'Cats' revival sets cast, including André De Shields

The reimagined production, set in the world of New York City's queer ballroom culture, will run at the Perelman Performing Arts Center beginning in June.

Here are your Jellicle cats! The upcoming summer revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, playing at the Perelman Performing Arts Center from June 13 to July 14, has set initial casting.

Hadestown Tony Award winner André De Shields will play the role of Old Deuteronomy. The cast also includes “Tempress” Chasity Moore as Grizabella, Baby as Victoria, Robert "Silk" Mason as Mistoffelees, Jonathan Burke as Mungojerrie, Shereen Pimentel as Jellylorum, Emma Sofia Caymares as Skimbleshanks, Sydney James Harcourt as Rum Tum Tugger, Antwayn Hopper as Macavity, Primo as Tumblebrutus, Dudney Joseph Jr. as Munkustrap, Junior LaBeija as Gus, Nora Schell as Bustopher Jones, Garnet Williams as Bombalurina, Teddy Wilson Jr. as Sillabub, and Capital Kaos as the DJ.

The ensemble includes Tara Lashan Clinkscales and Frank Viveros, and Dava Huesca, Dominique Lee, and Kendall G. Stroud are understudies.

Additional casting will be announced soon.

In Cats, the characters compete in a contest called Jellicle Ball to determine who will be granted a new life. This reimagined production is modeled on the queer ballroom subculture that originated in New York more than 50 years ago. At balls, people compete in a variety of fashion, dance, and performance categories, often for trophies and cash prizes.

Participants in balls often competed on behalf of houses, which are found families of queer individuals. Cats cast members LaBeija, Mason, Moore are part of famous houses, while Baby, Joseph, Primo, Lee, Stroud, and Huesca are members of the ballroom community. Additionally, Kaos is a renowned ballroom DJ and also serves as the ballroom consultant of this production.

The Cats musical is inspired by T. S. Eliot's Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Alongside Webber, the creative team for this production includes directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch, choreographers Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, set designer Rachel Hauck, costume designer Qween Jean, lighting designer Adam Honoré, sound designer Kai Harada, projection designer Brittany Bland, hair and wig designer Nikiya Mathis, music director and supervisor William Waldrop, music coordinator David Lai, beats arranger Trevor Holder, and dramaturg and gender consultant Josephine Kearns.

Get Cats tickets now.

Photo credit: André De Shields. (Photo by Lia Chang)