Sydney James Harcourt on Redefining Rum Tum Tugger in Cats: The Jellicle Ball

Sydney James Harcourt made his Broadway debut in the 2001 revival of the 1956 Comden and Green musical Bells Are Ringing. Since then, he has appeared in American Idiot, the original Broadway company of Hamilton and now, Cats: The Jellicle Ball. His debut, a traditional revival of a classic musical, is in stark contrast to the rest of his résumé. With its fresh take on the feline phenomenon, The Jellicle Ball reimagines Cats in the Ballroom space, turning the musical's traditional junkyard on its head by bringing it to the runway.

Having been with the show since its 2024 off-Broadway premiere, Harcourt has had time to spend with his character, Rum Tum Tugger, refining his interpretation to fit the bigger and bolder Broadway stage. After his first full week of previews at the Broadhurst Theatre, Harcourt opened up about the rare opportunity to bring his authentic self to the role and the impact he hopes this production will have on the future of the industry.

When were you first introduced to Cats?
I had seen a tour when I was younger. But, first and foremost, I am a crazy cat lover. I've always had cats. Everything cats I love; I am just so obsessed. So, anything where humans are dressed as cats, I'm in. That part of it, I was delighted by. I absolutely didn't understand anything except that there were cats in what seemed to be a junkyard, and they were showing off, and some of them were super acrobatic. I think Tumblebrutus really stood out to me at the time, as I think that role classically does because of all of the tricks. And then, there was a lot of dry ice and cats in the aisles, and one of them flies away on a magic saucer at the end. And that's the majority of my impression of it. I knew the Barbra Streisand rendition of “Memory,” and that was everything musically that I knew.

Do you have prior history with Ballroom?
I dropped out of school and moved to New York as a teenager, and immediately—besides auditioning—started clubbing. In the Detroit area [my hometown], I'd never been immersed in gay culture where I felt safe. So, I was amazed by the club life and atmosphere. That was my first introduction to the world of voguing, because at 2:00 a.m. on the dance floors of New York is when the voguers and Ballroom people would come out. I started seeing this amazing form of dance that I had never encountered before. I started learning Ballroom from making friends, as you do at the club when you go to the club four nights a week, as I did. And I was welcomed into that club kid circle, which crosses over into the Ballroom world. By watching performances at the club, I've seen Kevin Aviance perform so many times and watched them incorporate elements of vogue and of ballet and of hip-hop into an entire piece. It broadened my mind then. I started following it online. I have been a huge Leiomy [Macavity in Cats: The Jellicle Ball] stan for probably 15 years of watching the clips that were available online, and just following that and learning what I could.

How did Cats: The Jellicle Ball find its way to you?
During the pandemic, one way I got through it was bingeing Legendary on HBO. So, when I got the call to audition for the workshop, my agent was like, “I have an audition for you. It's for Cats, but hear me out. I think you'll like it.” My agents know me very well. They said, “I think you're going to like it because it's being retold in the setting of a Harlem drag ball; of a vogue ball.” I responded, “Oh, you've got my attention.” Then, when I got to the audition, I sang one of the songs and did some things, and they introduced me to the team. I saw sitting behind the panel were Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles—two competitors and champions from Legendary—I was so starstruck that I started stuttering. I was so excited to be working with people that I knew, whose work I respected so deeply, whose artistry I viewed as magic. I knew right then.

Both Hamilton and Cats: The Jellicle Ball take a classic concept and flip it on its head in an unexpected way. Is that something that draws you to projects?
I've always been interested, as an artist in musical theater, in doing the most cutting-edge, genre-pushing, into-the-future kind of work that I could. As a mixed-race person who's not grounded in stereotypical types, musical theater and theater in general is sort of based in racial stereotypes. I often found that where I had my best luck was in things that were outside of that realm and that pushed the boundaries of what we thought of as contemporary musical theater. So, this really spoke to me. I thought, “If we get on stage the production level that I saw on Legendary, there's no way this show can fail, because Broadway has been waiting for that kind of spectacle forever.”

How did you find your Rum Tum Tugger?
My biggest challenge was my trepidation at being sexy. I was told that Rum Tum Tugger is the sexiest cat and that he's so sexy, nobody can resist him. I didn't grow up experiencing that at all. I wasn't that type. So, for me, portraying that would absolutely be an acting challenge. I felt like, “Oh, you've got to be sexy. I've got to go out there and lick my lips and roll my hips and always be grinding and finding ways to be sexy.” And off-Broadway, Cooper Howell, one of the brilliant associate directors and a theater artist in his own right, told me before one of the preview runs, “Listen, Syd, we hired you because you are the Rum Tum Tugger. You're that already. So, you don't have to go out there and be sexy. You don't have to be anything. You have to go out there and act. Honestly, do less.” I started saying that to myself every time before my entrance, “Do less.” And it really worked, in my own ease and in the response that I felt from the audience.

What did you work on the most between the off-Broadway and Broadway productions?
In the intervening year and a half from off-Broadway to Broadway, I found myself thinking about the part and about masculine stereotypes and the function of haute boys in gay and Ballroom culture specifically, and how they're objectified. I wondered, “How do we make that accessible?” Because I find, often, that when someone is viewed as very, very attractive, it can create a boundary or a wall [preventing] people from experiencing them as human and as someone they can identify with. And so, I thought that Tugger's softness and his humor and a little bit of goofiness—letting that show is a way into his heart. And also, the material, the choreography over the space of a year and a half; it has its time to just sink into you where it doesn't feel like this race to remember anymore.

How has your interpretation of the character grown or changed over time?
Now on Broadway, I am so comfortable with the songs and the music. I would have the karaoke track in my car in Michigan—because if I'm not doing a show here, I'm in Northern Michigan, living my life with my cats—and I would sing it every day so that it just became one of those songs that I knew. That was one of my actor tricks to allow something to just deepen in me. I've actually really embodied this idea of just going out there, and I'm this guy. This is what I can do in Ballroom. I get to walk [in the categories] Body and Old Way. In Ballroom, I'm an Oricci and in the House of Oricci; thank you to my father, Omari Wiles. In that world, those are my categories. For Pretty Boy Realness, you come out and you're like, “Hey, this is my category.” And people seem to like it. I'm going to sing a little song. I'm going to do what I do. I'm a sexual person just like everybody else, and I don't judge myself for that and you shouldn't either.

What makes your Rum Tum Tugger in Jellicle Ball different from previous iterations of the character?
Tugger is allowing freedom with this rendition of Cats. It's a more relaxed ease and acceptance of himself this time around, and even more welcoming of everyone into the space. Ballroom can be a place for many who are on the outside that feel like there's an element of trepidation in entering it. And Tugger's here to say, “Welcome, everybody. Come in. I know it might be scary, but I'll be here. Just in case you get worried, you can come sit next to me.”

You’ve worked with a lot of legends. What have you learned from performing alongside them?
I'm constantly learning every day. I've just started learning from the cast because we've all been wrapped up in our own tracks and our own parts. We're starting finally, as we get a hold on our own thing, to be able to see each other. I have learned so much from the other actors I work with. Staring at them, watching their process. [In Hamilton], watching what Leslie [Odom Jr.]'s doing specifically to get that laugh that he gets in “Ten Duel Commandments,” watching Brian d’Arcy James specifically to see why the audience is loving his rendition of King George III so much, even though he's doing the most minimal movements. And how on earth is he making those A naturals sound so easy?

Have your Jellicle Ball cast members taught you any lessons that stand out?
I've learned something from everybody. I've learned from Junior [Labeija] the power of what is going on with your eyes. I've learned from André [De Shields] how to be a consummate showman and that every little movement of your fingers and your arms and the turn of a head can drive an audience crazy. I've learned from Leiomy that the sheer energy of coming out with confidence and moving through the space with alacrity, really, it's that confidence that is so key. From the voguers in the show, I've learned the perfection of a movement. The learning really never stops in that sense. It happens from everybody in the cast in a million different ways. I think one of the most fun parts about embarking on the very beginning of this journey is how it's going to change me as an artist over the time that I'm lucky enough to be in it.

Do you have a favorite costume designed by Qween Jean for the show?
One thing that's different about Tugger this time, is that Tugger has a lot more costume changes. And Tugger's really excited about all of the fancy things he gets to wear this time around. He really feels like one of the cool cats this time, so that’s exciting. I think my favorite costume has to be something that's on Leiomy. Because Macavity is the labels cat. I will say, Jennyanydots brings it pretty hard. It might be the all-leopard body suit with the peplum skirt and the lion head on the left breast. It could be when Leiomy walks out in the thigh-high silver boots with the bag that is so oversized, she could fit three of the acting company in it. It could be Macavity's first look with the red, gorgeous Nikiya Mathis [Cats: The Jellicle Ball's hair and wig designer] locks, the red fur hair ears, this jacket of leather and fur and so many different textures in the corset.

Other than serving looks on stage, what do the costumes add to the production?
I think Jellylorum's first look is so original. I could see so many queer kids saying, “That's me. That's what I want to be.” I think that, in general, is one of the magical things about our show. It's like this collection of 28 Bratz dolls, and how do you decide which one you want to be? “I want to be this one today, and I'm going to be that one tomorrow.” I think the Qween Jean creation that is beloved is going to be different for everyone. It's really a way for people in this community to see themselves on stage and also see the self that maybe they don't have the confidence to be in their real life, and give them that confidence to express themselves. Because if we're not changing lives in theater, what are we doing?

What do you think audiences will be most surprised by when walking into this show?
Maybe the thing that they'll be most surprised by is the sense of community. I've seen it time and time again at PAC [Perelman Performing Arts Center, the off-Broadway venue]; people making new best friends during the intermission with the person that they were sitting next to. They play house music during the intermission and it's a kiki. I think that the sense of joy—overwhelming, inexplicable joy—is the thing that resonates the most overall in the show. I think they already come ready to experience death-defying dance moves and fierce fashions and amazing singing. And then, the rest of the surprises, I'll get fired if I reveal them.

Do you have any other projects on the horizon?
I've been busy working on an album of dance music, because I'm a club kid at my roots. I've done a lot of things in my artistic journey here in New York, and one of them was work in a studio and as a producer studio assistant. I'm a trained musician and I know music theory, so I have learned to produce and record and work in studios along the way of my musical journey. What really felt authentically me to release was what we're doing here. I wanted to make an album for my gays. I do have a project that's ready to drop this spring. Then there are some films that I'm working on writing and producing. That's all I'm going to say about it for now.

What about dream musical theater roles?
I'm actually most excited for what opportunities Cats is going to bring my way. As an actor and an artist, it's such an amazing opportunity when you get a role that allows people in the industry to really thoroughly see who you are as a performer. It can be really hard, as someone who's a specific type like I am, to constantly be shoehorning yourself into roles that were meant for someone else, or were meant for a type. They'll say, “Well, you aren't right for this one, but can you read this Latino role? Let's try that on you.” So, when you get to be seen in something like this, I feel the industry has a way of saying, “He's perfect for this,” and then bringing that to you. I'm keeping myself open to that and really pouring myself wholeheartedly into this right now. I would do this show all over the world. It's my favorite thing I've ever gotten to do.

Are you excited to see how Cats: The Jellicle Ball changes the industry for the better?
I felt like Hamilton had its time of really making a lot of changes to what was considered acceptable on the stage, and the types of people who could play certain roles. Going back for the 10 year anniversary, one of the things that was so profound was when over 150 of the cast members who have been in Hamilton showed up to be on stage to sing a version of “My Shot.” I just looked around at the cornucopia of minorities and types that were not present on Broadway prior to Hamilton, and now had careers and were established. I'm excited for that same thing to happen for queer artists of color with Cats, and to break more boundaries on what kind of stories we can tell and how we tell them.

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