Cats: The Jellicle Ball to Broadway- Page 5

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/14/26 at 9:10pm

quizking101 said: "Anticipate a full cast announcement (to include the new Macavity and Jellylorum and swings) early next week"

And hopefully more swings.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/15/26 at 12:42am

quizking101 said: "Anticipate a full cast announcement (to include the new Macavity and Jellylorum and swings) early next week"

We're okay with a replacement for Sheeren Pimentel as Jellylorum.  There could be a better fit.

Enjoyed Anwayn Hopper at Macavity.  He's been on ABC's Will Trent for multiple episodes as a "scene stealer" (and continuing more regular), FBI  and other upcoming projects so this was scheduling. When Roderick Covington replaced Hopper for the extension off-broadway it wasn't the same.  Hopefully they have found a strong fit. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:20am

They released the full seating chart and it looks like the orchestra and mezzanine is situated behind the runway, while the onstage seating and judge table is at the back of the stage facing the orch/mezz. Odd.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:35am

If I've already purchased a ticket for the front mezzanine and want to move to runway seating, do I just call Telecharge? Or the Broadhurst box office? Or...?

[schubox]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:39am

For those of you that saw it Off Broadway, do you think the on stage seating or the front row Orch would be better seating? Based on the stage layout? This is really more for my wife so just want to get somethign with a good view 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:45am

Nobody knows how the new seating arrangement is going to work because it hasn’t started previews yet. The seating at PAC was a 3/4 thrust, while the new arrangement is basically in the round. The main orch and mezz seating is where the backstage was previously, so the staging will obviously need to change.

[The8re phan]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:46am

schubox said: "For those of you that saw it Off Broadway, do you think the on stage seating or the front row Orch would be better seating? Based on the stage layout? This is really more for my wife so just want to get somethign with a good view"

 

Saw this at PAC NYC multiple times from multiple vantage points

based on this new seating layout, i'd assume that front orch would be preferrable, as i'm expecting the 'cats' to play more toward the main seating area, with the judges table and onstage seats thou closer would see more of their backs

[schubox]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:48am

The8re phan said: "schubox said: "For those of you that saw it Off Broadway, do you think the on stage seating or the front row Orch would be better seating? Based on the stage layout? This is really more for my wife so just want to get somethign with a good view"



Saw this at PAC NYC multiple times from multiple vantage points

based on this new seating layout, i'd assume that front orch would be preferrable, as i'm expecting the 'cats' to play more toward the main seating area, withthe judges table and onstage seats thou closerwould see more of their backs"

Yeah that was my thought. I know no one really knows with the new staging, but it seems like onstage you're just going to be looking at a lot of backas and then having to turn around to see anything like the Judges table

[pathman2]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 10:55am

I think the best view is going to depend on how high the stage is. Could be that the mezzanine might be the best view to see the considerable “floorwork.” The onstage seating seems less desirable to me given the stage layout, I imagine the performers will be facing more to the rest of the house. BUT, this will likely be completely restaged from what was at PAC so I probably won’t buy until previews start. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 11:00am

I'm gonna stick with my orchestra seats lol

[WldKingdomHM]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 1:23pm

Mmmm they should of made those runway seats like PAC. I wonder how they will do the Heaviside and the Film at the start of Act Two. Interesting 

quizking what do u think ?

Updated On: 1/20/26 at 01:23 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 1:25pm

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 1:40pm

I'd still do orchestra I for this. based on the stairs in the diagram I think the stage level will be staying near standard height, and the stage seats are at an interesting angle. If they were 90 degrees I'd be all for it, but not at 45 degrees. While it might look good from the audience, from the stage it's iffy. They did similarly angled seats at Xanadu also, but those were $40,not full-price.

Updated On: 1/20/26 at 01:40 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 2:00pm

The onstage seating will be cool, but considering there will be 1,000 people in the orchestra/mezz and 80 onstage, you'll probably be best off sitting with the majority.

[Lot666]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 2:08pm

What really makes this difficult to work out is there's no indication as to what direction the onstage seats face. If you click an onstage seat, a pop-up advises "This is a traditional theatre seat located on stage". This means it's not a stool, so it has a front, back, and sides, and will be in a fixed position. Do the fronts of these seats face the house, the runway, or the judges platform?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 2:30pm

Why would they face the judges?

[Kad]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 3:56pm

This new layout doesn't make a lot of sense to me based on the production at PAC- the placement of the judges especially doesn't make sense to me, even from a logical standpoint of these are ostensibly competitors who should be playing to the judges- but it certainly suggests a lot has been reconceived for Broadway. 

[abcd12]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 4:19pm

I’m confused as to what people are confused by LOL

Once they announced the theater and put tickets on sale, we knew there wasn’t going to be an overhaul of the theater to mimic PAC, no…?

I am sure they’ll be performing 95% of the show out to the audience in the normal theater seats. Honestly, moving the judging panel upstage makes a lot of sense to me, since at PAC you could barely see the judges unless you were seated on the sides. 

Of course they should be “playing to the judges,” but can we not suspend belief? This is a musical about singing cats, after all. 

Updated On: 1/20/26 at 04:19 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 4:34pm

From a marketing/social standpoint, it makes sense to have the judges as visible as possible (like the celeb guest bits with Oh Hello, Spelling Bee, and Gutenberg).

It would seem this layout provides plenty of opportunity for audience interaction and entrances through the orchestra section.

[FANtomFollies]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 7:07pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "From a marketing/social standpoint, it makes sense to have the judges as visible as possible (like the celeb guest bits with Oh Hello, Spelling Bee, and Gutenberg)."

Also in the original staging, Deutoronomy sits all the way upstage facing the audience, so this is basically just like that. Yes the cats were performing facing out, but we could still accept that he was watching them perform, even though he was looking at their backs most of the night.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 1/20/26 at 7:16pm

FANtomFollies said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "From a marketing/social standpoint, it makes sense to have the judges as visible as possible (like the celeb guest bits with Oh Hello, Spelling Bee, and Gutenberg)."

Also in the original staging, Deutoronomy sits all the way upstage facing the audience, so this is basically just like that. Yes the cats were performing facing out, but we could still accept that he was watching them perform, even though he was looking at their backs most of the night."

At PAC  Deuteronomy sat at the judges table all the way DOWNSTAGE facing the runway with his back (and other judges) to the main orchestra section.  (The side runways seats could view him the whole time).   With the judges now fully upstage - the cast will perform with their backs to them (and, as it appears to quite a bit of the onstage seating sometimes).  The angled onstage seating is a choice - there will be some staging changes due to this.   We're happy to have purchased orchestra seats and not waited. 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 1/21/26 at 12:49am

I look forward to seeing this show in April!

Since I'm not too familiar with ball culture (shame on me!), can anyone recommend things to watch or read that will help to understand the context of this production?

Or does the show itself do a good job making things clear to clueless people like myself?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/21/26 at 1:04am

kdogg36 said: "I look forward to seeing this show in April!

Since I'm not too familiar with ball culture (shame on me!), can anyone recommend things to watch or read that will help to understand the context of this production?

Or does the show itself do a good job making things clear to clueless people like myself?"


You’ve never seen Paris is Burning? You are in for a real treat. It’s one of the best films ever made and it is Queer 101. Absolutely essential viewing.

[RampionChampion]

Posted: 1/21/26 at 6:12am

Seconded with above, Paris is Burning is quintessential queer culture and almost a mandatory watch before this production. It's an incredible documentary that will give you the entire extensive history and features one of the cast members of this production who is a founding father of ballroom in many ways. It will really add to your appreciation and help you understand the significance of Junior Labeija playing Gus. After that, I would say watch POSE, the FX show from a few years back, all three seasons are on hulu (have tissues ready lol). It further acts as an incredible exploration to the humble beginnings of the culture and highlights why black trans women are so fundamental to where queer culture is today. If you feel like exploring a little deeper, honestly looking into the reality  dance competition show "Legendary" from a couple years back will give you a little more insight into how ball culture has evolved stylistically and showcase some of the voguing you will see in this show. Looking into Beyonce's influences for her Renaissance album and some of the voices she highlighted in that album/tour also gives some good modern context. If you'd rather do some reading, this vogue article from a few years back gives a pretty decent comprehensive history to how ballroom began and made its way to pop culture as well: https://www.vogue.com/article/oral-history-ballroom-pride-2023. Hope that helps!! Enjoy learning about it, all of the media surrounding this is truly a joy to engage with. The more you know, the more it will really elevate the experience you have at the Jellicle Ball and give you newfound appreciation for the interpretation they're putting on the stage and the work they did to highlight these performers and stories. 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 1/21/26 at 11:16am

Thank you both! I'll put Paris is Burning at the top of my list and will check out some of the other things as well before April.