Cats:”The Jellicle Ball”

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In recent years we have been offered reinventions of classic musicals like Oklahoma!, Carousel, Camelot, Sunset Boulevard and I Can Get It For You Wholesale, 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. Without changing a word, 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.

The show is now a drag ball competition inspired by Ballroom culture with a cast that includes Ballroom icons like “Tempress” Chastity Moore and Junior LaBeija as well as Broadway legend André De Shields as Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle leader. The theater space at the Perelman Performing Arts Center has been reconfigured by set designer Rachel Hauck to include a giant runway with a glitter curtain at one end for entrances and exits and a long table and throne chair for the judges at the other end. The seats for the audience include ringside bleachers, cabaret tables at which Prosecco is served, seats at the judges’ end, as well as two balconies. The cast make sudden unexpected appearances all over the space. The new orchestrations 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, Pretty Boy, 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 costumes with ballerina Baby as Victoria and gymnastic Bryce Farris subbing for Primo as Tumblebrutus.

Although it is difficult to always know who is center stage as the songs about the various contestants are often sung by anonymous members of the ensemble, some performances stand out. Dudley Joseph Jr.’s amiable Munkustrap is “our Master of Ceremonies” throughout the evening. “Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town” gives Nora Schell in a mock tuxedo and red cummerbund a chance to demonstrate vivacity and humor. Grammy Award Winner Sydney James Harcourt’s sexy and buff Rum Tum Tugger shows up in various scenes including the songs “Rum Tum Tugger” and “Magical Mister Mistoffelees.”

In Act Two, Junior LaBeija brings his authority and wry humor to “Gus: The Theatre Cat.” Emma Sofia dazzles in her dances as “Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat” while tall, sinuous Robert “Silk” Mason confounds as “Magical Mister Mistoffelees.” André De Shields dressed in royal purple brings gravitas to his Old Deuteronomy that all honor. And not surprisingly, “Tempress” Chasity Moore’s Grizabella, the faded “Glamour Cat,” stops the show in her rendition of “Memory,” and 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,

Each night there are two guest judges seated at the end table for the competitions and the winners vary from night to night. Qween Jean’s costumes are eye filling all evening and each scene tops the previous one. The lighting by Adam Honoré surprises all evening from colored lights to spotlights to other stage effects. Skylar Fox 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 fully involved.

Not only is the new Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” an exciting, exhilarating extravaganza, it reinvents a show that many thought they knew intimately and could not be done any other way. Though some of the cast wear furs that resemble felines like Rum Tum Tugger’s striped jacket-length fur coat and 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” (through August 11, 2024; return engagement: August 22 – September 8, 2024)

PAC NYC (Perelman Performing Arts Center), 251 Fulton Street at the corner of Greenwich Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-266-3000 or visit http://www.pacnyc.org

Running time: two hours and 30 minutes including one intermission