“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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“That organ sound was iconic. I felt like I was transported to a certain time in history.” This episode features Linedy Genao who is currently playing on Broadway as Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby and hosting her new podcast Entre Acts, which is part of the Broadway Podcast Network. Linedy recalls seeing the 2016 revival of CATS while performing in On Your Feet, loving the dancing and music but leaving confused, then later seeing the downtown Jellicle Ball and finally understanding the show. She shares what it was like leading Bad Cinderella, collaborating with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and everything involved with that show including the viral spray-paint moment. Now playing Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby, she explains her approach to making Myrtle sympathetic and critiques the double standard in how characters are judged. Linedy also discusses her Broadway Podcast Network show Entre Acts, focusing on the “in-between” periods for artists.

00:59 First Time Seeing CATS

03:11 CATS Revival Vibes

04:06 Broadway Origins Stories

07:46 Working With Andrew Lloyd Webber

09:58 Bad Cinderella

21:53 Playing Myrtle In Gatsby

25:10 Entre Acts Podcast

28:34 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“If you show it in your face, people don’t look at your feet.” This episode features Denise Jastraunig who was a swing in CATS on the German Tent Tour and then in the Vienna revival. Denise shares her CATS journey, from first seeing the DVD in school while training as a competitive tennis player to pivoting into musical theater at the age of 16. Denise recounts being unexpectedly invited to audition for the German Tent Tour, moving from a dancer call to the “movers call,” landing her first major job as a swing, and learning tracks with a detailed swing bible. She compares the tent tour’s deeper character workshops with a more time-pressed 2019 Vienna revival, notes production differences like an expanded tap number, and describes going on as Grizabella. She shares onstage mishaps, makeup challenges, and being featured in an Andrew Lloyd Webber Instagram post.

02:07 From Tennis To Theater

08:22 Audition Movers Call

20:45 Swing Life Prep

26:09 First Night Grizabella

31:46 Wild Onstage Stories

34:02 Webber Instagram Shoutout

38:16 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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We were honored to be invited to the reunion brunch for the Jellicle Tribe, a group of members from the US National Tour 4 of Cats. They got together before opening night of CATS: The Jellicle Ball to catch up and discuss all things CATS. Hear us discuss the excitement for the opening night, changes from their tour, and who is their Jellicle choice.

Featuring (in order): Natasha Davison, Holly Cruz, Nancy Melius, Eddie Buffum & Elizabeth Mills, Helen, Lauren, & Steve Watkins, Linda Leonard, General McArthur Hambrick, Daniel Wright, Joyce Chittick, Rosemary Loar, Jacob Brent

About the Production: Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” is a radical reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, inspired by the Ballroom culture that roared out of New York City over 50 years ago and still rages around the world. Staged as a spectacularly immersive competition by Zhailon Levingston and Artistic Director Bill Rauch. Unfortunately, this production closed way too soon.

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“In ballroom, femininity in particular is embraced. It really shifted my perspective on things.” This episode features Bebe Nicole Simpson who is performing as Demeter in Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Bebe discusses the show’s early closing, her late introduction to CATS, and how she researched Demeter’s traditionally darker Macavity backstory before adapting it to this production’s “House mother” Macavity. Bebe compares lore variations across CATS productions, including shifting relationships and new theories in The Jellicle Ball, and talks about the move from The PAC to the Broadhurst, where staging and audience sightlines changed performance choices. Bebe shares a unique perspective on how ballroom helped her embrace femininity and body image. An episode you won’t want to miss.

02:46 Demeter and Macavity Lore

13:09 PAC to Broadway Transition

19:33 Learning Ballroom Culture

26:09 Walking Categories and Body

27:43 Costume Confidence

30:37 Ballroom Body Positivity

31:26 Onstage Lore And Relationships

37:47 Improvised Comedy Bits

43:57 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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“All of them took concepts here and turned it into just this massive expression of queer joy in the time we are living in right now. It doesn’t deserve to be seen. It demands to be seen.” This episode features Jordan Stefanski, a devoted Cats: The Jellicle Ball fan who has seen the show over 50 times. Jordan comes on the show to discuss how his CATS journey began with the 2019 movie and later shifted after hearing about the ballroom concept through a friend involved in early workshops. Jordan explains why he repeats shows like A Strange Loop and Oh, Mary and his philosophy of bringing friends by buying tickets. Jordan then dives into how The Jellicle Ball’s queer joy, audience immersion, and evolving details reward repeat visits. He shares favorite places to sit (especially boxes), highlights DJ Griddlebone and Junior LaBeija’s presence, and praises swings and dance captains. An episode of true fandom and patron of the arts.

02:06 Surviving the 2019 Movie

04:34 Discovering Cats: The Jellicle Ball

08:50 Why He Keeps Returning

19:07 Hidden Details and Character Choices

21:10 Best Seats

28:35 Swings and Standout Moments

38:40 Rapid Fire

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied

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