Cats: The Jellicle Ball

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In recent years we have been offered reinventions of classic musicals like Camelot, Pal Joey, Sunset Boulevard, I Can Get It for You Wholesale and The Baker’s Wife some of which were extraordinary and others mistakes. Now we have the sensational new version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Eliot’s renamed Cats: “The Jellicle Ball,” co-directed by Louisiana-raised Zhailon Levingston and PAC NYC artistic director Bill Rauch with choreography by Arturo Lyons and vogue dancer Omari Wiles which has moved from PAC NYC to Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre and is better than ever. This immersive production which includes the audience on many occasions is an exciting and dynamic reinvention eliminating the feline tale that so many found difficult to take seriously. Remarkably, after a two-year hiatus, most of the original cast is still intact and even more energetic and animated than before.

The show is now a drag ball competition inspired by Ballroom culture with a cast that includes Ballroom icons like “Tempress” Chasity Moore and Junior LaBeija as well as Broadway legend André De Shields as Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle leader. The Broadhurst Theatre has been reconfigured by set designer Rachel Hauck to include a thrust stage at center with a glitter curtain at the back and a long table for the judges and later a throne chair for Old Deuteronomy when he arrives near the end of Act I. The stage now also includes two ringside bleachers on either side of the central platform for the audience, and cabaret tables and banquettes for the first row on either side of the stage as well as counter seating along the thrust stage for four. The cast make sudden unexpected appearances all over the orchestra level using the aisles as runways. The new orchestrations by Lloyd Webber and David Wilson, overseen by William Waldrop (music supervisor and director) and David Lai (music coordinator) give the Lloyd Webber score an entirely new and updated sound.

The dynamic and exciting dances include the five elements of voguing: catwalk, duckwalk, hand performances, floor performances and spins and dips in various combinations. The competitions which include almost every song are taken from real ballroom events and the names appear on the rear wall over the glitter curtain in Brittany Bland’s projection design. These include Virgin Vogue, Realness, Body, Bizarre, Opulence, New Way Vs. Old Way, Labels, Women’s, and All American. One razzle dazzle competition is the Tag Team Performance to the song “Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer” which pits “knockabout clowns” Jonathan Burke and Dava Huesca in matching green costumes with ballerina Baby Byrne as Victoria and dancer Primo Thee Ballerino as Tumblebrutus dressed in black matching costumes.

Although it is difficult to always know who is singing as the songs about various contestants are often sung by anonymous members of the ensemble, some performances stand out. New to the Off Broadway cast is Ken Ard as DJ. Griddlebone set up in one of the balcony boxes. Dudney Joseph, Jr.’s amiable Munkustrap is “our Master of Ceremonies” throughout the evening. “Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town” with B. Noel Thomas subbing for Nora Schell a chance to demonstrate vivacity and humor and a strip tease down to a United Kingdom flag low cut body suit. Grammy Award Winner Sydney James Harcourt’s sexy and buff Rum Tum Tugger shows up in various scenes including the applause-generating songs “The Rum Tum Tugger” and “Magical Mister Mistoffelees.”

In Act Two, there are a series of show-stopping production numbers: Junior LaBeija brings his authority and wry humor to “Gus: The Theatre Cat” as well as a huge ovation. Emma Sofia dazzles in her dances as “Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat” while tall, sinuous Robert “Silk” Mason confounds as “Magical Mister Mistoffelees” with doing incredible illusions. Eliot’s famous poem “Macavity, the Mystery Cat” is recounted by Bebe Nicole Simpson as Demeter in yellow and Garnet Williams as Bombalurina in green and eventually joined by feline Leiomy as Macavity in green. André De Shields dressed in a series of royal purple outfits brings gravitas to his Old Deuteronomy and is treated like royalty from his first appearance to his last, from singing “Old Deuteronomy” to the finale, “The Ad-Dressing of Cats.” And not surprisingly, “Tempress” Chasity Moore’s Grizabella, the faded Glamour Cat, stops the show in her rendition of “Memory,” in her transformation from bag lady to sophisticated lady dressed in silver sequins, as does Teddy Wilson, Jr.’s version as Sillabub, her number one fan, who gets to sing it as well.

Each night there are two guest judges (one from the theater community and one from ballroom) and the winners vary from night to night. Qween Jean’s fabulous costumes are continually eye filling and each scene tops the previous one. The lighting by Adam Honoré dazzles all evening from colored lights to roving spotlights to other stage effects. Paul Kieve is credited with the magic and illusions too numerous to mention. Unfortunately, the venue’s acoustics or Kai Harada’s sound design stints on our deciphering T.S. Eliot’s clever lyrics but many in the audience must know the words from previous hearings. Among the audience participation are clapping in unison, standing for entrances, and singing along, and the audience at the performance under review was eagerly involved.

Not only is the new Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” an exciting, exhilarating extravaganza, it reinvents a show that many though they knew intimately and could not be done any other way. Though some of the cast wear furs that resemble felines like Munkustrap’s full-length fur coat and Rum Rum Tugger’s striped jacket-length fur coat, and there are some cat-like moves, this is an entirely new plot doing away with the junkyard setting and four-legged animals of the original production. Not only is this Cats different from any you have ever seen before, it is the most dynamic musical show to be seen in New York right now. You will be sorry if you miss it as no description can do it justice.

Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” (open run)

Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-239-6200 or visit http://www.catsthejellicleball.com/tickets/

Running time: two hours and 50 minutes including one intermission