ball rocked live!! I thought it kicked ass on the vid, it's even better in person! Then we had intermission, and the lines for the ladies room were extremely long, but I did see two kids in costumes. One little girl was a black cat and another kid, was Tugger. I went down to the stage, and looked at the stage up close. (Wish my mom had gotten some pics of the stage...)
        Okay, so we'll fast forward to Mr. Mistoffelees. (Yeah, I know I'm skipping, but oh well.) Misto was played by the dancer who normally does Pounce, but this time instead of Pounce, he was Misto. He was a great dancer, and did 29 spins on one leg during his song. (Part of my mind promptly piped up "Jacob Brent can do 32!" What can I say, forever the Jacob fan�) Everyone clapped while he was doing it. One of the flashes went off a little to strong near a couple of the dancers, I think it was Vicky and one of the other queens, and they flinched slightly, but no damange done. At the end of his song where he disappears, he with his hands, made the spot light that was on him, get smaller and smaller until it's completely gone and he vanishes in the darkness.  I noticed at one point that Tugger and Misto were hangng around eachother a lot, and once were sitting right next to each other. (I can now see why these two cats get put together as a couple so often.)
      During Memory, everyone clapped after Griz did her solo, and when she was sent to the Heavyside Layer. The thing she went up in looked kinda like a UFO. I made a comment of this and my step dad replied, "Well you didn't think cats were from Earth did you?"
        At the end of the show, the cast got a standing ovation, and when they were coming out, they would show off a little. The ones that got clapped and cheered for the loudest were Munkustrap, Demi, Bomba, 'jerrie and 'teazer, Misto (I promptly shouted "YEAH MISTO!"), Old Deuteronomy, Grizabella, and of course, Rum Tum Tugger. Right at the end, Bomba acted towards Tugger, like she was actually interested in him, and when he came to her, she rejected him and shoved him away, which made him fall down and she stepped on his chest, walking away off the stage. He ran after her and off the stage.
       I went downstage and saw the set up close, again. There are very few instruments used. It's mostly recorded music that they use. Then I went out to the stage door to get autographs. My step dad said that they probably wouldn't do autographs, but I knew better. We found the stage door, with help from an usher, and I waited. I got 13 autographs
Me getting an autograph from Daivid Blonn, who played Misto that day. He's not supposed to have his make up on when he leaves the theater, the dancers can get in trouble for that...I have no idea why.
in all. That was about half of the cast. And they were all so nice too. Tugger at one point had to ask everyone to back up just a little bit in case some of the other dancers wanted to come out, but it was cool. This is everyone's autograph that I got and which cat they played:
Everyone waiting for autographs.
Shylo Smith- Victoria
Bryce Bermingham- Mungojerrie
Pamela Rainey- Rumpleteazer
Stan Stanley- Rum Tum Tugger
Mike Ericson- Munkustrap (He's actually one of the Male Swings, that means he can fill in for one of the male dancers that isn't there for that performance.)
Jarrett Ali Boyd- Old Deuteronomy
David Blonn- Misto (He normally does Pouncival, and understudies for Misto. When he came out, he still had his make up on, and was in normal clothes and a baseball cap. So there's Misto, dressed normal, and signing autographs, left and right. He did this for about ten minutes and then went back inside, because they aren't supposed to be outside, dressed normal with their make up on; they can get into trouble for doing that. So Misto was being a bad boy. He was very nice and cute too. I made my mom get several pictures of him. Hopefully, they all come out good.
Gretchen Goldsworthy- Grizabella
Wendi Bergamini- Griddlebone/Jellylorum
Julie Garnye- Jennyanydots
William Hartery- Gus/Bustopher Jones/Growltiger
Ronnie Nelson- Alonzo/Rumpus
Mellissa Elizabeth Emrico- Cassandra

After that, we got the car, and went home. All in all, it was fun, and I want to do it again.
Who Played Who

I was asked by a friend to post which dancer played which cat, so here they are:

Alonzo-Ronnie Nelson
Asparagus-William Hartery
Bombalurina-Sharon Huneycutt
Bustopher Jones-William Hartery
Cassandra-Melissa Elizabeth Emrico
Demeter-Jessica Lea Patty
Genghis-Bryce Bermingham
Griddlebone-Wendi Bergamini
Grizabella-Gretchen Goldsworthy
Growltiger-William Hartery
Jellylorum-Wendi Bergamini
Jennyanydots-Julie Garnye
Macavity-Everett Taylor
Mistoffelees-McCree O'kelly (But he didn't perform for the show I saw, wonder if he's good....)
Mungojerrie-Bryce Bermingham
Munkustrap-Grant Turner (Again, didn't perform for the show I saw, wonder if he's good....)
Old Deuteronomy-Jarrett Ali Boyd
Plato-Everett Taylor
Pouncival-David A. Blonn (Except this time, he played Misto.)
Rumpleteazer-Pamela Rainey
Rum Tum Tugger-Stan Stanley
Rumpus-Ronnie Nelson (We didn't get Pekes and Pollicles, and I don't remember seeing Rumpus anywhere on stage at all.)
Sillabub (Jemima)-Katie Ann Wanner
Skimbleshanks-John Sechrist
Tumblebrutus-Brian Collier
Victoria-Shylo Smith
Victoria (Shylo Smith) signing autographs, the girl in the red shirt and black hair is me.
Rumpleteazer (Pamela Rainy) signing autographs. The guy in the blue shirt  is my step dad, the black haired girl is me.
Understudies (These are people that can fill in for various cats and they are announced at the beginning of the show.)

Grizabella-Julie Garnye
Mistoffelees-Brad Barnes, David A. Blonn, and it says in the Playbill that Brian Collier is also an understudy for Misto, but he isn't listed in the insert in the souvenir book, as one for Misto.
Swing Singer Female-Nicole Johndrow
Swing Signer Male-Don Adkins
Big Boy Swing One-Mike Ericson
Big Boy Swing Two-Colin Cunliffe
Female Tall Swing- Erin Braithwaite
Female Kitten Swing- Susanna Hirst
Male Kitten Swing-A. Ross Cornell
My Ticket to the Heavyside Layer

The Playbill everyone autographed

Misto signing more autographs before he had to go back into the theater

Vicki signing more autographs before she went back to the hotel, I wanted a picture of the back of her coat

Rum Tum Tugger coming out to sign autographs


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