Ep249 - sis thee doll, "Sis Thee Jellicle Doll"

“Junior does not have an agent or a manager. Junior has a community in front of him and we had to move through that in order to get the call.” This episode features the casting directors of Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” Victor Vazquez and Sujotta Pace of X Casting talking about casting the show from early workshops through the PAC run and to Broadway. They discuss their personal introductions to CATS, receiving the initial “ballroom CATS” pitch, and how evolving workshops shaped everything about the show. They describe prioritizing the ballroom community through dedicated open calls, using community networks to reach artists without traditional representation, and the challenges of assembling an ensemble while honoring CATS legacy. Enjoy this deep dive into the creative process and the intricacies of the show. 02:31 The Ballroom CATS Pitch 04:56 Writing the Viral Casting Call 07:34 Workshops and Role Discoveries 09:43 Finding Stars and Ballroom Legends 32:40 Casting For Representation 41:48 Honoring Elders Legacy 45:13 Icons Leading The Company 48:20 Rapid Fire Check out X Casting on Instagram: @xcastingnyc Check out Victor on Instagram: @victorvictorv Check out Sujotta on Instagram: @sujotta Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball on Social Media: @catsjellicleball Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠catsthejellicleball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I think that the magic that MCs create and where they're able to activate someone. I think that's a gift and it's really incredible.”” This episode features Dudney Joseph Jr. who is currently performing as Munkustrap in Cats: The Jellicle Ball at the Broadhurst Theatre. Dudney shares his first exposure to CATS via VHS in Buffalo, roles he once imagined playing, and how the production grew through workshops into a Broadway transfer. Dudney explains blending musical theater narration with ballroom MC responsibilities, learning to “take up space,” and developing the Legend Statements and Stars (LSS) curtain-call chants, an idea he voice-noted to Zhailon after the Lincoln Center workshop, then built under tight timing at the PAC before it went viral. He discusses changes from the PAC to Broadway, collaborating with creatives to honor both Cats’ legacy and ballroom culture, and working alongside ballroom icons like Junior LaBeija and Leiomy, including how they supported and informed his performance. Dudney also created a custom “Wrong Cat Died” chant for a podcast curtain call. 01:00 Introduction to CATS 04:26 Jellicle Ball Workshops 07:01 Building Munkustrap as MC 11:12 Creating the Curtain Call Chants 23:19 From PAC to Broadway 28:45 Ballroom Meets CATS 38:11 Why You Should Go 44:00 Rapid Fire Check out Dudney on Instagram: ⁠@dudney_jr Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball on Social Media: @catsjellicleball Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball: ⁠⁠⁠⁠catsthejellicleball.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“It was a compliment when someone was like, your felinity was really beautiful. They’re really good at being a cat. Your hands up in little paws, maybe wash your little face. Looking back it’s probably one of the more ridiculous things I’ve done in my life.” This episode features Dee Roscioli who is currently a standby for Madeline and Helen in Death Becomes Her on Broadway and was Grizabella on the US National Tour 5 in CATS. Dee shares how CATS was her first Broadway show at 16, her lifelong connection to “Memory,” and what it was like playing Grizabella at 25, including what she recalls about auditions, rehearsal focus on felinity, and portraying an outcast despite being close with the cast. She recounts touring mishaps and backstage stories from her time on tour. Dee then shares her work in Death Becomes Her including the challenges of being a standby who covers two leads, including gaps between performances and viral audience expectations. We cast the cats into Death Becomes Her and discuss upcoming performances Dee has planned. An episode you won’t want to miss. 06:43 Auditioning For Grizabella 10:24 Building Grizabella Physicality 12:30 Cats Felinity 21:11 Wild Tour Stories in Costume 24:36 Death Becomes Her Standby Life 28:14 Viral Moments and Making Them Yours 33:58 Casting Cats Into Death Becomes Her 39:02 Rapid Fire Check out Dee on Instagram: @deeroscioli Check out Dee's Linktree: linktr.ee/deeroscioli Check out Death Becomes Her on Social Media: @deathbecomesher Check out Death Becomes Her's website: ⁠deathbecomesher.com Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You have to see it. It’s one of those things that if you miss it, you’ve missed a cultural moment in time.”  This episode features the incredible Ken Ard who originated the roles of Macavity, Plato, and the Rumpus Cat in the original Broadway production of CATS and is currently performing as DJ Griddlebone in CATS: The Jellicle Ball at the Broadhurst Theatre. Ken shares his experience hearing the West End cast album, auditioning as a gymnast-singer-dancer, and developing Macavity as a chaotic street cat without the fan-made “family tree” lore, while learning in rehearsal through acting exercises alongside Betty Buckley. He describes the dangerous Rumpus Cat star-trap floor stunt, a knee injury during the original run, and meeting celebrities backstage. Ken dives into how The Jellicle Ball’s ballroom setting makes CATS clearer and emotionally resonant for a new era, his audition path into the expanded DJ Griddlebone role, and why skeptics and even CATS haters should see this reinvention, praising key performances and the production’s inclusive cast and culture. 01:05 Auditioning for CATS 03:25 Creating Macavity 05:05 CATS Lore vs Reality 09:16 Rumpus Cat Trapdoor 13:05 Original Run Memories 21:33 Becoming DJ Grizabella 28:31 Ballroom Meets Broadway 33:54 Standout Moments 44:53 Rapid Fire Check out Ken on Instagram: @thekennethard Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball on Social Media: @catsjellicleball Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball: ⁠⁠⁠catsthejellicleball.com⁠⁠⁠ Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“In my head I think Jemima is the daughter of Bombalurina and Macavity.” This episode features Gabrielle Parker who played Jemima on the 2025 International Tour of CATS. Hear Gabrielle share how a ballet background and seeing Cats around age 10 sparked her obsession with the show and her early goal to play Victoria. She recounts auditioning soon after graduating, initially being seen for Rumpleteazer before landing Victoria, and explains how character work begins with the “three words,” including Victoria’s surprising trait of being “unselfconscious.” Gabrielle discusses later playing Jemima on tours through Korea, Taiwan, China, and Europe, including the challenge and audience reaction of singing the opening of “Moonlight” in Korean and Mandarin. She offers personal Jemima backstory theories, reflects on touring culture differences, shares memorable mishaps and emergency cover moments, and reveals she met her husband on CATS, joking about a “white cat curse.” 00:50 First Time Seeing CATS 07:18 Building Victoria and Jemima 12:08 Jemima Backstory  20:20 Singing Moonlight in New Languages 24:33 White Cat Curse Love Story 26:48 CATS Wedding Performance 31:53 Rapid Fire Check out Gabrielle on Instagram: @gabbyparker_ Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I felt like it was finally something that came to fruition for me. I’m about to go to the theater and see a trans woman on stage and also in my favorite show.” This episode features actress and activist sis thee doll who is a longtime CATS fan. Hear sis share how her connection began with the CATS video trailer on Barney’s Great Adventure and later deepened through school speech competitions using T.S. Eliot’s poems and seeing the 2016 revival live. She discusses first hearing about The Jellicle Ball and auditioning in summer 2023, describes attending early previews at PAC NYC on Juneteenth 2024, and shares how the show’s impact as a milestone for trans, especially Black trans women, and the ballroom community on Broadway. This is an episode made for both CATS devotees and Jellicle newcomers. 00:57 Becoming a CATS Fan 06:31 Hearing About The Jellicle Ball 08:39 Audition Story and Dream Roles 11:21 First Night at PAC 25:49 Friends Debuts 30:56 Broadway Representation 41:03 Why This Production Matters 41:53 Rapid Fire Check out sis on Social Media: @ucancallmesis Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball on Social Media: @catsjellicleball Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball: ⁠⁠catsthejellicleball.com⁠⁠ Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We were honored to be invited to cover the Gold Carpet for the opening night of the highly anticipated production of CATS: The Jellicle Ball with VIPs from the film, TV, and Broadway industries along with the cast and creative team from the production. Hear us discuss the excitement for the opening night, changes from downtown to Broadway, and which Jellicle cat each celebrity would want to play. Featuring (in order): Co-Directors Zhailon Levingston & Bill Rauch, Associate Director Cooper Howell, Co-Choreographers Omari Wiles & Arturo Lyons, Costume Designer Qween Jean, Junior LaBeija, Leiomy, Ken Ard, Sherrod T. Brown, Garnet Williams, Bebe Nicole Simpson, Kalyn West, Jonathan Burke, Baby Byrne, Dudney Joseph Jr., Emma Sofia, Sydney James Harcourt, Nora Schell, Robert “Silk” Mason, Betty Buckley, Jacob Brent, Kevin Cahoon, Todrick Hall, Jess Val Ortiz, Lea DeLaria, LaChanze, Marti Gould Cummings, Jenn Colella, Olivia Lux, and Vanity LaVain. About the Production: Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” is a radical reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, inspired by the Ballroom culture that roared out of New York City over 50 years ago and still rages around the world. Staged as a spectacularly immersive competition by Zhailon Levingston and Artistic Director Bill Rauch. Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball on Social Media: @catsjellicleball Check out CATS: The Jellicle Ball: ⁠⁠catsthejellicleball.com⁠⁠ Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“ I went through all these pictures the other day and was crying my eyes out laughing.” This episode features Katie Fairborne who performed as Bombalurina in BYU–Idaho’s 2015 production of CATS, to answer questions sparked by Teresa Jack’s viral social media post. Katie explains how she was a longtime CATS fan recruited to audition because the show needed dancers, and describes how the production toned down the choreography of the show while keeping some story elements like Grizabella’s reincarnation. She details the heavy, layered fur-and-lycra costumes that made the production go viral, the limited archival footage, and the audience reactions. 01:49 CATS Fandom 02:54 Casting Story 12:55 Choreography Changes 21:34 Performances and Reactions 25:23 Costumes and Honor Code 34:05 Rapid Fire Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I think the premise is clear. They have to compete. For their life. I really don’t know why either.” This episode features Nina White (Kimberly Akimbo, The Queen of Versailles) who is currently appearing at the Cherry Lane Theater in You Got Older. Nina comes on the show to discuss her strong pro-CATS opinions and why she thinks much of the show’s hate is unfounded. Nina shares seeing the tour in Detroit, the characters she gravitated toward, and which role she’d want today, plus thoughts on the CATS: The Jellicle Ball revival and her desire to play Skimbleshanks there. The discussion pivots to You Got Older, as Nina explains the play’s story about a woman returning home during her father’s cancer treatment and its themes of family, presence, and authentic sibling dynamics, including how personal it is to playwright Clare Barron. They end with rapid-fire CATS questions, debate the Jellicle choice, and share how to follow Nina and see the show. 02:14 First CATS Memory 05:24 Dream CATS Roles 15:11 Skimbleshanks Obsession 17:30 You Got Older 20:17 Why the Play Hits Home 34:49 Starlight Express Discussion 37:18 Rapid Fire Check out Nina on Instagram: @iamninawhite Check out You Got Older: cherrylanetheatre.org/shows/ygo Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“ I believe that they were all linked and in sync all of the cats because there's so many parts in the play where it's so evident within the storytelling that they are all in tune with one another immediately.” This episode features Quentin Earl Darrington who played Old Deuteronomy in the 2016 Broadway Revival of CATS and currently appears as the Phantom in Masquerade. Quentin explains how he had never seen CATS before auditioning and researched recordings and commentary to build the show’s story, then recalls the heavy, hot Old Deuteronomy suit, ice-pack vest, and unexpectedly having to dance with elite performers while also playing an opening-number ensemble cat. He describes shaping Old Deuteronomy through biblical books and viewing the Jellicle Choice as a collective, evolving decision, not predetermined, with Deuteronomy as a servant-leader who never expects to ascend. The conversation shifts to Masquerade’s immersive demands, constant variation, and physical backstage navigation, with Quentin embracing unpredictable audience proximity.  01:20 First Encounter With CATS 03:47 Costume Heat and Survival 04:49 Old Deuteronomy Decision Theology 18:48 Masquerade  27:49 Immersive Show Demands 36:17 Reinventing Classics Today 39:07 Rapid Fire Check out Masquerade on Social Media: @masqueradenyc Check out Masquerade's website: masqueradenyc.com Produced by: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Social Media: @⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TheWrongCatDied Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices