Sillabub

"Like the sunflower, I yearn to turn my face to the dawn. I am waiting, for the day."

- Sillabub in "Daylight"

Sillabub is a supporting character in Cats. She originated as an alternate for Jemima, but in some productions she has a distinct design and sometimes appears as well as, rather than instead of, Jemima.

According to Valerie Eliot, the name 'Sillabub' was conceived by T. S. Eliot as a blend of the words 'silly' and 'Beelzebub' (i.e. silly devil). The name may also be a play on the name of an English beverage (Syllabub) that was popular from the 16th to the 19th centuries, made of whipped cream and sherry.

Personality
"Dreamy, Yearning, Curious"

- Three Words

Sillabub is sweet, affectionate, innocent, intuitive, and sometimes portrayed as more playful and outgoing than Jemima. She is typically the youngest kitten in the tribe and shows compassion for others around her. She is very friendly and welcoming, as well as playful. She is known for her high, clear soprano. Sillabub is attracted to the Rum Tum Tugger and is part of his fan club, and gets carried away screaming like Etcetera does.

Role
"Strong dancer, no taller than 5'4”, strong head voice but must be youthful and very pure in timbre, comfortable to F"

- Casting Calls

Sillabub is the youngest kitten, the only member of the tribe innocent and open-minded enough to empathise with Grizabella. She repeatedly reaches out to Grizabella - her attempts at contact always being stopped by the older cats. During "The Moments of Happiness", Old Deuteronomy channels his sage wisdom through Coricopat and Tantomile, to Sillabub who sings a reprise of "Memory". She later sings another reprise of "Memory" known as "Daylight". When Grizabella makes her final entrance, Sillabub and Old Deuteronomy are the only cats who do not turn away from her. Sillabub then sings a duet with Grizabella in "Memory", encouraging the older cat to keep singing. Sillabub is also an ensemble dancer, appearing in almost every scene.

Japan Production
The Japanese production of Cats includes both Jemima and Sillabub, with the role that is typically either Jemima or Sillabub given to Sillabub. Jemima is not a kitten in this production and is instead featured as one of the Gumbie Trio (with Jellylorum and Tantomile) and sings "Grizabella the Glamour Cat" with Jellylorum; Sillabub is a newborn kitten and sings the "Moonlight" and "Daylight" refrains, as well as "Memory" with Grizabella. She is also the first cat to touch Grizabella (instead of Victoria).

Sillabub and Jemima
Some productions, notably Australian and Mexican based, include both Sillabub and Jemima. In these instances, it is Sillabub who is the soloist who sings in Memory, and Jemima is a less prominent ensemble dancer or a named swing.

Appearance
Sillabub's costume can be more cream/brown based than the reddish colours of Jemima. Broadway Sillabub looks a lot like Bombalurina, particularly in the original cast press images, with the key difference being Sillabub wears armwarmers while Bombalurina has gloves. Sillabub has armwarmers in all productions with a dedicated "Sillabub" design. However, since the release of the filmed version of the show in 1998, the use of the London-style costumes worldwide has increased. This has led to the character named "Sillabub" wearing the "Jemima" costume, the only difference being their name.

The Japanese version of Sillabub is notably different, being a pale cream/gold cat without any black hatching at all. She appears alongside Jemima, who is a calico cat. Neither costume design is close to John Napier's original Jemima design.

Behind the scenes
When Anita Louise Combe played Sillabub in the original 1985 Australian production, she was told by Trevor Nunn that Sillabub was the most likely kitten to grow up to become like Grizabella, hence her ability to understand and sympathise with the older cat.