The Paramount Theatre's second production of Cats opened on April 30th 2025 and closed on June 15th 2025. This production takes place under the big top, in a cirque style spectacular for Cats.
Production Details[]
Family Tree[]
Unlike any other productions, a family tree was placed in the program, explaining the relationships between the cats. With all but six of the cats in the show being related. Old Deuteronomy, Gus, Bustopher Jones and Peter were all brothers, with Gus additionally being the father of Admetus and Exotica.
Old Deuteronomy's children were listed by which wife was their mother. Grizabella and Jellylorum were the daughters of his second wife. Additionally, Grizabella is the mother of Demeter and Bombalurina and Jellylorum is the mother of Skimbleshanks and Sillabub. Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger and Macavity were the sons of the fourth wife. Carbucketty, Alonzo, Electra and Plato were the children of the sixth. Jennyanydots, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus the children of the seventh. George and Etceter children of the eighth. Victoria was the youngest child and newest member of the cirucs as the daughter of the ninth.
Staging was also changed to communicate the relationships to the audience. Old Deuteronomy would share the same spot on stage with either Peter or Gus whenever both were on. During Old Deuteronomy, the cats grouped up by who was the child of each wife, with Skimbleshanks and Sillabub being close to Jellylorum, and Demeter and Bombalurina close by the three of them to indicate themselves as his grandchildren via Jellylorum and Grizabella. Admetus and Exotica were set some what apart but still close enough to indicate their own relation during the number. During Gus the Theatre Cat, Admetus and Exotica stood beside the platform that he and Jellylroum were on as well.
Coricopat, Tantomile, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Mistoffelees and Cassandra were the only cats not related to any of the others. Coricopat and Tantomile are identical twins and described as possibly being from an alternate timeline or planet. Rumpleteazer and Mungojerrie are fraternal twins who claim to be the children of Old Deuteronomy's fifth and a half wife. Cassandra and Mistoffelees are not related to anyone, but are described as friends before joining the circus. However, no one is sure where they came from. The six of them were the ones to take note of Old Deuteronomy when he arrived and were separate from everyone else during the number.
Circus Acts[]
Circus acts were implemented throughout the production in order to go along with the them. Several of these acts were listed during the Overtures which listed most of the cats and their acts. Though not all were seen during the show. Jennyanydots was a contortionist and replaced the tap section with a contortion routine. Grizabella was a high flying trapeze artist who used to perform for the show prior to her disappearance. Macavity and Mistoffelees were both magicians. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer performed on aerial straps, while doing their tandem cartwheel at the start of the number rather than at the end. Gus was depicted as a former clown who performed in the circus.
Arrangements[]
Changes were made to who sings what song in the production. While typically the trio for Bustopher Jones is Jennyanydots, Jellylorum and Bombalurina, for this production it was Jellylorum, Bombalurina and Demeter. With Jellyorum taking Jennyanydots' part and Demeter taking Jellylroums. Demeter and Bombalurina switched parts for Grizabella the Glamour Cat, with Bombalurina singing first and Demeter being the one to join her. Rather than have Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer singing their whole number, instead the two were focused on the physicality of working with the aerial straps, while partway through Tugger, Bombalurina and Demeter came out and sang most of the number. The intro to Mr. Mistoffelees instead of being given by Tugger was instead given by Cassandra, with Tugger taking over from her to sing the rest.
Cast and Creative Team[]
- Director: Trent Stork
- Choreographer: Kasey Alfonso
- Circus Choreographer: Sylvia Hernandez-Distasi
- Scenic Designer: Jeffrey D. Kmiec
- Costume Designer: Izumi Inaba
- Lighting Designer: Greg Hoffman
- Sound Designer: Adam Rosenthal
- Projection Designer: Paul Deziel
- Wig, Hair & Makeup Designer: Katie Cordts
- Properties Designer: Ivy Thomas
- Illusion Consultant: Benjamin Barnes
- Electronic Music Designer: Ethan Deppe
- Intimacy Director: Max Fabian
- Dialect Coach: Susan Gosdick
- Flight Director: Tracy Nunnally
- Stage Manager: Amber R. Dettmers
- Assistant Stage Managers: Natalie Cohen and Lanita Vanderschaaf
- Associate Director: Devon Hayakawa
- Associate Choreographer: Kara Brody
- Clown Consultant & Associate Circus Choreographer: Amanda Crockett
- Music Director, Conductor & Music Supervisor: Cork Danielson
- Associate Conductor: Cameron Tragesser
- Associate Music Director: Kevin Reeks
| Role | Performer |
|---|---|
| Admetus | Liam Bradley |
| Alonzo | Evan C. Dolan |
| Asparagus/Bustopher Jones/Peter | Gene Weygandt |
| Bombalurina | Tiffany Topol |
| Carbucketty | Brian Bandura |
| Cassandra | Selena Robinson |
| Coricopat/Young Gus/Grizabella's Partner | Ryan Huemmer |
| Demeter | Alexandra Palkovic |
| Electra | Hayley Larson (Circus Captain) |
| Etcetera | Sophie Liu David |
| Exotica | Emily Scinto |
| George | Shaun Dennison White |
| Grizabella | Emily Rohm |
| Jellylorum | Allison Sill (Intimacy Captain) |
| Jennyanydots | Kat Hoil |
| Macavity/Plato | Matthew Weidenbener (Fight Captain) |
| Mistoffelees | Christopher Kelley (Dance Captain) |
| Mungojerrie | Michael Lunder |
| Munkustrap | Jake Dimaggio Lopez |
| Old Deuteronomy | Lorenzo Rush Jr. |
| Pouncival | Matty Bettencourt |
| Rum Tum Tugger | Donovan Hoffer |
| Rumpleteazer | Dani Goldberg |
| Skimbleshanks | Anakin Jace White |
| Sillabub | Emma Ogea |
| Tantomile/Young Grizabella | Kat Harvey |
| Tumblebrutus | Matthew Millin |
| Victoria | Kara Brody |
| Chorus Cat | Joe Giovannetti |
| Chorus Cat | Brian Hupp |
| Chorus Cat | Emilie Lynn |
| Chorus Cat | Nellie Shuford |
| Performer | Covers |
|---|---|
| Matthew Millin | Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer |
| Emma Ogea | Demeter |
| Brian Bandura | Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger |
| Matty Bettencourt | Mistoffelees |
| Sophie Liu David | Victoria, Sillabub, Electra, Tantomile, Exotica |
| Shaun Dennison White | Macavity, Plato, Pouncival, Carbuckety, Alonzo, Tumblebrutus, Admetus |
| Evan C. Dolan | Skimbleshanks |
| Joe Giovannetti | Bustopher Jones, Peter |
| Brian Hupp | Old Deuteronomy, Asparagus |
| Hayley Larson | Jennyanydots |
| Michael Lunder | Coricopat |
| Emilie Lynn | Grizabella |
| Emily Scinto | Bombalurina, Cassandra |
| Nellie Shuford | Jellylorum |
Gallery[]
Development[]
- Concept Art
Set[]
Character Promos[]
Production[]
Behind the Scenes[]
