The Wrong Cat Died

“ I have the characters who have a named song be their characters the entire show. And every time Munkustrap announces ‘the cat who will now be reborn and go back to a different Jellicle life’ I have those eight players stand up.” This episode features Anne Beck, director and choreographer of 2026 Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s CATS in Indianapolis and a former Bombalurina. Anne recounts first seeing CATS at the Winter Garden, joining a 2012 Gateway Playhouse production with Ken Page, and learning extensive character backstories from Jacob Brent through rehearsal “tea time.” She explains how she stages CATS by starting day one with feline movement and story, emphasizing clarity, forgiveness, chosen family, and Grizabella’s throughline. She contrasts directing in large venues like Ball State with the intimate Beef & Boards space, notes the show’s fast rehearsal demands, and shares favorite roles, songs, and performance details for first-time audience members.

01:15 First Encounter with CATS

03:15 Playing Bombalurina

16:25 Beef And Boards Immersion

21:05 Prepping First Timers

29:48 Relationships And Family Tree

35:45 Fast Rehearsal Process

37:01 Dinner Theater Audience

45:13 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“I felt like I owed it to the performers in The Jellicle Ball. Just because they changed the way I look at the world so I wanted people to have that experience.” This episode features Brett Evans, known online as Kermit MAFrog, to discuss becoming a CATS fan after initially viewing it as a “punishment,” discovering how different each production can be, and falling in love with the Jellicle Ball’s cast, intimacy, and audience interaction. Brett explains how he shifted from pursuing theatre to writing a poem a day for 10 years, then created his Jellicle Ball tribute videos to spotlight performers. He shares how his content began with viral Patrick Mahomes-as-Kermit sports videos before evolving into Muppets-meets-musical-theatre parodies.

05:33 Why The Jellicle Ball Hit Different

06:41 Poem a Day Origins

14:57 A Poem for The Wrong Cat Died

25:12 Kermit MaFrog Begins

28:12 Muppets Meet Musicals

36:51 Muppets Cats Dream Cast

43:51 Guilty Pleasure Showtunes

46:13 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“Chrissie Cartwright asked me to do a pirouette and I didn’t know what it was.” This episode features Dominik Hees who played the Rum Tum Tugger on the German Tent Tour and later in the Vienna revival of CATS. Dominik shares how he was cast despite no formal training and initially not knowing basic dance terms, receiving private dance lessons, and learning to sustain eight or nine shows a week in extreme tent temperatures. He shares how choreography and staging were adapted to his strengths, why the role evolved for him from a boy-band energy to a sexier, stiller, more mature performance, and how working with Chrissie Cartwright, Gillian Lynne, and Trevor Nunn shaped different interpretations. He describes changing onstage relationships with Mistoffelees, Grizabella, Munkustrap, and Bombalurina over time, shares favorite characters and songs, and weighs who should be the Jellicle choice. Be sure to see him in his upcoming Beauty and the Beast production.

04:28 From Rock to Musicals

07:07 Learning the Jellicle Ball

12:47 Finding Tugger’s Story

26:59 Parenthood Changes Tugger

28:08 Tugger Relationship Map

36:31 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“Gillian Lynne’’s version of CATS is very much a ballet. So if you really pay attention to her choreography, you see so many connections of why different cats respond differently to each other.” This episode features Mark van Beelen, who played Mungojerrie and covered Munkustrap in the 2006 Dutch tour of CATS. Mark recalls seeing CATS at age 10 at Amsterdam’s Royal Theatre Carré in an immersive, in-the-round setup that sparked his musical-theater passion, then traces his training at Fontys Dance Academy and learning Cats choreography from original Dutch cast creatives. He shares a standout audition story where he was nearly forgotten for final callbacks, then impressed the team by adapting to a revised Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer song version. The conversation explores CATS’’ evolving choreography, music revisions, and modern licensing that encourages new concepts, including opinions on the 2016 Broadway revival and anticipation for a museum-themed Netherlands production.

00:49 Seeing CATS As A Kid

10:04 Audition Chaos and Callback

14:20 Song Variations

21:23 Why CATS Gets Reimagined

33:22 Building Characters in Rehearsal

39:36 Macavity Scare Story

41:00 Tradition vs New Versions

45:28 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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From The Vault: Originally released on February 10, 2021, this was episode 35 with Emma Sofia discussing her very fun audition story for the 2016 Broadway Revival of CATS which was long before her time as Skimbleshanks on Broadway in the Jellicle Ball.

"My goal was not to be Victoria; it was just to be an a**hole and wear a white unitard." This episode dives into one of the grandest CATS audition you'll ever hear. Emma Sofia (Caymares), who starred on Broadway as Veruca Salt in the original cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and as Wendy in the original cast of Finding Neverland, discusses her infamous audition and how she always stays true to herself. Check Emma out on ABC's new sitcom Call Your Mother.

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied⁠

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“In a 4 show weekend, I did Peter, Bustopher, Deuteronomy, Gus, Deuteronomy.” This episode features John Anker Bow who played Gus on the US National Tour 6 of CATS and is returning in Slam Frank: The Musical, opening off-Broadway in October. John recounts first seeing CATS as a child on Broadway and later on VHS, his path from studying English and doing school musicals to working in theater education and auditioning professionally, and how CATS grew on him during a two-year tour shaped by original creative lineage. John then discusses Slam Frank’s satirical, edgy, timely humor, its sold-out downtown run, and its expanded Off-Broadway staging.

02:07 Choosing Theater Career Path

04:42 Auditioning CATS Tour

12:48 CATS Lore

16:08 Choreo Revival Athlete Talk

18:06 Wild Tour Stories

21:18 What To Expect at Slam Frank

40:39 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“CATS really showed me how important it was to be a team player and how to take care of each other on stage and off stage as much as you can.” This episode features Antoine L. Smith who was a swing on the US. National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Antoine discuss his lifelong connection to the show after watching the VHS daily in college and becoming inspired by Ken Page’s Old Deuteronomy. Antoine describes auditioning via open call, joining a brand-new tour cast, and the intense self-driven work required of swings, including felinity coaching and learning multiple tracks like Old Deuteronomy, Bustopher Jones, and Gus. He shares his character backstory for Old Deuteronomy, his belief that Deuteronomy always knows the Jellicle choice, and a memorable mid-show emergency where he had minutes to get into intricate makeup and costume.

00:50 First CATS Obsession

08:29 Old Deuteronomy Backstory

09:48 Jellicle Choice Theory

12:39 Importance of Swings

16:52 Tour Chaos

24:49 Discovering The Jellicle Ball

36:27 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“We have this system that every cat in the show is on a different life out of the nine lives which is a really interesting way of thinking about it.” This episode features Jaydon Vijn who is currently performing as Rum Tum Tugger in Drew McOnie’s reimagined production of CATS at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London. Jaydon shares his CATS fandom from dance college, why Tugger was always his dream role, and what the audition process revealed about the production’s choreography. He discusses how the revival feels like a fresh show while honoring the original, including storytelling focus, character “nine lives” backstories, and relationships onstage. Jaydon details Tugger’s dynamics with Bombalurina, Munkustrap, Old Deuteronomy, and a mentorship-style bond with Mistoffelees, plus his darker, more adult take on Tugger. An episode not to miss.

02:11 Rum Tum Tugger Dream Role

04:18 Reimagining a Classic

10:10 Building a Darker Tugger

11:44 Outdoor Theater Experiences

15:33 Costumes Makeup and New Look

17:44 Tugger’s Relationship Web

25:50 Favorite Show Moments

38:31 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“The Haus of Dots has the best table at the Ball.” This episode features Xavier Reyes who played Jennyanydots in the Broadway production of Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Hear Xavier discuss his CATS history, from watching the DVD in Puerto Rico to auditioning for Skimbleshanks and ultimately booking Jennyanydots as a drag mother role. Xavier explains how he blended the original “Gumbie Cat” with extensive ballroom research, vogue classes, and collaboration with castmates, directors, and dramaturgy to marry ballroom and theater while honoring Cats lore. He describes shaping the Haus of Dots as a trophy-winning “empire,” building relationships and developing tension with Macavity via shared house backstory. Xavier reflects on audience reception at the PAC, the transfer to Broadway, improvisational audience interaction, celebrity judges, performing for Andrew Lloyd Webber, and favorite memories from the run.

03:11 Auditioning for Skimbleshanks & Jennyanydots

05:08 Building Jennyanydots

06:49 Researching Ballroom Motherhood

17:29 Haus of Dots

29:08 Broadway Debut

31:19 Audience Improv

40:42 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“We’re Bombalonzo.” This episode features the cast and creative team (Faith Stansfield and Matty Franklin from the cast and Kirsten Edwards and Marc Taylor from the creative team) from the Boom Theatre in Cornwall, who are performing a Young Actors Edition of CATS inspired by a “Cornish twist.” They discuss their first introductions to Cats, why Boom chose the dance-led show, and how the production reimagines the junkyard as a derelict Cornish harbor with immersive elements like fog and sea scent. Marc outlines three character “tribes” (village cats, mystical moor/legend cats, and pirate/wrecker outsiders), plus costume ideas including Cornish tartan and a tartan-clad Beetle Tattoo. Maddie and Faith explain character-development exercises, relationship choices (including their “Bombalonzo” dynamic), and how they’re adjusting adult themes for a youth cast.

01:21 First Encounters With CATS

06:37 Cornwall Reimagining

11:00 Three Tribes Concept

13:27 Building Characters in Rehearsal

31:02 Designing a Cornish Cats

36:46 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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