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| The Magical, The Mystical, Mr. Mistoffelees. By: MoonbeamDancer. |
| Author's Note's-Hey everyone! Hope you like the paper. I wrote it in 11th grade, so it's out of date by now. I got a 90 on it! If anyone wants to put this on their page, you must E-Mail me and ask. I worked hard on this, so that's the least you can do. This paper is MINE! Other then that, enjoy. Anything in red is something I added later. "The greatest magicians have something to learn, from Mr. Mistoffelees conjuring turn." (CATS) Over the past 16 years, 14 people have played Mistoffelees, which is the most strenuous role in CATS, and Jacob Brent is the current one in the Broadway Cast. Jacob Brent is 28 years old, and is from North Carolina. He started dancing professionally when he was 9 and has danced for 18 years. His dance teacher Duncan Nobel, from North Carolina School of Arts, where Jacob graduated from, taught him how to dance. Jacob's first job dancing was for Walt Disney World, in the dance troupe called "The World Dancers.". His second job was in Las Vegas, as part of the original cast, in 'Starlight Express.' as Turnov. He then got a part in CATS. In 1991, he joined the Broadway cast of CATS. He first joined them as Pouncival, even though he had "originally understudied for both Pouncival and Mistoffelees" (Ultimately Mr. Mistoffelees). Then, 1997, he started playing Mistoffelees. I've seen the way he works in the video. He makes it look so easy, like he's flying. What he thinks of his character is that, "He's a bit of a rascal, I think. He's a bit of a child prodigy of the tribe, and brilliant at what he does, and is a little wacky at the same time. He's not really an adult, but he's not a kitten. He has these magical powers that he doesn't quite know how to use yet, but he's learning." (Ultimately Mr. Mistoffelees.) |
| Jacob also teaches dance for a Broadway clinic called "Access Broadway" (I have a friend that got to go, she's so lucky! My little sister Lil' Vicky got to go. She met him, they talked, AND he signed her cast!! *her leg had been broken at the time.*) He teaches with the current Pouncival and other big names on Broadway. He was in CATS when they broke the record for longest Broadway show running. 6,138 shows since it started. (It's now something like 7,100 and something.) He is one of the MOST sought after performers, choreographers, and teachers. In 1998, Jacob went over to London to tape CATS, in the New London Theater. There they had past and present performers from all of the various CATS casts. Ken Page and Elaine Paige from the original Broadway cast, (Elaine Paige is from the -if I remember right- original London cast. I didn't find this out until after I had already handed in the paper and gotten my grade.) Jo Gibb, from the London cast, who played Old Deuteronomy, Grizabella, and Rumpleteazer, just to name a few. For some it was a CATS reunion of sorts, for Jacob it was like a refresher course: The whole experience was kind of a dreamland, it was the intensity of the project, and really getting the show from the horse's mouth. It reminded me that you do get to feel that CATS is in your blood. I guess it always will be. (Marks, Peter.) Jacob Brent has been playing Mistoffelees in the Broadway for four years (and I hope he stays there for a long time.). (We all know how that ended. :( ) The video version of CATS is under 2 hours long; the Broadway version is 2 hours and 40 minutes. What they chopped out was "Growltiger's Last Stand" completely, and three verses of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" (In the behind the movie tape, we see what they cut from that song.) There are bloopers all over the video. Part of the fun is going back and seeing if they're there, and finding new ones. For example in "The Pekes and The Pollicles", Jacob throws one of his shoes, and the girls proceed to kick it across the stage. In some scenes you can see some of the cats pull up their arm warmers, because they keep slipping down. And in some scenes you can see other cats get ready for their cues. "Over the last 17 years, productions of CATS, have been performed in 26 countries to an audience of 50 million people, who have bought $2 billion dollars worth of tickets." (Marks, Peter.) So in the words of Rum Tum Tugger, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, the magical, the mystical, Mr. Mistoffelees!" (CATS) CATS opened in New York City on October 7, 1982. It closed on September 10, 2000 after showing 7,485 shows. Jacob was in London in CATS as Misto, and is now back here in the states. CATS opened in London on May 11, 1981. It closed on May 11, 2002. Back to My Fics Back to Main Page |