young justice (1998) issue #07 / tony kushner, angels in america / infinite crisis (2005) issue #07 / henri cole, "cape cod elegy" / red robin (2009) issue #04 and issue #05 / david hockney, remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long
Never-before-published model sheets for canned Amblin Cats movie 🐈⬛✏️👁️
Hi all. As promised, I am sharing a comprehensive .PDF of model sheets that were created for the Amblimation Cats movie that never saw the light of day. Most of these model sheets have not been published or posted anywhere on the internet as far as I'm aware. I'm going to get ahead of some questions for the good of the order:
Are these real? I certainly didn't sit and create all 117 pages myself for the sake of an elaborate hoax!
How did you get these? I work in the animation industry. A senior coworker caught wind of my cats obsession and said he had the Xeroxes and asked if I wanted him to bring them in. Internally, I flipped my shit. And then I digitized his hard copies.
How did your coworker get these? They were found in the library of the university he used to go to. (Not super unusual at an arts school in southern California.) He made photo copies back then and has been holding onto them. The thing is he knows nothing about CATS; isn't a CATS fan, never seen it, etc. I guess he just felt it was something worth holding on to!
Can you upload better quality? Unfortunately what you're seeing as good as the quality gets. These are scans of photocopies from the 90s. There is nothing to be done for the crunchiness.
What about (missing characters)? I'm showing you everything I was personally given!
Which character is (nondescript drawing of a cat)? If the image isn't labeled, your guess is as good as mine! I put all the misc./unlabeled cats in the back of the PDF. The only exceptions are ones that I felt were abundantly obviously supposed to be a specific character.
Who are the artists? Unfortunately, there's no way I can tell for sure. None of the sheets are signed. I wouldn't even go about guessing because many concept artists can perfectly emulate more "well known" illustrators whose styles were sought after. My coworker said he might be able to figure out who the draftsmen were; until then it's a mystery! If I find out, I will come back to this post and update it with that information.
Are these all the model sheets ever? No! In fact, there are model sheets that have been posted online that are not in the bundle I was given. I have no idea of the sum total of model sheets in existence.
DID DRAWING THIS ENDING MAKE ME CRY???? AND SOB??? YEAH BRO
If you made it to the end, thank you for reading this! Drawing it was very tender and soft for me and I'm glad I did it.... i hope it wasn't too difficult to read
i love wanpis 😭😭😭And these two characters very very much
Sourced from my (admittedly imperfect) memory. I love this production, and this is an abridged summary of my memory of the events of the show. Specific/detailed character thoughts will be saved for their own posts, same with thematic deep dives. If there is any character/theme/question y'all want my thoughts on first, I can move them to the top of my queue of thoughts. That being said: on with the show!
Tumblr decided to post early, so this is just Act 1. I will add Act 2 as a reblog when I finish it
Pre-Show
The set for this show is really well done. Talked to one of the workers during intermission, and the whole thing (seating, stage, and all) is completely modular and movable. Floor levels are also all adjustable. It really inclines itself to audience interaction, both with the runway structure and the individual tables at the cabaret level seats.
Junior Labeija handles the pre-show announcements (put your phones away once you've googled me, cheer your heart out, don't film, etc)
Overture
Hearing this live for the first time made me cry
The DJ's introduction is great, he has a collection of queer and black artists' vinyls that he pulls out, followed by a Cats vinyl filled with glitter
The eyes (projected up onto the back wall/window panel) have the white cat solo animated inside of them
Shadow outline of a dancer (I think Primo/Tumble on the night I saw) starting out w/ ears and a tail doing classic Cats-style choreo blending into a removal of the ears/tail and a shift to ballroom choreo
Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats
Did the thing I love for this song where there are clear and well-timed spotlights on every cat as they sing their line, w/ everyone else in darkness
Cast appears throughout the audience (Tugger was behind me at his start, I think) before gathering into the area around the stage
Get onto stage for the Mystical Divinity section
The group catwalk is absolutely gorgeous, this show has great choreo
The Naming of Cats
The perfection of this song for a queer viewing of Cats cannot be overstated, and will likely be its own post eventually
Munk as an MC leading this number is lovely to me
"Man over there" is given to Macavity, as the first clear indication to his altered role in this version
There are spotlights on every cat whose name gets said in the song, not just Bombalurina, which makes me happy
White Cat Solo
Gets its own segment because Baby is that good. She is dance captain for this show and you can see why
The white outfit here is gorgeous, kinda sad she changes out of it later
Pink lighting is doing good work making this section feel ethereal
Was way closer to the vibes of the original than I was expecting from a vogue choreo. There were a couple moves I saw as clear references to the original
Invitation
Emcee Munk continues to be amazing, the rhythm of this was very satisfying
"COME OUT tonight"
They bring in guest judges to sit until Old Deut arrives
Gumbie Cat
Jenny is a tired single mother of three kids who cannot for the life of them get organized
Puerto Rican drag queen Jennyanydots has my heart, as does her stylist
The "sits and sits and sits" line here is not used to imply that Jenny is lazy, it is very explicitly saying that she has a lot of sex (as acted out jokingly by her choreo)
Cassandra is adorable here, both while dancing and after she realizes she's won
Category Is: Virgin Vogue. A category for people in their first year of doing vogue (or similar). Won by Cassandra of House Dots, other competitors are Tumblebrutus of House Dots, Electra 007, and someone I am currently forgetting
The Rum Tum Tugger
I think I've made my love for this setup for Tugger clear before, and will continue to do so in the future, so this is gonna be little moments I liked/noticed
There are some line/blocking switch ups. Bomba gets the "terrible bore" line (said reclined on the stage as Tugger leans over her) along with her standard. Victoria is the girl flirting with Tugger on his "No" drop
Tugger flirts with everyone here. His competition, the other cats, the audience, etc.
Everyone but Misto, who is off to the side mocking his riffs
Sillabub is the one to faint during the ending bit
Category Is: Realness. Ability to pass as a (in this case) a cishet man in a variety of categories (pretty boy, thug, schoolboy, executive, etc). Won by Tugger, other competitors are Tumblebrutus and Mungojerrie
Grizzabella the Glamour Cat
I really like the interpretation of the Jellicles' relationship with Grizz in this show. They aren't angry at her, more...distressed? It seems like her being around is making everyone worried both about her and for her, so they react differently
Munk tries to give her money, she refuses
She comes in holding a trophy that is clearly old, showing that her glory days were a while ago. She also looks like she's likely been homeless.
Demeter's voice is gorgeous here, and she looks really conflicted about Grizz
There is a Demelurina vibe to this whole show, which I started noticing here
I have a lot of thoughts on Grizz and her relationships with the Jellicles here, which will probably be a post pretty soon after this one.
Grizz tries and fails to convince the judges to allow her to compete, and is far more determined/steely in this first appearance than usual.
Sillabub. Making them a giant Grizzabella fan was such a good choice. This is one of the most sweet and genuine through-lines of the musical. They're so genuinely remorseful and excited to see Grizz, but still back off when Demeter warns them.
Bustopher Jones
I know I gave Jenny my heart earlier, but it's been stolen. Nonbinary Bustopher Jones as played by Nora Schell is, I think, the ideal Bustopher. This is what this character was meant to be, for me
Oh gods the costumes. Tugger has a sparkly leopard print jockstrap. Bustopher has a full bustier situation covered in a bedazzled Union Jack. Mistoffelees and Demeter both have lovely sheer situations going on. This is amazing, and I've been informed is even better if you're bi
Nora Shell has pipes, y'all. Their voice is so strong and clear
This number has almost no true choreography, it's just the competitors showing off how hot they are (posing, strutting, stripping, grabbing their asses and shaking them at the judges, etc)
The amount of offense Tugger takes to losing is hilarious to me
Category Is: Body. Usually divided into Femme Queen and Butch Queen, but competed as an Open-to-All for this show. How good does your body look, and how well can you show it off? Won by Bustopher Jones, other competitors are Tugger, Demeter, and Mistoffelees.
Macavity Scare 1
Flashing lights and sirens
Demeter is so done with this. I have rarely heard a clearer "bitch really?" tone than I did in her calling Macavity's name here
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer
Making them come from Jersey is amazing, top tier choice paired with some amazing accent work
Costumes are again amazing, Mungoteazer have a lime green/neon pink color scheme going on here
They spend a long time behind some changing racks, and I spent that whole time watching Munk as he got more and more annoyed with every passing second
I really love the dancing in this song, they get very up in each other's faces
Y'all, they steal the trophy when they lose. It's perfect
Category Is: Tag Team Performance. Vogue performance done as a pair. Won by Victoria and Tumblebrutus, stolen by Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer.
Old Deuteronomy
Munkustrap: a professional, on his shit, announcing his House Father right
Tugger: unprepared, eating a snack, oh god why is he giving me the mic
I love the setup for the duet here, Tugger is so surprised to be picked and is both nervous and honored. They sing into the same mic y'all
Andre De Shields, what more do I need to say?
His presence, his voice, the note he held for a solid 30 seconds, he deserves that throne
Jellicle Ball
Macavity again! In his dressing gown, with his bags of stolen stuff, looking like a deer in headlights when the spotlight catches him
The dancing continues to be absolutely gorgeous
Grizzabella is up on an audience balcony for this number looking tragic
The Jellicle Moon is a disco ball and it brought me so much joy
Munk has a killer egyptian look, including full-size wings
There are giant complicated cat face wigs and a giant hat made of hair
Category Is: Bizarre. Fashion category judged on the quality and strangeness of the outfit. Munkustrap was the only competitor, and Old Deut chopped him
Category Is: Hair. Not a category I actually know, but clearly in this show is judging based on the size, design, and quality of wigs. Won by the House of Dots, as sole competitors
Probably other categories I didn't notice clearly enough to remember
Memory
Grizzabella comes on and everyone walks off annoyed, except for Old Deut who comes and hides behind a riser. He's right in front of me, so I'm watching this number over his shoulder
Grizz recreating her dance moves is painful for my heart, as usual
Tempress has a gorgeous voice
Sillabub re-enters and looks so starstruck, then runs off again
Comes back with a sparkly dress to offer to Grizz
Grizz sees the dress, starts crying, and runs away. She grabs her coat, but leaves her scarf
We go to intermission on the image of Sillabub holding the scarf to their face and crying
What I remember from the show, feat. some official photos
This is all going off of my note-less memories so there may be some minor inaccuracies to these recollections.
Welcoming Remarks/Overture
The crowd was welcomed by the voice of Junior LaBeija, who encouraged us to google him before shutting our phones down.
We were encouraged to make noise at any and all parts of the performance
Filming, even during bows, was strictly prohibited
This show is LOUD. I wore ear plugs the entire time, and I don't consider myself to be particularly sensitive to noise. It makes sense, considering that the audience is meant to yell and the music has to be heard over them.
The theater space itself was relatively small. All seats were good seats.
Mr. Mistoffelees (Robert "Silk" Mason) could be seen dancing through the window set pieces above the back of the stage.
Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats
(clip)
The cast began all around the theater, with spotlights illuminating them as they began to sing. They did not mount the stage until the "Mystical Divinity" portion of the song.
The crowd went WILD at the part that has had its choreography revealed already.
The Naming of Cats
The "Man over there" bit was done by Antwayn Hopper (Macavity). In general, he seemed to be having an absolute blast throughout the show.
During the parts where cats sharing the names in the poem were mentioned, spotlights illuminated them.
Munkustrap led this number and was the only one onstage for the duration of it.
The White Cat Solo
(clip)
Compared to how this is presented in replica productions, the dance moves were very fast.
I am uncertain as to whether this part was meant to characterize Victoria, or if it was just a great chance for BABY (Victoria) to show off her incredible dancing skills.
The Old Gumbie Cat
Jennyanydots (Xavier Reyes) began the number by pulling out a trophy, showing she'd won at balls in the past
During the day, it was implied (I think?) that Jennyanydots has lots of sex. Whether it's sex work, a sugar daddy situation, etc. was unclear. What I can say is that she did lots of bouncing - on other actors, on the edge of the stage, and on a chair.
At night, Jennyanydots is a very harried single Latina mother trying to keep her kids out of trouble.
Instead of Jenny competing in a category herself, Cassandra (Emma Sofia)(implied to be one of Jenny's children, either literally or metaphorically) competed while Jenny directed her choreography from the sidelines.
The Rum Tum Tugger
VERY laid back. This is definitely Jason Derulo's version of Tugger, but done so incredibly right. He was honestly a bit too effortless for how easily he won categories.
It's not shown in this photo, but he wore a gold and black striped fur coat throughout most of the show, sort of like Munkustrap's grey and black one (shown above, with Jenny)
There wasn't very much choreography in this number, save for a bit at the very end where he was facing off "Pretty Boy vs. Thug"
Grizabella the Glamour Cat
Grizabella ("Temptress" Chastity Moore) approached the side of the stage and killed the mood. Everyone kind of just avoided her. Munkustrap tried to talk her into going away, but she refused. He then tried to pay her actual cash to leave, but she stood her ground.
Sillabub (Teddy Wilson Jr.) approached her curiously and backed off at a very subtle warning from Demeter (Bebe Nicole Simpson). (I have to add on that Sillabub wore an orange t-shirt, short pink overalls, and orange converse shoes with a crown of sunflowers on their head. They were easily my favorite character.)
Grizabella showed off a trophy she had won in a previous ball and implored the interim judges to let her compete. They refused.
This Grizabella was almost frighteningly determined.
Bustopher Jones
For the performance I saw, Garnet Williams filled in for Nora Schell, with Tara Lashan Clinkscales filling in for Bombalurina.
Bustopher was referred to with they/them pronouns.
A large portion of this number was spent with Bustopher walking around the theater. When they mounted the stage, they pulled open their shirt to reveal a bustier emblazoned with the English flag.
Bustopher competed and won in the "Body" category. They continued to remain present throughout the rest of the show.
Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer
(clip)
It is specified both in the program and during the number that these two are from Victoria Grove, New Jersey
Those New Jersey accents were aggressive
"one of the goyles suddenly misses her woolworth poyles"
Honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less from them
During the Macavity scare preceding this number, Macavity dropped off some trash bags filled with clothes for Bombalurina and Demeter. Mungojerrie (Jonathan Burke) and Rumpleteazer (Dava Huesca) attempted to steal these.
During the second verse, both changed costumes behind some costume racks on either side of the stage.
They competed in the "Tag Team" category against Victoria and Tumblebrutus (Primo) and lost. They then stole the trophy, which Victoria and Tumblebrutus stole back.
Anyway I just desperately need other US productions to give them New Jersey accents
Old Deuteronomy
Munkustrap (Dudney Joseph Jr.) was the only one onstage for the first part of this
Tugger (Sydney James Harcourt) approached the side of the stage and grasped Munkustrap's arm at the "numerous progeny" line
The stage was left empty for Old Deuteronomy (André De Shields) to walk out on
Before he walked out, Sillabub threw flower petals all over it
Mr. Mistoffelees (Robert "Silk" Mason) pulled out Old Deuteronomy's chair for him
There was a VERY long pause for applause when Old Deuteronomy reached his throne at the far end of the catwalk. He turned in a very slow circle. We made eye contact.
Song of the Jellicles/The Jellicle Ball
(clip)
During the Macavity scare, Macavity strides up to Old Deuteronomy. Old Deuteronomy waves him back out of the room in a way that honestly looked like magic. (It's worth noting at this point that the Macavity in this production is a goofy role.)
Because of how the stage is set up, most parts of the dance number were done with only 2-5 actors onstage at a time. When there was a larger group, the dancing remained mostly sedentary.
No mating dance
Grizabella appeared on one of the high balconies. Sillabub waved enthusiastically at her. Everybody else just stared at her.
Many categories were competed in during this part. One of them was sort of an "anything goes" (I forget the exact name) category, in which Munkustrap came out in a golden ensemble with giant wings. Old Deuteronomy didn't like it. Munkustrap gave him sass.
Memory (part 1)
Old Deuteronomy walked out of the room along with everybody else (I THINK.) Grizabella approached the side of the stage, took off the scarf covering her hair, and draped it over one of the railings.
Grizabella caressed the stage as she sang.
Sillabub approached the other side of the stage, watched her for a bit, and departed. They returned near the end of the number with a glittery dress, which they offered to her. Grizabella ran away.
At the end of the number, Sillabub climbs onstage to grab the scarf and look out at the audience. Cut to black.
Moments of Happiness/Moonlight
This part took place entirely between Old Deuteronomy and Sillabub. Sillabub was still onstage, almost got scared away when Old Deuteronomy returned, and knelt in front of him.
As Old Deuteronomy sang about happiness through many generations, he tied the scarf around Sillabub's neck.
While all of this happened, old photos and reports about old balls were being projected on a large screen at the back of the stage. There was then a listing of old house mothers. Most of these were real. The final name listed was Grizabella's.
The rest of the cast joins in for Moonlight, stationed all around the theater. Bombalurina and Demeter were right next to me on the lower balcony. Bombalurina smiled at me.
Gus the Theater Cat
Shereen Pimentel (Jellylorum) was AMAZING.
Gus (Junior LaBeija) was only present for this number and the bows. Most of his lines were performed like spoken word poetry rather than through song.
There was no show-within-a-show piece after this number, but Gus did say the "I once played Rumpus Cat" line. At the very end was Tumblebrutus (I THINK) re-enacting a young Gus a la Grizabella in Tecklenburg 2015.
Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat
(clip)
AGGRESSIVELY a New Yorker in the same way Mungo and Rumple were from New Jersey. Queen of the subways.
Skimbleshanks' (Emma Sofia's) hair had tiger stripes!!!
Lyrics were both English and Spanish (?), especially during the "it was very pleasant" part
She lost her category against Rumpleteazer. They embraced and continued to dance together for the rest of the song.
Macavity the Mystery Cat/"The Fight"
Macavity (with a comically evil cackle and some Hanna-Barbera-style running around) dropped off some more trash bags through one of the windows in the back, which Demeter unpacked. As it turned out, those bags were filled with designer products.
"Macavity wasn't there" was a line used to refer to the fact that Macavity was supposed to be competing but didn't show up on time
Oh yeah, Demeter and Bombalurina were members of the House of Macavity
After Macavity proved to Old Deuteronomy that all of the products were genuine, they all got dressed up and competed in "Labels". The House of Macavity won.
Members of the losing team found attached tags on the products, indicating that the items were shoplifted.
As police sirens blared and blue and white lights flew around the room, Old Deuteronomy ushered Macavity to leave the venue. The police officers entered, looked around the audience, and then looked on the stage, where Old Deuteronomy stood in front of the bags of stolen goods and gave himself up as the perpetrator of the crime.
Macavity returns looking downright distraught.
Magical Mr. Mistoffelees
(clip)
It was much more believable to see everybody turning their backs on Tugger in this production than any other I've seen
Mr. Mistoffelees was referred to with he/him pronouns, so that's what I'm using here
Mr. Mistoffelees is introduced as a ballroom dancer who meets success, in part, by magic-ing his opponents into having wardrobe and performance malfunctions.
He also steals their stuff but I'm unsure whether that has to do with saving Old Deut or if it's just enriching for him
Old Deuteronomy was magicked into a box and stood very still when the curtain was pulled off. When Macavity approached, Old Deuteronomy jumpscared him.
After the song was done, Tugger and Mistoffelees kissed. They were not, as I have seen others say, eating each other's faces; it was very chaste and tender and lasted for just a handful of seconds. The audience went wild, of course.
Memory (part 2)
Grizabella came out in the dress Sillabub had offered earlier
Maybe I was reading too much into it but it looked to me like Old Deuteronomy and Sillabub conspired together to make her reappearance happen
This song was sung in a lower key than usual to better suit Temptress' voice
She looked so uncertain the whole time
Journey to the Heaviside Layer
A big staircase hinged down to the stage, just like in replica productions
Grizabella left through a door at the top of the stairs. Through it, the sounds of New York City could be heard.
The Ad-dressing of Cats
This song makes WAY MORE SENSE in this production in OG Cats, in my opinion. There, it sometimes feels like a bit of a slog. Here, it reinforced the core message of the show about accepting people as they are. To me, the context made it much more powerful.
These last few numbers were loud even through my ear plugs and I don't know why.
The ensemble (Frank Viveros and Shelby Griswold) brought the cast flutes of champagne
Bows
Munkustrap announced each member of the cast as they did individual dances down the stage. This was one of the only songs unrelated to Cats music.
Tugger did a striptease.
After all of the actors, the conductor came out vogueing down the stage.
Afterward, the cast began singing the "practical cats, dramatical cats" portion of Jellicle Songs. I sang enthusiastically along, catching Bustopher's eye. They blew me a kiss.
Other thoughts
Electra (Kendall Grayson Stroud) EASILY had my favorite costume: a holographic top and little black skirt with a huge ruffled rainbow coat over it
Victoria's costume changes made her much less noticeable than usual, especially as she mostly served as a member of the ensemble (I don't think anything in particular about this choice; I just found it interesting)
Despite all of the changes, this very much felt like a production of cats. Even though the actors were staged to be humans, they did nothing else to emphasize it. All of the lyrics were true to replica cats productions.
Where ballroom beats were implemented, they never distracted from the songs they were placed into. They actually enhanced the songs very nicely.
Almost all of the changes made to the original story make sense in the context of this production. I.e., Alonzo's absence makes sense because his role is no longer necessitated. Same with Coricopat and Tantomile.
I am in LOVE with this Sillabub. I really cannot emphasize that enough. They had so much youthful whimsy and KILLED those high notes. They should have been frolicking but instead they were at the club smh
Understated Tugger was an interesting look, and I think it worked well, considering that this Mistoffelees was definitely the most eye-catching member of the cast.
It was actually really cool to see a production where Macavity is accepted as one of the tribe. I fully believe that Mungojerrie learned a few pointers from this one. Again, I have to emphasize that it looked like Antwayn Hopper had the time of his life in this role.
Speaking of, there may have been some Deut bros (Tugger+Munkustrap+Macavity) staging, but I don't remember clearly enough to say for sure.
Most of the transfer of the story made sense... except for the stuff surrounding Grizabella. I've seen the directors talk about ageism in the ballroom community, but with how much emphasis this production put on respect for elders via Old Deuteronomy and Gus and the lack of general contempt from the cast, I honestly don't know why she would have been outcast to begin with. I also have no idea why she ran away from Sillabub.
I kind of wish there had been more extreme makeup, but most of the cast switched between their characters and ensemble roles frequently, so it makes sense. It didn't make the show any worse.
Overall, this was an incredible production that deserves the praise it is given. Yes, I think a number of Cats fans are casting too much judgement on the creative decisions. Yes, I think too many reporters have dunked on the original Cats staging more than is warranted in order to prop this production up. Regardless of those two factors, it was clear that the cast and creative team had a real love for both Cats and ballroom, and I think they married the two concepts beautifully.
turnnoffyourmind
snowghoul
jbbartram-illu
germansingergirl
