#taylor scanlan

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hello mistoshanks 👀

(Xavier Pellin as Mistoffelees and Taylor Scanlan covering Skimbleshanks, Asia tour 31 October 2020.)

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The Asia tour cast is saying goodbye and I am not okay

Source

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(From Taylor Scanlan's Instagram)

Taylor Scanlan as George

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You can't hear me but I'm literally crying 🥺

Credits: yolee7272 on IG

Apparently Thomas Inge (Plato/Admetus) does this little 3 tap thing every single time and now Carbucketty (Taylor Scanlan) and even Skimble himself (Hayden Baum) they do it too! I'M CRYING

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Taylor Scanlan and Carly Miles as Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer in a cover run for the Asia tour, 18 March 2022 (X).

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Hi, I was wondering whether there was a production in which someone learnt the tracks for both Misto and Skimble (obviously not playing both at once - that's logistically impossible, but maybe a swing covering both, or something?)

It's happened a few times! Usually the dance captain. E.g., Taylor Scanlan in the 2017 and 2020 Asia tours covered Skimble and Misto (among other roles)...

... and so did Corey John Snide in the Broadway revival.

But yes, obviously not doing both roles at once! Though Corey once famously did a Coricopat / Jennyanydots split track in an emergency: Jenny just existed for her own song, with him putting her coat on over his Coricopat outfit, then vanished for the rest of the show.

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2022 Asia tour?

Alright, so.

a) the 2020 asia tour got cancelled in May 2021, before it could go on to its planned Taiwan leg

b) the international tour is set to resume in May 2022, in Zurich

but

c) a whole bunch of former cast members headed for Taiwan today (7–8 January), saying things like 'see you again in March', and there are performance dates listed on Taiwanese ticketing websites through February and March.

This looks like a return of the Asia tour, rather than an early leg of the international tour. There's still nothing on the official Cats website, but the promo materal includes photos from the 2017 and 2020 Asia tours, it's run by GWB Entertainment (who did the Asia tours), and seems to be offering replacement dates for people who had tickets to the failed 2021 tour.

I'll be tagging any updates as '2022 asia tour', but considering it as effectively 'season 2' of the 2020 tour.

Currently suspected/confirmed cast below the cut! If you want the updates, track the post: I'll comment as I find things out or notice possibilities, as well as editing them into the post.

Leading the company: Dane Quixall, hoorah! Dane has been resident director and superswing with the international tour for years - in fact, his presence is the one thing that makes it look more like the international tour than the Asia tour, but otoh he said something about it being a 'different company' this time... Before that he was in the UK tour of 2013, and the German tent tour of 2010–13. He has always been a swing and usually a member of the creative team too, so he'll presumably be the same this time.

Returning from the 2020 Asia tour:

Rafe Watts - was Munkustrap, will presumably be Munkustrap this time too. Xavier Pellin - ditto for Mistoffelees Tyler Lotzof - ditto Victoria Alice Batt - ditto Jellylorum Hayden Baum - ditto Skimbleshanks Ellie Nunan - ditto Jennyanydots George Hankers - ditto Mungojerrie Dominique Hamilton - ditto Rumpelteazer Taylor Scanlan - ditto George / onstage swing Anina Plescher - ditto Electra / onstage swing Emily Casey - officially cast as Tantomile, she ended up covering Cassandra for almost half the performances due to first-cast Cass' unfortunate injuries, so she might be playing either here Caitlin New - was a swing covering Bomba, Jenny, Tanto/Cori, and Griz. Probably the same again, unless she's been promoted to first cast for one of those roles Kade Hughes - was Bill Bailey (cover Carbuckety) and will probably be that again, but, since Mukeni's in the cast too (who has never covered Carbuckety to my knowledge) Kade might be Carbuckety this time around.

Cast for the Taiwan leg of the 2020 Asia tour but never got to play:

Will Richardson - cast as Tugger, has formerly played that role in the 2017 Asia tour and in the Oasis production, will presumably be Tugger this time. Ashlee Hammerin - cast as Demeter; formerly a swing in the 2017 Asia tour, covering Demeter, Bomba, Tantomile, and Rumpelteazer. Will presumably be Demeter. Amy Everett - cast as Jemima, played Sillabub previously on the Oasis cruise.

Other productions:

Benjamin Mundy! A surprise, since it's a few years since he was in the show. He was Coricopat in London in 2014 (so this will be the first time he's performed with a non-rap Tugger 🤭). Given he covered Tugger too, he'll probably be an ensemble male role like Alonzo, Cori, or Plato/Admetus, while covering those roles and maybe Munk or Tugger; or he'll be a male swing. Mukeni Nel - yaaaas, our beautiful Mukeni from the 2019 international tour returns to the show! Either in his former role as Bill Bailey/Tumblebrutus, or moving to Carbuckety/Pouncival. Either way, he'll presumably still cover Mistoffelees. Emily Langham - Rumpelteazer in the 2016 UK/International tour, and cover Jellylorum - swing or creative? We have Alice Batt and Dominique Hamilton who I assume will be reprising their roles as Jelly and Teazer, so we'll see what Emily's doing. Carly Miles - Jemima (cover Victoria) in the 2017 Asia tour - again, we already have a Jemima and a Victoria so we'll have to wait and see what role(s) she'll be taking this time.

Possibly:

Brad Little and Kerry Ellis as Deuteronomy and Grizabella: one Taiwanese site lists them, but it might just be going by last year's info. (Brad was Deut throughout the 2020 Asia tour and would have continued into Taiwan, Kerry was meant to join the cast in Taiwan.) Kerry's insta doesn't look like she's going anywhere just yet, but it's possible that a star Grizabella could join the cast later in the rehearsal period. Stevie Hutchinson - Pouncival in the London revival - is travelling somewhere but, again, we know no more than that yet. Turns out it was Miami!

That's still only half the cast, though. The Asia tour had a cast of 24 onstage plus 5 swings, and the International tour has 22 (no Electra or George) plus usually 8 swings. So we'll see what we find out in the next few days!

Cast members whom we know not to be returning include Fletcher Dobinson (busy in London in Moulin Rouge), Jal Joshua (busy in Bring It On), Thomas Inge and his boyfriend Lloyd Davies (source: I asked Thomas), Suzie Melloy (heavily pregnant!), and, sadly for Tyler, her boyfriend Dan Partridge (he has booked himself a spontaneous trip to Sri Lanka now that she's left him all alone!). Cian Hughes and Harry Francis (Carbuckety and Mistoffelees in the 2019 international tour) are also not coming: they've commented things like 'goodbye, see you in a few months' in response to cast member announcements.

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Munkustrap being a dad and loving it. Look at him beaming as he tries to wrestle the kitten deluge under control! Victoria has called dibs on the Munkulegs and will fight anybody who tries to get close. Where did Bill Bailey go oh there he is, better grab hold of his scruff to keep him still, he's looking a bit excitable. Carbuckety, no, don't yoink the Jemimacat, Jemima leave some fur on the poor man's arm please. And bonus - because Jalonzo is looking very elegant and prim in that first gif, doing a bit of lounging and preening - Demelonzo tidying themselves and each other behind the annoying sticker that I cropped out of the kitten gif.

2020 Asia tour: Rafe Watts as Munkustrap, Ella Nonini as Demeter, Jal Joshua as Alonzo, Caitlin New as Tantomile, Aaron Lynch as Coricopat, Taylor Scanlan as Carbuckety, Anina Pletscher as Jemima, Tyler Lotzof as Victoria, Kade Hughes as Bill Bailey, and Thomas Inge as Admetus. (X)

And when the kittens are unleashed....

Must. Touch. Every. Baby.

The girls: Electra (Anina Pletscher) with blonde braids and a grey top, Victoria (Tyler Lotzof) beside her in a black top with a bun, and Jemima (Holly Willock) with a blonde ponytail and blue top.

All the boys seem to have decided on black today, but: Bill Bailey (Kade Hughes) is first to reach him then ducks behind his legs, almost missing out on a touch in his hurry; Carbuckety (Jal Joshua) with the long hair sits up and gets a nice head pat and scritch, and George (Taylor Scanlan) is last and has to wait his turn. And Mistoffelees (Xavier Pellin) pops in at the end with his back to the camera, presumably having disposed of Deuteronomy's mask and hoping for more pats himself.