"The interesting thing with CATS is that the actors eventually do their own makeup. They do all the cat makeup but it has to go into the wig." This episode features Mundi Gove who was the Head of Wig Department on the US National Tour 5 of CATS. Hear Mundi share all of the background on the wig designs, how the wig helps determine the personalities of the characters, and some fun stories from her time on tour. Plus, Mundi shares a theory on how Grizabella's wig can give thought into why she's...

"I loved how sophisticated she was. How she allowed nothing to really bother her but she was still so fierce. And that seems like exactly the type of cat that I could be." This episode features Mariah Reives who performed as Cassandra on the US National Tour 6 of CATS before the pandemic and is currently in the ensemble in The Great Gatsby Musical at the Broadway Theatre. Hear Mariah discuss missing the final call back for CATS on Broadway, memorable stories from tour, why Jennyanydots is her...

"Once they bought into the idea of doing the show they deep dived into the internet and quickly found the hardcore fans of the musical and would show up to rehearsal and they would have all of these theories that they had never heard of before." This episode features the 2024 St. Clair College Production of CATS where I was joined by the director Kristyn Wiklanski who also played Cassandra on the 5th US National Tour in 2006 as well as Tatum Roy and Camryn Winnicky-Lewis who played...

"I have a thing that I call ‘Cat Story Time’ and I sit down with the cats and I tell them my version of the events, and tell them sort of what I know." This episode features Chaz Wolcott who played the magical Mr. Mistoffelees on the US National Tour 5 of CATS and has been the director and choreographer for multiple regional productions of the show. Hear Chaz share how he booked the show multiple times with perfect timing, his experience on tour, and how he tells the story when he's directing...

"I had seen the show after it opened and I knew that Skimbleshanks was the role for me. I knew that was the role that I wanted to do in the show." This episode features Kevin Winkler who performed as Skimbleshanks on the US National Tour 4 of CATS and is the author of a new book called "On Bette Midler". Hear Kevin share his crazy audition stories, why he knew he was perfect for Skimbleshanks, and some fun stories from his time on tour. Plus, Kevin shares more on his book and Kevin and Mike...

"Watching the 1998 VHS which I rented on Netflix. I got the DVD mailed to me." This episode features Lucy Horton who played Jellylorum on the US National Tours 5 of CATS and in multiple regional productions. Hear Lucy share how she actually booked the show multiple times but had to turn down the contracts before joining the 5th Tour, how she approached the show on tour and regionally, and why Grizabella is still her Jellicle choice. Plus, Lucy shares a crazy story about being stuck in the...

"What overtly having categories does dramaturgy of CATS itself is that there is a particular outcome of winner or loser that happens at the end of every song." This bonus episode features the creative team of the Perelman Performing Arts Center reimagined production of CATS set in a ballroom which is appropriately titled: "CATS: The Jellicle Ball". Like me, many of you have been obsessing over this new production. I originally spoke with one of the directors Bill Rauch in July of 2022 when I...

"When I got the audition appointment I was like this would be a blast to pretend to be a cat at this audition. Let's do it. I texted Kim and asked - How much cat do you give at the audition?" This episode features Mackenzie Warren who was Bombalurina in the 2016 Broadway Revival of CATS. Hear Kim discuss seeing her friend Kim perform as Demeter in the show, how she created her backstory for Bombalurina, and her experience on the TV show Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt which had a CATS episode....

"Part of me just needed to come on and defend Munkustrap. He gets a bad rap. You haven't talked to a lot of them. It's a rough time being in a leadership position when everyone's just trying to fool around. And you talk about herding cats, literally herding cats." This episode features Brett-Marco Glauser who perform as Munkustrap on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Oasis of the Seas production of CATS in 2016. Hear Brett-Marco share his experience in multiple regional productions of the...

"I remember there's Green Eyes and a couple other times that the cats go into the house and into the audience. Because of everything that was going on I was an advocate about being like… can we figure out a way around that right now? And that night we didn’t." This episode features Brett Michael Lockley who performed as Pouncival on the US National Tour 5 of CATS and is currently a swing (and making his Broadway debut) in The Who's TOMMY at the Nederlander. Hear Brett discuss being in the...

"What I think makes CATS so special is you could look at our cast and point out any single one of us and know exactly who our cat was because we were just like them." This episode features Katie Hutton who played Rumpleteazer on the 2022-2023 Asia Tour of CATS performing in Korea and Taiwan. Hear Katie discuss learning part of the Ball for university auditions, how her friendships within the cast influenced relationships on stage, and how her own personality fit into portraying Rumpleteazer....

"A couple of cast mates and I have thought of a familial relationship for Grizabella that I haven’t heard theorized before. Maybe she is Gus’ daughter and when she left, that’s why Jellylorem started taking care of him. And that’s where Grizabella got her desire to be a star from." This episode features Yardén Barr who is current performing as Grizabella on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Oasis of the Seas production of CATS. We recorded this episode during Yardén's rehearsal process before...

"I always say I owe my entire life to CATS." This episode features Felicia & James Gardner who met originally on the US National Tour 4 of CATS. Hear Felicia (Farone) and James tell the story of how they met on tour, how Felicia played Demeter while James worked as a sound engineer, how Felicia went on to make her Broadway debut in CATS, and a ton of other crazy stories. Plus, Felicia and James tell the fun story of how they didn't actually connect on tour but how they hit it off while on...

"For the Met Gala, I was like, I have to make a CATS joke before anybody else does. So I made it and it ended up being, at the time, my most watched and my most liked video ever." This episode features Nina Straface who is a theatre content creator, performer, and CATS defender. Hear Nina share how her CATS Tik Toks continue to go viral, how she strategically plans her content, and her thoughts on the musical. Plus, Nina shares a cool parallel between a book series called Warrior Cats and...

"On that tour I was a very innocent, inexperienced young lady. I did not really understand a lot of the movement that I had to. I really had to fake it until I made it with being the sexy cat." This episode features Samantha Sturm who was a swing on the US National Tour 5 and then played Demeter in the 2016 Broadway Revival of CATS. Hear Samantha discuss learning sections of the Jellicle Ball in dance class as a 12 year old, the differences from being on tour vs on Broadway with different...

"When a show opens you are the mayor of the little town. That is the theater. And you have to solve all the problems and social issues of the cast, as well as running all the technical aspects of the show." This episode features Scott Faris who was the Production Stage Manager for the US National Tour 2 and part of the US National Tour 4. Hear Scott share what goes into being a PSM on tour, what type of notes he had to frequently give the cast, and a detailed breakdown of how CATS actually...

"In SPAMALOT, there's two eight counts during the Broadway number where we can do whatever choreography we want from a Broadway show and I do the Jellicle Ball." This episode features Michael Fatica who performed as a Swing on the US National Tour 5 of CATS and is currently in the ensemble of SPAMALOT. Hear Michael discuss watching the 1998 movie in college, how his tour worked on various backstories for the characters, and his fun experiences performing in Central and South America. Plus,...

"I saw it in Seoul, Korea. It was a local production … It was the first time I really saw a musical transcend language. It was much more about the language of the cat." This episode is features John Schwab who who is an actor and the host of another Broadway Podcast Network show called Curtain Call. John and Mike teamed up for a special BPN crossover series where we each joined each other's shows. Part 1 can be heard on the Curtain Call podcast and part 2 is here. Hear John discuss seeing the...

"The name for Jennyanydots in Spanish is Bombonachoona. If I had to translate it, it would be a mix between marshmallow and good cat." This episode features Cecilia Arias who played Bombonachoona which is the Spanish translation for Jennyanydots on the Mexico Tours 3 of CATS in 2019. Hear Cecilia discuss how she performed in CATS in school growing up, how she handled having multiple injuries during her run, and why she is firmly Team Gus for the Jellicle choice. Plus, Cecilia runs through all...

"The main focus in the beginning was on Rumpleteazer and finding your individuality in your cat. Then after that was understanding where does your cat fit into the story?" This episode features Rose Iannaccone who played Rumpleteazer on the US National Tours 6 of CATS in 2019 before the pandemic. Hear Rose discuss dancing to the 1998 VHS as a two year old, how she came up with her Rumpleteazer backstory, and fun stories from being on tour during the buzz of the 2019 movie. Plus, Rose shares a...

"We had all of us in that night. We were at the call board and our stage manager is divvying up to us… you're gonna wear this CAT costume… So there were three Grizabellas on stage that night." This episode features Michelle E. Carter who played Jennyanydots on the US National Tours 6 of CATS. Hear Michelle discuss how the 2019 CATS movie was her very first introduction into the show, how she had different stories for her character depending on who else was on stage with her, and how she...

"My first conclusion of the Heaviside Layer was that these cats were being transitioned off to be adopted." This episode features Olivia Kaye Da Silva who is a theatre content creator. Hear Olivia share how she grew up seeing only the trailer for the 1998 movie, how she saw the show for the very first time recently and how she became obsessed, and how she got into content creation. Plus, Olivia gives some insight into her deep dive into what she thought the Heaviside Layer actually...

"Remember what you said about the train light? I saw CATS a few days ago in Japan. I saw the Japanese production and you're absolutely right. The train light shined directly into my face." This episode features John Zamborsky who played Skimbleshanks on the US National Tours 6 of CATS. Hear John discuss seeing the show the first time as a kid, some amazing Skimbleshanks canon derived from Tumblr, and, as you can see in the quote, experiencing the excruciating pain that is the light hitting...

"​​Cats is one of those shows that made me fall in love with theater. It was the first show that I ever saw as a kid." This episode features The Broadway Bob who is an incredible theatre content creator and performer who has hot takes on CATS. Hear Bob talk about how he got into content creation, his experience seeing CATS as his very first musical, and all of his fun takes on the show. Plus, Bob and Mike create a new cat called "Snifflebottom," share the cat's backstory, and make it's case...