Tumblebrutus

Tumblebrutus is an ensemble character in Cats. He is a playful and acrobatic young tom.

He originated in the Broadway Production as an alternate for the original London character known as Bill Bailey.

Personality
"Tough, Buoyant, Touchy"

- Three Words

Tumblebrutus is usually portrayed as an adolescent, growing up but still unsure of himself, trying to be one of the big boys like Alonzo and Plato, but still playing with the kittens like Pouncival. Occasionally, this age dynamic of adolescent Tumblebrutus and kitten Pouncival is reversed, making Tumble the youngest tom-kitten.

Etymology
"Tumblebrutus" is taken from the T S Eliot poem "Growltiger's Last Stand", where it is the name of Growltiger's bosun. The first part of his name, "tumble", can refer to either falling over or an acrobatic feat such as a handspring. The second part, "brutus", can refer either to "brute" i.e. rough and violent, or to the historical figure Marcus Brutus who is famous for his betrayal of Julius Caesar.

Role
"Capable of performing successive back handsprings, aerials and other acrobatic feats."

- Casting Calls

Tumblebrutus, appropriate to his name, is the main tumbler of the show, requiring gymnastic skills above any other role. He is commonly the understudy for Mungojerrie. The character usually has a few vocal lines in the group numbers.

In many productions in the 1980s and 1990s (original Broadway and US tours, Vienna, Australia, Hamburg, etc), Tumblebrutus performs the pas de deux (known to fans as the "mating dance") during the Jellicle Ball with Victoria. This is tied to them both being coming-of-age characters.

Tumblebrutus is also the name of the bosun of Growltiger's pirate crew, however the ensemble character was not part of this.

In the Japanese version of Cats, Tumblebrutus is paired with Cassandra as the "twin" cats rather than Coricopat and Tantomile.

Appearance
Tumblebrutus is a white and brown patched tom cat, often depicted in the show as a kitten. Of all the Cats with dual names/personalities, his appearance remains the most consistent, having a distinctive brown patch over one eye, and brown patches on his right shoulder and left hip.

Fandom
For fandom headcanons and theories, CLICK HERE.