Cassandra is an ensemble character in Cats. She is primarily a dance role, usually portrayed as a beautiful and haughty sleek brown queen.
Personality[]
| “ | Haughty, Disdainful, Aloof |
” |
Cassandra is usually portrayed as somewhat set apart from the other cats - her costume marks her out as a different breed from the others, being devoid of visible fur. She is beautiful and elegant, with the tall, lithe body of a dancer, and is often aloof with the other cats. Cassandra dislikes the childish antics of the kittens, alerting Skimbleshanks when one of them messes up the formation by switching places with her during "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat". Cassandra is initially disdainful of Grizabella, acting erratically and haughtily towards her during Grizabella's introductory number. However by the end of the musical, she is just as moved by Grizabella as the other cats.
Occasionally, she is played as a more lively and flirtatious young adult rather than being entirely cold and distant. Cassandra generally keeps to herself but is sometimes depicted to be close to Alonzo in London-based productions.
Appearance[]
Cassandra is portrayed as an exotic, purebred brown and cream - speculated to be a Siamese, Sphinx, Burmese, or Abyssinian cat. Performers of the role such as Charlotte d'Amboise and Lyne Tremblay have referred to her as Siamese, who typically have pale bodies and dark points. She is the only cat with no shoulder fur/fluff; her shoulders are smooth, and she has no arm or leg warmers. Her tail is braided rather than fluffy. Her costume is airbrushed rather than painted or sponged, which makes her look quite different to the rest of the cats. She varies a little between productions; in some, she is more solid brown, while in others she has a more pronounced paler belly and darker extremities. Her wig is very short and her sideburns are elegantly rolled. Originally these rolls represented her ears in an abstract style; the 2003 UK Tour introduced very small tied ears above the rolls to the wigs of Cassandra, and the similarly styled Coricopat and Tantomile.
John Napier updated his costume and makeup designs in 2022, Cassandra gained bigger, pointed ears and subtle airbrushed stripes to her body.
Gallery[]
Role[]
| US Tour 2009 | Female, 5'7"-5'10", excellent dancer, strong ballet technique, great extension. Poised, well-bred, aloof, and always in beautiful condition. |
| Berlin 2002 | Very strong dancers with extensive ballet training, ensemble Mezzo (Cassandra must be at least 5'7" tall) |
Cassandra is a prominent dancer in the show, though she also has solo lines in both "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" and "The Song of the Jellicles". She is a featured dancer in "Macavity the Mystery Cat" along with the other queens, and plays a prominent part in "Magical Mister Mistoffelees", acting as Mistoffelees' assistant and helping bring back Old Deuteronomy.
Etymology[]
The name "Cassandra" is not mentioned in "The Naming of Cats". It was likely chosen by the London production team due to its ancient Greek origins, similar to how many of the other characters in Cats are also named after ancient Greek figures. Spelling variants include Kissantra (Finnish) and Kasandra (Polish).
The name "Tantomile" is used for the sleek, aloof character in the Japanese production.
Translations[]
The following names have also been used for the character of Cassandra in various international productions:
Cast[]
Performers who have played Cassandra
Fandom[]
For fandom headcanons and theories, CLICK HERE.
Trivia[]
- Although Cassandra is known for her sleek fur-less design, the character has occasionally been portrayed as wearing leg-warmers at the insistence of performers. E.g. Charlotte d'Amboise in the 1st US Tour and Amanda Rickard in London.