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[0:00] Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Ariana Grande, Hi, I'm Cynthia ARIBO, and you're listening to the Broadway Podcast Network. Visit vpn.fm, to discover more. There's a cat over here. There's a cat over there. I'm the wrong one died. I'm the wrong one died. I welcome to

[0:28] Mike Abrams: the wrong cat died. The podcast picked on the cat atrophy. I'm your host, Mike Abrams, and today we have a bonus episode. I have promised that I would bring you every random, weird part of cats. And so today I have another one, and if you listen to our most recent episode with Alexi Platt that came out this week, you heard all about her award winning high school production of Cats. And Lexi shared that at her arrowhead High School Center for the Arts, they had to create additional characters for the performance to accommodate all the different students, and that one of her best friends was a cat named cinnamon. Well, today I have cinnamon to talk to you, so I cannot wait to hear the story. So welcome Lauren biggie. Thank you for joining me. I want to hear just how, like, you know, like, it's clearly a high school production, and there's too many students, and they've got to come up with different names and different cats. But like, tell me what, what was that experience like for you of how you became cinnamon.

[1:23] Speaker 2: Okay, so there's only so many main characters in the production, right? But our high school was a very theater driven program, so we didn't have just 1020, handful of kids that were in the program, we had like 50 plus. So there are way too many of us to be a part of the show than just the main main crew. So they came up with a list of basically backup singer and backup dancer cats, and gave us probably the most basic household cat named list, and decided that everyone that wasn't going to be on the lead character you get to, get pick, go, pick your cat and make a character out of it. So once I got the list, I think I chose cinnamon because it was fall, and I think I just probably added it always to my Starbucks order or something. I decided that cinnamon was going to be my name, and kind of rolled with it. I also was very into the costumes we had, like unitards that we got to paint and like, develop patterns and spots or stripes ourselves. So I wanted a brown unitard. And so I thought cinnamon would go well with that. I

[2:48] Mike Abrams: love that. So do you remember any of the other names that were options for you? Oh

[2:53] Speaker 2: my gosh. Um, I had plenty of friends that were in the background with me. Um, I think one of them was like, scratches or, um, gosh, what are the other basic names, spots, um, not super entertaining, honestly, I should have looked into it for you. There were probably some goofy ones. But I think there were some people who actually used their own pets names, like their own cat, house cat, pet names. I couldn't tell you what they were, but they looked at the list and they're like, yeah, no, these are too basic. We're just gonna go with Simon, because that's my cat's name back home, or something like that.

[3:34] Mike Abrams: I love that. The one thing that that I remember Lexi saying is, is that you actually came up with full back stories, like you had a day to kind of think through your character, and that's very, pretty well written for the main cats, like the ones that are in the show, but that's not at all for yours. So what did you like? What do you remember about the story you created for your cat? Oh,

[3:54] Speaker 2: gosh, we did. That was definitely a task that we had. I'm trying to think what mine was. I think I must have done like a household cat. I don't think I had some like wild, scandalous background or hard, hard knock life background. I'm pretty sure I said I was a house cat and treated like a fuzzy, cute family member. I didn't really think too hard about it. I was a freshman. We like we came into this and they're giving us these homework pieces because the program was actually a class. It was a course in our school days. So that's probably why they made us come up with a story, because all these other leads are actually rehearsing and doing so much work after school, and here we are watching them, you know, do all this hard work. I mean, we were singing and dancing too, but we weren't memorizing as many lyrics as them and dance numbers, but I couldn't tell you. I. Think I was just a basic, old, fluffy, fun cat at home, just that, yeah. I mean, maybe, like my owner wanted to take me along with them in a stroller on a walk in the neighborhood. I mean, I do that with my current cats now, so hopefully that's the life I decided I wanted to pick. I can't even remember what I what I put down.

[5:20] Mike Abrams: You were a cat that would that was enough to get an A in the class, right? Like, that's really all, yeah. So what do you remember about like, having so many more characters and being kind of in the background? What was the difference for you versus Lexi and everyone else who's like, having like, the more like they are in the show, big part of it like, what was the difference in the rehearsals, in the practice and then in the show? Like, I think you mentioned earlier that you, like, you kind of sat on the side waiting for them to finish so you could carpool Hall, right?

[5:50] Speaker 2: Exactly, actually, that was probably the most entertaining part, is that the leads had these scripted character ideas and relationships, and they had to follow what the what the show actually wrote out for them. But for us, we kind of buddied up. I mean, there were like 30 kids that wall got to pick what they're going to do in the background. So I had like two friends that were also background cats with me, and we would all just decide, like, Okay, where's the highest platform on the stage that we can, like, feel like we're acrobats in a jungle gym. And okay, that's where we're gonna go. And we'll decide that we're a family, or in this number, we're gonna decide that we're all like, young, playful cats. And then in some of the numbers I would get tired throughout the show and just, you know, act like I was a lazy, sleeping cat. And our director said, that's totally fine, because that's what cats do. I mean 20 hours of the day, I think they actually, I think it's like 18 hours of the day on average is how much a cat sleeps. So they're actually not awake all that often, except for, usually at night. So I would mainly want to go on, like, the coolest, most risky scaffolding that I could find, and I would take, like, two friends with me. It couldn't really hold more than that. Or I always volunteer to be the extra, like dance number cat that doesn't actually have to have dance skills, because, I mean, like, I could move, but I wasn't a dancer by trade, like Lexi, but I would always offer to be the cat that they tossed into the air, or the cat that would jump down from a scaffolding into like a trampoline, or just they needed an extra. Raise your hand, whoever's first gets it. I was, I was that one because either I was very bored and wanted to waste my energy, or I was really bored and to the point that I wanted to just like, lay and in the wings and just pretend I was sleeping. That's so

[7:52] Mike Abrams: that's so fun. It's so funny, because it's like, you know, it's like, always the you're the tree, got 34 of you actually kind of back there. You're either gonna sit there and watch or you're gonna participate. Yeah,

[8:05] Speaker 2: and we can change it every night. I mean, the show essentially, like during rehearsals, you you move and you sing and you do what you do. As long as you're looking like you're meant to be on stage and you're acting like a creature, then great, you can change the routine. I mean, as long as you're kind of staying in the same vicinity of, like, stage left, Stage Right, like you're not in anybody's way, or the lead, you know, in the center of stage, you can kind of change it around. So like, some nights, if I was tired, I would just be a little bit more relaxed and and act and chill, and then other nights, I'd move around a bit more. I mean, you just can. Nobody was telling you not to.

[8:44] Mike Abrams: Yeah, it's if it is it so funny, because it's like, just don't get anybody hurt, right? You know, don't be in the way. But as long as you're doing that, like, there's so many of you up there, it doesn't really matter at that point. It's just like, it's your parents and that's it, or your friends are really the ones watching. Everyone else is watching the show. And so they're like, yeah, just go do a deer thing. It doesn't matter exactly.

[9:06] Mike Abrams: a few, yeah, I want to ask you a few cats The Musical Questions. So if you could perform as any of the cats that weren't from your list of names, like one of the cats in the show, who would you want to totally I

[9:18] Speaker 2: had my, one of my other best girlfriends in high school, played, played this character I would do. I would be Jenny, any dots. I love the tap numbers, fun song that she sings like I, I, I'm a mezzo alto, really, but mezzo, so I don't think super high, but I just thought that was a fun, a fun number, and involved a lot of the cast, at least in our production, we had a huge tap dance number, so I thought that was fun, plus her. I loved the costume. It was like fun and Shaggy, and just felt like a flapper dress. Yeah. Cat,

[10:01] Mike Abrams: yeah, who were your favorite and least favorite characters from the show? Like, which cats Did you love and which ones? Um,

[10:07] Speaker 2: I absolutely loved, Oh, gosh. Well, I liked cat, certain cats for certain reasons, but um, I'd have to say I thought, so we had a Mrs. Mistole, not a Mr. We had a Mrs. Mustafa's. And I always loved that number. I love the song. I like, just like the idea of magic and like the fun, you know, act that was put on while she was moving around the stage like we did. A lot of our choreographer was pretty cool. Scott had her do, like, a lot of magic acts, like, you know, disappear, jump here, disappear, reappear, here. You know, the stage was set up like, pretty, pretty neatly to do that. So I would say, Mrs. Most awfully, my least favorite, Oh, gosh.

[11:04] Mike Abrams: Let's see. You can just pick a random one from the the new list if you want, then you

[11:08] Speaker 2: don't have to. I'm looking, I'm looking at the list, because I'm like, Ah, and it wasn't like anybody in the cast. Obviously, I always, I think I was, Oh, totally. I think I was very, like, put off by the Macavity character, but I had a great friend that played it, so I was kind of indifferent at that point, but, but like watching the movie back and stuff, I'm just not really like a scare thriller kind of person, so I'd say the cavity is, like my least favorite scenes.

[11:38] Mike Abrams: And what's your favorite song from the show? Well,

[11:46] Speaker 2: dare I say the grizzabella song. Tell me what's the title memory you got it? Everybody knows. That's the only song I knew coming into the show as

[11:58] Mike Abrams: a you know, same 14 year old, that's the same I'm the same way, but I now have a lot arguing against her. I still, I still have respect for the song. So okay, let's I'm gonna ask you the most important question, which is, I've argued at length. I don't think grizzabel is the right joke of choice. So if you are going back to your arrowheads, you know, production, who are you picking? If you're Old Deuteronomy, who's your Jellicle choice?

[12:23] Speaker 2: Okay? Um, I think my Jellicle choice would be okay. So I always, I know that the concept wouldn't really make sense, but I always thought that Old Deuteronomy should be the one that would go.

[12:37] Mike Abrams: I know that he has to go eventually, the

[12:40] Speaker 2: one who's just like, there to make all of it happen. But I just felt like that would have made more sense. Griza villa had so much

[12:47] Mike Abrams: he has to go eventually. I agree. You have no arguments here. From that choice. It's actually not the an uncommon choice there has been. More recently he's picked up some steam as like a why not? Why is it right?

[13:00] Speaker 2: That's kind of how I'm feeling, like, let's, let's challenge it. Why can't we do that?

[13:06] Mike Abrams: I I'm here for any non Grizabella choice. So Well, this has been amazing. I love that we were able to capture cinnamon story for for this podcast. I know you do some work with actual cats, though, so tell a little bit about how people can be involved with the rescue programs and stuff, right?

[13:27] Speaker 2: Awesome I do in my nowadays. My My cat involvement is, I've got two at home, but I'm really passionate about volunteering for my cat rescues down in the state of Georgia, it's called cats in the cradle Alpharetta, which is the city that it's located in. But we actually move around the state of Georgia entirely in some parts of the panhandle of Florida. If you all want to go check it out, help donate, or, you know, help donate your time or money or whatever it is. But cats in the cradle, they they do a lot of TNR and rescue efforts. They adopt cats out. It's really great presence down there in Georgia, and then up here in Minnesota, I am involved with the paws for paws, and that's an organization that also helps out in Mexico, as well as up here in the States, doing a lot of Cat Rescue adoption efforts like that, so occupy my time with it, and it makes both

[14:27] Mike Abrams: well linked, both for the social media website so people who are in those areas can help and get involved. Thank

[14:35] Mike Abrams: Thank you for telling your story and coming on and sharing this kind of little fun side piece of cat's history. Pleasure, awesome, and thanks everyone for listening to this episode of the wrong cat died. The podcast breaking down the cat's cash fee to follow along, you can subscribe on Apple podcast, Spotify, or anything else. Listen to podcasts. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, tick tock and threads at the wrong cat died. Check our website, the wrong cat died.com.