Jellicle Ball

The Jellicle Ball has earned Cats the reputation of being one of the hardest shows to perform in Musical Theatre. The number is a full 9:30 minutes of unbroken dance, demanding the highest calibre of dancing from performers who are also singers, actors, and playing Cats.

In 2003, Andrew Lloyd Webber cut out some bars of the music, when he rearranged the show for the UK Tour. This change was transferred into most European productions since 2003.

Context
The Jellicle Ball is the celebration which has gathered all the characters together on this night. As the Cats dance, Grizabella creeps into the shadows to watch. Victoria, the white cat, is symbolically mated with Plato, after which everyone snuggles down to nap. However the magical cats - Mistoffelees, Coricopat and Tantomile, sense Grizabella's presence, and in retaliation the cats begin to dance again, even more spectacularly than before.

Music
The music for the Jellicle Ball combines many of the melodies we have previously heard in the show, in the overture, Invitation to the Jellicle Ball, Jellicle Songs, etc. The only character's melody we hear however, is Old Deuteronomy.

Dance
The Jellicle Ball is made up of many sections, each of which are named. The names of the sections are:
 * Minuet
 * British Airways
 * Scatter
 * Duel
 * Wheatfields
 * Whirligigs
 * Judders
 * Copeland
 * Big Boys
 * Princess Louise
 * Warsaw
 * Pounce