Thinking About Cats: The Jellicle Ball? Here Are 6 Purr-fect Reasons to Go

Cats, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's feline frenzy of a musical, rightfully earned its tagline "now and forever" after a combined 39 years in the West End and on Broadway. Twenty-five years later, Cats: The Jellicle Ball is the cool cat in town. It's the same Cats you know and love, only taking inspiration from Ballroom culture. Here's a list of six reasons that will hopefully purr-suade you to compete for a spot in the Heaviside Layer.

1.  Witness the reign of André De Shields.
Wig! (If you know, you know.) The 80-year-old Tony, Emmy, Grammy and all-around life winner is back on a Broadway stage—in heels. De Shields, a leader of the Broadway community, is famous for his performances in everything from The Wiz to Hadestown, but this time the titan is so revered that not only does he receive thunderous entrance applause with the the audience rising in respect, he also sits on a literal throne. Seeing De Shields rule the stage is something you will tell your grandchildren about. Bow down!

2.  Dive into Ballroom.
“O-p-u-l-e-n-c-e!” Have you ever wanted to hear that quote straight from the kittycat’s mouth? Whether you’ve seen or just heard about the iconic 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, you might recognize the Junior LaBeija line, and now he says it on stage at the Broadhurst Theatre nightly. (He even asks the crowd to Google him. Go on, we'll wait.) Even if you never saw the film or watched Pose or Legendary, two TV shows also infused with the culture, it's hard to resist the joy of celebrating this world on stage.

3. There are celebrity guest judges.
Cats is a pageant, and like any pageant, Ballroom or not, there are judges. In this case, celebrity guests sit on stage as a part of the judging panel. Famous figures such as Zendaya, Jinkx Monsoon, Billy Eichner, Lea DeLaria, Jeremy Pope and Jesse Tyler Ferguson have apeared already. You won't know who will appear until they are called onto the stage. The cat's out of the bag!

4. The audience gets involved.
Per a pre-show announcement, Cats: The Jellicle Ball is not your typical show. This warrants a not-so-typical response. Whether you're sat on stage or facing the runway, in the spirit of the tagline, "Come one, come all" (written on fans offered to the crowd), everyone is welcome to (respectfully) participate as if attending the best dance party in town.

5. Marvel at the fabulous dancing.
Gillian Lynne's seminal choreography in the original production is revered, but this is a different ball of yarn. If you only know how to "Vogue" because of Madonna, you are about to witness the style of dance that inspired her and so much more. Keep your eyes on Baby Byrne as Victoria and Robert “Silk” Mason as Magical Mister Mistoffeles, but there’s not a weak link in the litter.

6. The costumes are the the cat's meow.
As T.S. Eliot wrote in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (a.k.a. the source material for the show), “The naming of cats is a difficult matter.” Well, so is dressing 28 (!) cats. Costume designer Qween Jean takes this impossible task and passes with flying colors, literally. With exquisite detail and rare singularity, the Jellicle Ball is a fancy feast for the eyes.

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