The Wrong Cat Died

"If we went on together, they would announce that the ‘Flying Lubecks’ were on." This episode features Chuck and Mickey Lubeck who were swings and dance captains on the US National Tour 4 of CATS for many years. Hear about how they met before tour, grew their family on tour, and all kinds of fun memories from their time in CATS. Plus, there is a fun connection with their son who also performed in...

From The Vault: Originally released on March 9, 2021, this was Episode 37 with Colin Cunliffe who was Skimbleshanks in the 2016 Broadway Revival of CATS. "We have a lot to talk about Mike because I listened to your Skimble..." This episode features Colin Cunliffe who played Skimbleshanks in the 2016 Broadway revival. Hear Colin break down all of the things I got wrong in Episode 11 about Skimblesh...

From The Vault: Originally released on November 7, 2019, this was Episode 8 with Christopher Gurr who was Gus in the 2016 Broadway Revival of CATS. This episode features Christopher Gurr who played Gus and Bustopher Jones during the 2016 Broadway revival. Christopher and Mike discuss the musical, fan theories, and who Christopher thinks is more worthy to die than Grizabella. They also go over why...

"I see everyone has stars in that room. No one is going to dim your light except for you. You can’t let anyone dim your light." We couldn't get enough of the PAC production so this episode is with Jenny Mollet who was Jellylorum in Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball." Jenny shares her experience with the workshop of CATS before joining the...

"I took my family to go see the CATS movie right before Covid. They all said to me ‘that’s going to be the last movie we ever see’ and it’s become a long running family joke." This episode features Jennifer Ashley Tepper who an acclaimed theatre historian, author, and producer, the Creative and Programming Director at 54 Below and the author of “Women Writing Musicals: The Legacy that the History...

"Sometimes I look back and I’m like I don’t think I was good enough to do CATS. But I did it. And I was a swing and being a swing on a non-equity tour is kind of like being a traveling mascot people spit on a lot. It was an interesting experience." This episode features Kevin Zak who was a swing on the US National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Kevin share some incredible stories from his tour including gam...

From The Vault: Originally released on June 22, 2021, this was Episode 52 with Claire Camp who was a Dance Captain & Swing in the 2016 Broadway Revival of CATS. "This show will change your life if you let it." This episode features Claire Camp who was the dance captain and a swing in the 2016 Broadway revival. Hear Claire explain her deep love for the show, share how she tells her friends which ca...

"When the auditions came, I’m a 17 year old girl so I wanted to be a sexy cat. I wanted to be Rum Tum Tugger and since it was all girls you could have. That was my dream. But I got cast as Grizabella." This episode features Ana Villafañe who performed as Grizabella in her all girls Catholic high school production of CATS in Miami. Hear Ana share how she became obsessed with the musical, the crazin...

"The very first thing they said was there is a very real plot to CATS. It’s not just poems put to song and talking about this real meaning behind the Jellicle Ball and who goes to the Heaviside Layer." This episode features Wendi Bergamini who played Jellylorum and is currently performing in the ensemble of Once Upon A Mattress on Broadway. Hear Wendi share how her casting story influenced the tra...

"They did the production of CATS, which at the time I really don't think I thought about how hilarious it was that the camp director just decided to name it KATZ but my parents obviously got a chuckle out of it." This bonus episode features Eitan Levine who played Macavity at his Jewish day camp named Camp Kaleidoscope where they renamed the production KATZ. Eitan's husband Spencer went viral afte...

"We’d always say Shove With Love. If someone doesn’t know where they are going, you should Shove With Love." This episode features Allison Little who was a swing and a Dance Captain on the US National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Allison share how she had a full circle moment from seeing the show as kid, what the role of Dance Captain adds to the show, and fun stories from tour. Plus, Allison shares the s...

"Our rule was eight minutes. If someone had some sort of injury, a sickness, or something that happened to them mid-show, as a swing we were told you need to be on the stage in eight minutes." This episode features Laura Cable who played Jellylorum on the US National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Laura share really fun stories from her time as a swing on tour including one infamous moment with Old Deuteron...

"I feel like I always have intrusive thoughts. I do really want to knock that person’s water bottle over just to mess with them. But I would never do it in real life. But as Rumple, you kind of get to." This episode features Amanda LaMotte who played Tantomile and was a swing on the US National Tour 5 of CATS and is currently performing in the ensemble of Once Upon A Mattress on Broadway. Hear Ama...

"I went out and bought a cat tail, ears, cut up fingerless gloves. I had a white tank top with a black vest. I looked insane." This episode features JJ Niemann who played the magical Mr Mistoffelees in the Elon University 2017 Winter Production of CATS and is currently in the ensemble in the Back To The Future Musical. Hear JJ share all about the craziness and fun related to this weekend college p...

Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "That was my immediate first question. I was like, are we doing tails? What’s the tea? I had some other ideas." This episode is with Qween Jean who was the costume designer for CATS: "The Jel...

"At the beginning of the show Grizabella was just the teacher. At the end, Grizabella went to the Heaviside Layer in a way that we could afford." This episode features Will Porter who played Mungojerrie on the US National Tour 5 of CATS as well as regionally. Hear Will share incredible stories from his time on tour, many new theories about the characters, and all of the fun they had on tour includ...

"We were like Taylor Swift's little side chicks." This episode features Sophie Carmen-Jones who was one of the Macavity Girls in the 2019 CATS Movie and is currently performing as Nini in Moulin Rouge The Musical on Broadway after originating the role in the West End. Hear Sophie discuss what it was like being in the infamous movie, her experience doing the Macavity number with the entire cast, an...

"I've done it with Richard Stafford which is the American version and I've done it with Chrissie Cartwright which is the British version. And those are not the same shows." This episode features Erica Leigh Hansen who played Jennyanydots on the US National Tour 5 of CATS as well as on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Oasis of the Seas first and third seasons. Hear Erica share how they figured out...

Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "A theater is a temple. This is the fourth institution where the five necessary questions are answered. You have to answer a question. You have to resolve a crisis. You have to lift a burden....

Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "He also has to have that edge of realness. Like straight passing. Because his life outside of this space is not the same." This episode features Primo who plays Tumblebrutus in this producti...

Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "We were trying to figure out how to push that envelope with Sillabub being the watcher. Zhailon came up to me and was like, what if you had a camera?" This episode features Teddy Wilson Jr....

Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "It’s giving like she won Legendary and got the million dollar prize. This is a game show and she wants some coin." This episode features Dava Huesca who plays Rumpleteazer in this production...

"Theater is moving forward and I think it happened the same way with the same show. When I saw it I had that feeling that this is a real mile marker in musical theater history again with the show." This bonus episode is a conversation about CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" featuring Jacob Brent who played Mr. Mistoffelees on Broadway and in the 1998 CATS movie. Jacob shares his thoughts on hearing about...

Throughout the summer, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. We were live at BroadwayCon 2024 with Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, the choreography team behind CATS: "The Jellicle Ball," to chat about reimagining the hit classic and their inspiration dra...

Throughout June and July, we are working with the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS called CATS: "The Jellicle Ball" to bring you a series of episodes with the cast and creative team. "We wanted to approach it as this re-contextualized version of fatness and what fatness means. The duality of Fat and Phat." This episode features Nora Schell who plays Bustopher Jones in...