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Kitty Kibble- Ok, this is a
story about the closing of CATS, done from a dancer point of view.
I'm that dancer. I'll use my real name, which is Ellen. I use current cast
names, if I mess up on any, sorry. Send comments to [email protected]
It's
the end. Today is the last performance of CATS. "Wish me luck." I said to
my kitten Misto. Jacob had given her to me. She blinked her gold eyes at
me and licked my hand. I smiled and rubbed her hand. I left my apartment
and walked down to the Winter Garden Theater. "Hey 'Teazer." said Celina
Carvajal. Celina played Demeter. "Hey Demi." I said as I walked in the
theater door. I looked into the theater to see who was there. I smiled
sadly as I saw Jeffery Dennan, Roger Kachel and Stephen Bienskie who
played Munkustrap, Mungojerrie, and Rum Tum Tugger goof around on stage
for the last time. Their laughter reached my ears, it made my eyes water
slightly. "Come on. Let's go get our costumes ready." said Celina. We
turned away and walked down the hall to our dressing room.
We
stopped by wardrobe to pick up our costumes for the last time. The tears
fell down my face as I sadly brushed the shoulder fur. "It'll be okay. You
got the job with the London Cast, don't you?" asked Marlene Danielle, as
she came in and saw the tears. She played Bombalurina. I gave her and
Celina a wartery smile. "Yeah. But it won't feel the same without you
guys." I had gotten the Rumpleteazer part with the London Cast. I was
happy, but it would feel strange without Celina and Marlene as Dem and
Bomb. We had grown pretty close. The cast had joked that since we were so
close, that 'Teazer, Dem, and Bomb had been from the same litter.
I
would miss this cast. Some of us were going into other CATS casts. Silvia
Aruj, Missy Lay Zimmer and Jimmy Lockett, were coming with me, but mostly
the others were moving on to other shows.
The
three of us went into our dressing room, which we shared with Linda
Balgord, who played Grizabella. I smoothed the costume over my arms. I
smiled at it. "The last time." I thought. "The last time I wear
the Broadway 'Teazer costume, the last time I put on the Broadway 'Teazer
make-up" "Forever is now." I said.
I
sat in my chair and reached for the white make-up stick. I drew the
beginnings of the make-up down from my forehead to the tip of my nose. I
brushed on some more white on my forehead and the middle of my cheeks. I
smoothed on the orange and yellow on the rest of my cheeks and neck. I
sharpened the black eyeliner, and outlined and colored in and around my
eyes to make them stand out. I colored in the nose and made the "split
lip" under my nose. I outlined my lips, made the mouth curls, whiskers,
and a few "fur hairs" on my neck. I put down the liner, and grabbed the
pot of red. I brushed the red on my lips with a lipbrush. I pulled on my
wig and tail and stared at my reflection. The others were done getting
ready. We paused long enough to take pictures so we could remember
forever. We walked over to the theater and looked in.
The stage was clear and the orchesta was tuning up. We got in our spots
for when we run down the ailses at the start of the show. Julius and Jacob
came over to me. "Hey." said Julius getting in line behind me. "Hey."
"Good luck." Jacob said kissing me. "I'll be in the audience." "Thanks." I
said. Me, Julius, Roger, Jon-Erik Goldberg (Pouncival), Lynne Calania
(Cassandra) ans Maria Jo Ralabate (Silabub) got our cue. We took off down
the ailse and bounded onto the stage. Our performance that night was the
greatest. We danced like it was the last show we were gonna ever do. We
put our souls into it, because it was.
After
our show, I was at the door of my dressing room staring at it, slowly
burning it into my memory. I walked over to the theater. my arms and dance
bag full of photos, some CATS shirts and other CATS stuff, plus the
flowers I had recived and a video of the last show our producer had made.
I just sat in a chair in the theater, staring at the stage, not wanting to
forget it.
Jacob
walked down to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I don't wanna forget." I
whispered. "I know the feeling." he said, sitting next to me. "You want to
look at everything carefuly and burn it all into your head, so you never
forget. He helped me up and carried some of my stuff for me. "Sometimes, I
swear to God, I can hear the laughter and the music. But if I look to
hard, it'll disappear." he said. I nodded in agreement and looked over my
shoulder at the stage. I stopped.
For
a moment I could hear the music from "The Jellicle Ball." and I
could see myself and the others dancing on the stage, our feet a few
inches above the stage. Forever is Now." I whispered. "We'll be back." the
phantom Misto whispered at me. It was Jacob. "It may not be today, or
tomorrow, or the day after. But we'll be back. Forever is not always now."
he said. The music stopped and the phantoms melter away. Jacob asked if I
was okay. "Yeah." I said and we walked out of the theater. Echoing behind
us were the words:
"Up, up, up past the Russell
Hotel.
Up, up, up to the Heavyside
Layer.
Up, up, up past the Russell
Hotel.
Up, up, up to the Heavyside
Layer.
Up, up, up past the Russell
Hotel.
Up, up, up to the Heavyside
Layer.
Up, up, up past the Russell
Hotel.
Up, up, up to the Heavyside
Layer.
Up, up, up past the Jellicle
Moon.
Up, up, up to the Heavyside
Layer.
Up, up, up past the Jellicle
Moon.
Up, up, up to the Heavyside
Layer.
The mystical divinity of unashamed
felinity.
Life to the Everlasting Cat."
"Life to the Everlasting Cat" I
said. "Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But we will be
back."
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