midnight. not a sound from the pavement. has the moon lost her memory? she is smiling alone.
seeing as i’m typing this post AT midnight about CATS, i figured a line from the song memory was appropriate!
it’s also ridiculous because it’s now AFTER midnight and i HAVE lost my memory from sleep deprivation! i am so tired right now, i can barely remember my own name. i can however, list the entire cast of cats! meow!
as i posted yesterday, my sweet family had the opportunity to get a backstage look into the world of CATS. as a mom, i hope to create memories for my kids that they will always look back on and think, “man! our mom rocked!” 
seriously, i love broadway and want my kids to appreciate and understand the work that goes into producing a broadway show. how purrrfect to take them backstage and see the magic behind cats.
with that said, you can imagine my stress level of taking 4 children and one patient husband on a backstage tour where nothing can be touched. you must stay quiet and NO, you can’t take that home with you! to ensure this turned out to be a HAPPY family MEMORY, “the rules” were laid out in the car ride to the theater and reminded/threatened as we walked through the parking lot. “don’t touch the wigs, props, costumes or EACH OTHER and you WILL have a good time!”
the second the kids stepped inside the theater doors the magic began and my stress level disappeared. their eyes lit up as they noticed the christmas lights hanging off the balcony, the oversized oven door and the huge tire in the middle of the stage. this was it! they had entered the cats junkyard. THE place where the jellicle ball is held, rum tum tugger shows off and macavity lurks in the shadows.
as a mom, i just sat back and watched them soak it all in. they got so excited when we walked backstage and they started seeing all the props, wigs and costumes. the BIG BOOT almost put my youngest over the edge. she loves the scene were the boot drops and all the cats stop singing and stare at it. she acted it out for several people backstage (in case they hadn’t seen it yet).
OVERSIZED thank you to nicole mcclendon, the cats company manager! i would list all her job requirements, but it would crash my site! with everything she oversees she was sweet as ever to show our family around backstage. not only on “A” night, but “OPENING” night! an hour before show time, she was graciously showing us the ins and outs of how the show works.
we were escorted down a flight of stairs and through a long hallway under the theater to a make up room. this is where we met our new best friend andy mills! he plays the part of pouncival the kitten in the show. he was so adorable with my kids i want to adopt him as our family pet! (our kids have always wanted a cat!)
we got to spend an entire hour with him while he put his make up on. so surprised! each character is responsible for their own makeup. not only do they sing, dance and act…..they powder, pencil and paint! HUGE thanks to andy for answering all of our questions while trying to apply detailed lines to his face!
here are a few more tidbits of information that our cat let out of the bag:
*each cat has 3 complete costumes. one is always being worn, washed or repaired and the costumes are washed every single night right down to the wig caps!
*the wigs are hand made from yak hair and fitted to each actor. they also have microphone holes sewn into them! (testing, testing, one, two, three)
*there are actually adult cats AND kittens in the show. kittens don’t have collars so their make up goes all the way down their necks. during the show, the bigger cats are always protecting the playful kittens from different characters.
*once the actors are wearing wigs and costumes, they are officially copyrighted and not allowed to be photographed. that’s why he’s not wearing the wig in the photos. i totally understand the rule because once they put the wig and costume on, they LOOK exactly like cats. it was amazing to watch all the activity in the hallway. the kids had so much fun naming the cats as they went by.
*and our favorite cat is pouncival! (ok, so we are biased, but how can you not agree with a face like this?)
 Andy Mills - Pouncival |
 time for wig and costume |
after seeing andy in full costume we headed back upstairs to finish the backstage tour. this turned into a game for my children. they pointed out every prop or costume that they knew and which cat they belonged too. before we left the stage, they called mungojerrie and rumpleteezer to the stage to practice their cartwheels together. my kids thought this was planned just for us because it is one of their favorite parts of the show and they got to watch them practice it over and over again. talk about purrrfect timing!
after a bit of face painting in the lobby, we took our seats and watched the show. of course, our kids begged to see everyone afterwards so we waited by the stage door for the fun to begin. as each person walked out of the door, we had to guess what cat they were. there are a couple that really shocked us. if you check out our Cats photo album, i’m sure you’ll agree.
introducing new cast members - cute and cuddly
all in all, it was THE CAT’S MEOW!!!! cats runs through sept. 21st in salt lake city at capitol theater and has a national tour throughout the u.s. this year. don’t miss it!
