“Cats: The Jellicle Ball” has done the impossible: it found a way for Cats to make sense.

Chastity Moore is in a few episodes of Pose as well! She really stuns as Grizabella.

I'm really glad they cast some people who are actually in the ballroom scene - I hope they all blow up after this. Silk Mason, Baby, and Dava Huesca were all particularly delightful.

Is your name a riff on Wilton Manors?

And yeah - an off-Broadway venue charging MORE than a lot of Broadway venues is insane.

pac has a $30 rush sale if you're under thirty years old !!

Average folks think, "eh, just cats singing and dancing."

In actuality, it's "CAT COMPETITION to go to heaven/SPACE and they hate the old lady cat and also there's a spooky cat and a magic cat and an old ass man cat who is like cat!Jesus and gets to pick the SPACE CAT"

So I get the confusion.

Well, third song. Lmao.

But yeah, I don't get why some people have an aversion to shows that have simple premises - not everything has to be heavy on exposition. Although, I guess the fact that everyone is dressed as cats doesn't help.

I like CATS. It's a fun show if you don't take it too seriously.

As much as I like to dig into the buried meanings, arcs, and subplots. It's literally told in 12 lines of recited poetry: cats come together to have a party and pick who needs to die.

From what I gather interpreting it through the Ballroom scene works really well. But I'm irked with the take that Trevor Nunn and Gillian Lynne's vision was broken and needed fixing.

It’s funny cause Six and Ride the Cyclone are basically the same style of show as Cats but I guess people don’t want to look past the costumes

I don't think anything about the original Cats wouldn't make sense, but believing that you are seeing actual cats as opposed to actors dressed up like cats just requires another level of theatrical suspension of disbelief that may or may not work for everyone. This production is great because there are no cats, it's just people who call themselves cats, having a party which doesn't take any suspension of disbelief. It's like being invited to an actual ball as an observer (or minor participant, if you are sitting in one of the cabaret tables) and it's like the most fun party for 2 hours or so.

Exactly. I've had this issue my whole life, people just not understanding. It's like it's so simple people blow right past the meaning thinking that can't be it?

I’m a CAT and I want to DIE!

Not exactly what people expect from a show.

I think it’s a lot of young people who have never seen Cats who love the “hot take” about how Cats sucks and never made any sense. At least that’s who I mostly hear this take from.

Young people can, and should, have opinions, but this same opinion over and over again is as tired and overdone as they seem to think Cats is.

I don't think it's that CATS doesn't make sense, the just the whole magical cat-resurrection competition that also seems to invoke space aliens and a flying saucer(??) might not be directly relatable to many people - especially if you're not a cat-owner familiar with their odd behaviors that the original CATS tries to somewhat justify. Adults in leg warmers doing kitty ballet doesn't hit with people, but the drag ball/singing competition is a bit more understandable and makes more sense if it's not physical resurrection but (I'm assuming) Grizabella being a has-been and making a comeback after being shunned by the community, and that the performers have been tasked with performing under a "theme" of being cats.

This actually gives insight how to make CATS stageable for smaller theater companies who don't want to do full-on ballet/junkyard/special effects since it could be framed as a cabaret, either drag, or even just an audition/performing competition. The music is fun and well-known enough that it holds up as a concert/cabaret outside the logistical trappings of the original show. Despite being a smash hit, it's kind of always had the pall (like Starlight Express) of "is this supposed to be mega-million dollar children's theater?"

Exactly, and that's why this artistic vision for it is clearly working! I guess it just makes it a little clearer for everyone who didn't get it the first time?

Cats has always made perfect sense

Yeah I've always enjoyed Cats, I'm sure I'll enjoy this version, and I'm glad people are getting enjoyment from it who hadn't before, but I don't understand all the comments like this (or all the "they finally fixed Cats!" ones)

Media literacy is at an all-time low.

But to be fair, "Cats" did run for 18 years so apperantly a lot of people got it!

I think a lot of the people criticizing it have never seen it. I can understand not liking the show for many reasons, but this version hasn’t added any meaning that wasn’t already there. I saw it back in the 80s and liked it a lot, but it was the cool show to see then. There was a big turnaround in public opinion which was when people suddenly decided it made no sense and started parroting what they heard other people say. But they literally tell you the plot right at the beginning.

I didn't know this! There was definitely people wearing glittery/fun outfits - think if you needed to go to a Pride parade but also have a sit down dinner? But I would say the majority were not dressed in any sort of special fashion - I wore shorts, a tank top, and a short-sleeved cardigan.

Glitter tops/jackets/pants are an easy and eyecatching way to dress for the event without being too uncomfortable. Also a good reference is what the members of the Haus of Silk wore when they came to support Robert Silk Mason last night. https://x.com/robert802371/status/1805043177881022535 

Music is completely unchanged. It's still 100% ALW Cats.

If you treat it as if the term Cat is a slang (cool cats, etc) and add a sprinkle of camp, then the lyrics still make sense being unchanged.

the winners of categories got trophies and if you're talking about the memory cat I'm not sure how to explain it but she does go somewhere and it's a very beautiful moment!

It doesn't HAVE to make sense but it's pretty brilliant that they found a framing to make it make sense.

I’m not paying money to be confused. I can do that for free.

They have student and 30under30!

In addition to the student and 30under30, they also have $30 tickets for educators and first responders. They had multiple 20% off discount codes available prior to opening. (I paid $126 for mine.) While most of the $68 seats are gone, there are still $108 tickets available later in the run. I see them in the lower balcony on 7/26 and the 7/27 matinee.

Yeah...it's pretty lame that an Off-Broadway show that is takes from Ballroom culture (which has plenty of lower income people) is so expensive.

Also - the new PAC building is AWFUL. The layout is insane and makes no sense.

"Hal, this is just about cats."

That's why I love it, because it feels like you're spying on a cult ritual that you accidentally stumbled upon.

I always say Cats is about vibes not story. You go for the incredible singing and dancing - and the glorious weirdness. It’s a musical experience

Someone on Twitter the other day said it’s American Idol but the winner gets euthanized.

It's what I like about Cats. It's this dreamlike look into another world.

I’m really behind on everything; what’s this about interpreting Cabaret?

I overheard a creative team member in audience next to me during previews say that his daughter saw a preview and reported back to him. If the show got a good response/reviews (which it clearly did...they were all basically raves), that he would come see the show.

I disagree with OP there. I only vaguely know what it is but this served as an excellent introduction.

Crash course in drag culture…

Okay, this gets complicated quickly and the concept of drag balls rose and fell multiple times in many different countries but… Drag balls in the US really kicked off in the late 1800s/early 1900s. The hot spots that I know of were mostly in NYC and Washington DC. DC in particular was where William Dorsey Swann hosted drag balls and he was the first ever self proclaimed drag queen (also a black man, born into slavery and possibly a trans woman though he used he/him pronouns while alive.)

Anyway. While there’s a lot of debate on the origins of drag balls and where people drew inspiration from, the concept is (on the surface) the same as a traditional cakewalk. The origins of cakewalks come from the American South on plantations where they were held as social gatherings for slaves to unwind. In a cakewalk men and women would dress up as best they could and dance in an exaggerated way that was essentially to mimic and mock southern ball culture. Often there was a prize component where the best dancers/best costumes would leave with a small item, often a cake hence the name. After Emancipation cakewalks continued to be a large part of black culture with dancers often donning full evening dress (gowns for women, tuxes for men) and the energetic dances became a Vaudeville staple. Cakewalks are often also thought of being the origin of other dance styles like voguing which also uses exaggerated motions though cakewalks often had partners parading together while dancing instead of dancing alone.

Anyway, drag balls are basically cakewalks but more queer. The legality and notoriety of drag culture varied over the years so some drag balls were in private homes while others were permitted events held in major dance halls. Either way, a series of “categories” were usually announced prior to the ball that people could compete in. A category could be anything from who could pass the best as the opposite gender, best gown, dance competitions, etc and were a social scene where gay men, lesbians, and trans men and women could interact socially in a scene that was far more accepting for them. Small prizes were usually given for each category, usually trophies or small amounts of money.

People started to get competitive in the drag ball scene and started creating “houses” which were groups of queer people who essentially helped each other in balls. Houses were usually organized with a person in charge (mother, no matter the gender) and then the children underneath. Drag houses sometimes had people all living together, but other times were just places of support where people could help each other with costumes, makeup, performances, or anything else needed to compete in a ball. Houses would also compete with each other over how many awards they collectively got during a ball, children would branch off and form their own houses, some crumbled under drama, basically it was a lot of messy fun.

Drag balls today are still going though often they have a much more polished vibe. I’ve been to a few that felt more like actual beauty pageants then parties and many people who compete sink serious money into their hobby.

Anyway, the major take aways is that a drag ball is a series of competitions, usually with a party atmosphere, usually hosted by a MC and with a judge panel. The competitors are performing in their category with a lot of poise and posing or with dance depending on the event. Traditionally it’s a very queer and very black and Latino scene, though it’s much more multi-racial today. It’s also often thought of as a very male space though lesbians have always been a part of it and trans women pretty much pioneered the genre, especially in the era before hormones and other gender reassignment treatments were available.

And that is the super quick and dirty history of drag balls. I left loads and loads and LOADS out. But that's the highlights as far as I'm concerned.

I mean you probably don’t but just do yourself a favor and watch Paris is Burning because it is both so fun and so heartbreaking AND you’ll learn about ballroom culture

Seconding the other comment: watching Paris is Burning will bring you up to speed and make you appreciate certain things more. If you don't want to commit to a full documentary, watch an episode of Legendary (it was canceled but should still be on Max).

Just an understanding on what a house is, what the typical categories are, etc is nice. It will also give you a really cool insight into a part of the queer community a lot of people don't know about.

Ever seen Pose?

The cats are all competing in a ball and most of the numbers are tied to the cats walking in a category (e.g. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer ae walking in Duo Performance during their number). Old Deuteronomy is a legend who appears to judge the ball and award the grand prize, Grizabella is a former legend/winner who has fallen by the wayside...they kind of skip the whole "Winning means you get to die!" thing (it still happens but it's not...expanded upon?).

It's still not a radically coherent storyline but it really WORKS. You just immediately go"oh yeah, this is happening and it makes sense to me".

Need to unload these tickets. Make me an offer please!! :) 

The way the theatre is set up I'm not sure anything on the second balcony (Not sure what they actually call it) would be great - we were on the first balcony, stage right and we could see everything well. There's also no bar if you're in the balconies???? So if you want to have a drink during it you would want the orchestra/first floor seats.

The cabaret seating looked really fun but I'm sure that's insanely expensive.

What don't you get?

The theme of ballroom fits really well IMO. We can have both original cats and this, that’s why theater is fun.

Because the original didn’t make any sense either. It’s not exactly modernized as it is humanized. Making it more understandable for a different audience.