Nine Lives, Ten’s Across the Board for ‘CATS: The Jellicle Ball’

by Mell P

Confession: before attending the Tony Award-winning musical CATS: The Jellicle Ball , I had never been to a ballroom event.

Like many theatergoers, my relationship with CATS was limited to vague memories of leotards, feline makeup, and the unavoidable power ballad “Memory.” I knew Andrew Lloyd Webber’s original musical was beloved by some, baffling to others, and largely built around a parade of cats introducing themselves before one is chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer. What I did not know was that ballroom culture would prove to be the missing ingredient that would finally make the entire concept click.

From the moment I entered the theater, it was clear that this was not the CATS of Broadway lore. Gone were the oversized wigs and literal cat costumes. In their place was a dazzling world inspired by New York’s ballroom scene, where houses, competition, fashion, performance, and chosen family transform the Jellicle Ball into something far more visceral and immediate. Critics have noted that the production reframes the musical through the traditions of Harlem ballroom culture while preserving its core structure of presentation and competition.

As someone unfamiliar with ballroom, I spent the first few minutes simply taking it all in. The audience wasn’t quietly observing; they were participating. Cheers erupted. Fans clacked. Performers moved through the space with the confidence of superstars walking a runway. The atmosphere felt less like a conventional musical and more like an invitation into a living culture. It was exhilarating.

One of the production’s greatest strengths is its remarkable cast, particularly its Caribbean heritage artists, whose presence adds richness and authenticity to the evening’s celebration of identity, movement, and self-expression.

Dudney Joseph Jr.’s Munkustrap was born in Buffalo to Jamaican immigrants, serves as both guide and anchor. With effortless charisma and commanding stage presence, Joseph grounds the audience in a world that might otherwise overwhelm newcomers. Whenever the action threatened to spin into glorious chaos, his performance provided clarity and purpose.

Then there’s Puerto Rican born and raised Xavier Reyes, whose reinvention of Jennyanydots is among the evening’s most inspired choices. Reimagined as the glamorous mother of the House of Dots, Reyes transforms a traditionally quirky feline character into a fierce and fabulous ballroom matriarch. The result is funny, stylish, and deeply rooted in the spirit of ballroom’s house culture.

Perhaps no performer embodies the show’s cultural bridge more powerfully than ballroom icon Leiomy Maldonado born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents. Known globally as the “Wonder Woman of Vogue,” Leiomy’s presence alone carries enormous significance. Yet as Macavity, she offered something unexpected, a striking departure from the commanding, high-octane persona audiences have come to associate with her. Rather than relying solely on the breathtaking dips, poses, and gestures that helped make her a legend, Maldonado revealed a quieter, more vulnerable side of her artistry. Her Macavity was poised, introspective, and at times seemingly hesitant to reclaim what was once her throne. Through subtle vocal choices and emotional nuance, she transformed the notorious feline into a character wrestling with identity, power, and belonging.

Watching her unfold throughout the evening felt like witnessing a fairy tale in reverse: a queen stripped of her certainty, only to rediscover her worth. By the production’s final moments, she emerged transformed, graceful, self-assured, and radiant, like Cinderella arriving after the ball, no longer seeking validation but fully stepping into her destiny as the chosen one. Her performance was not just a reinvention of a classic character; it was a masterclass in restraint, storytelling, and the power of quiet revelation.

And we cannot forget Qween Jean, who won a Tony Award for Best Costume Design of a Musical for her costume design work in this production. She who was born in Haiti before moving with her family to Miami, Florida. 

What surprised me most was how naturally ballroom culture complements the original material. The 1982 production always revolved around presentation, competition, transformation, and belonging. Ballroom simply gives those themes a more human and emotionally resonant framework. Instead of cats competing for cosmic rebirth, we witness individuals walking categories, claiming space, and finding community. The adaptation doesn’t abandon the original; it reveals what was hiding inside it all along. Reviewers have frequently observed that the ballroom setting brings new coherence and emotional depth to a musical long criticized for its loose narrative.

Most importantly, CATS: The Jellicle Ball radiates joy.

Genuine joy. Anyone is the market for true joy this year should definitely subscribe. This is the kind that comes from seeing artists honor a culture while inviting newcomers inside, and one turns spectators into participants and transforms confusion into celebration. One audience member aptly described the production as “JOY JOY JOY JOY,” while another noted that it felt like attending an actual ballroom event.

I went expecting to see a musical and left feeling welcomed into a community.

And if that’s not the true magic of CATS: The Jellicle Ball, I don’t know what is. This is a must-see!

Directed by Obie Award winners Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, with choreography by Chita Rivera Award and Obie Award winners and New York City Ballroom icons Omari Wiles (House of NiNa Oricci) and Arturo Lyons (House of Miyake-Mugler).