This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Mike Abrams: There's a cat over here. There's a cat over there. And the wrong one died. And the wrong one died.

[0:15] Mike Abrams: Welcome to The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown of the cat's atrophy. I'm your host, Mike Abrams, and today we have another amazing guest. I'm excited because he's a fellow Hoosier, and he was Coricopat on a swing on the US National Tour 5, and then in the Cats Chorus in the 2016 revival of Cats. So welcome, Lucas Thompson. Thank you for joining me.

[0:33] Lucas Thompson: Thank you for having me.

[0:35] Mike Abrams: I'm excited. It's rare. I don't usually run into other Hoosiers, and we have a mutual friend who put us in touch together. So that was like a very fun, small world kind of moment. But I'm excited to talk about Cats with you.

[0:50] Lucas Thompson: Likewise. It's a small little colony of cats that we are, so I'm glad we got put in touch.

[0:53] Mike Abrams: It's a Jellicle family. So let's start with the beginning. I know you were a dancer growing up. What was your history with Cats? Did you see the 1998 movie? Were you singing it, dancing it? What was your introduction to it?

[1:05] Lucas Thompson: You know, it's funny. So I grew up being a pretty serious ballet dancer, and I remember a couple friends playing the VHS at a sleepover here and there. And it looked cool. It looked interesting, but I didn't really think about it at all. And I kind of sort of transitioned out of dancing really seriously into kind of opera singing. I went to school and grad school for that. And when I got done, I thought, oh, I think I kind of want to weave these two art forms together and do musical theater, which is kind of where my heart's always been. And when I moved to New York, I was catering, temping as you do. And I had a couple friends who said, oh my gosh, they're looking for a couple swings on the Cats tour.

We're going to go. You should go, too. And I thought, me? Cats? I mean, I guess, you know? So I really have those two friends to thank. So I showed up to the audition for them and went through a couple rounds of callbacks and then booked it. And I thought, I guess I'm going to be dancing the Jellicle Ball.

[2:11] Mike Abrams: Okay. So you have two friends to thank that basically talked you into doing it and you got cast. What was the audition process? Was it super tough and detailed? How hard was it for you?

[2:23] Lucas Thompson: I remember going to a dance call. So we did part of the ball. We did some of the kind of iconic Gillian Lynn choreography that felt so fun and so invigorating. And there is kind of a balletic shellac on the choreography that was sort of in my body. But it felt so freeing to kind of explore the felinity of it. And then, you know, they would ask people to stay and sing, kind of sing from their books, where we all have these audition cuts that we have ready. And I remember at one callback, Kristen Blodgett, who's kind of the music supervisor for a lot of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows, because I was being considered for a swing, I sang one thing, and then she goes, I want to hear a little bit of this pop and rock song, a little bit of this.

She came over to the piano. And at that time, I really didn't understand what a big deal she was. And now she's a dear friend, and I just think the world of her. But she came and sat down at the piano and said, okay, sing this from your book and do this. I think they just wanted to be sure that I could sort of find all these different personalities, these different cats that were going to be required of me.

[3:39] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Who did you cover? It's not listed. Most of the time, it's listed with who you covered.

[3:43] Lucas Thompson: Oh, sure. Yeah. I think, so obviously, you know, I went on a third of the time as Coricopat. Then I covered Skimbleshanks, Alonzo, MonkaStrap. Oh, gosh, other adult cats, I'm thinking. I actually was a cover for Gus as well. I did go on, and I was even kind of a last resort cover for Old Deuteronomy.

[4:10] Mike Abrams: Wow. You've covered everyone but the kittens, basically.

[4:14] Lucas Thompson: Play-Doh Macavity was another one I covered. Yeah, basically all the adult cats, for sure.

[4:17] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Okay. Did you have a favorite to go on for?

[4:22] Lucas Thompson: I, you know, it was fun being bad, so it was fun to kind of be Play-Doh Macavity. It was fun to cause chaos. You know, we don't get to do that in life, so it's, you know, art and the stage is a fun place to explore that. So, definitely, that was fun. I love asking these questions of swings because the concept of swing was foreign to me until this podcast. And I always think about, like, as an actor, is it the personality that you're not that's the most fun to kind of lean into? Or is it, this is me, and I just get to play as me on stage? Like, is it one of those extremes, or is it just some other version that, like, really brings you the energy?

[5:01] Lucas Thompson: I definitely think what is appealing about swing is that it really helps keep the show feeling fresh for you. You know, you do get to kind of explore these different sides of your personality. It is easy to kind of identify with ones that are similar to you, too. I've never sat in a track in Cats for that long to kind of feel that way. Even Coricopat, you know, we were kind of turning over so much. And it was fun to explore all of them.

[5:22] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[5:23] Lucas Thompson: Yeah.

[5:24] Mike Abrams: Okay. So, you do this for a full year, right? A one-year on tour.

[5:28] Lucas Thompson: Yeah.

[5:28] Mike Abrams: All around the country. And where is this in your career at that point? Is this really early? Is this kind of like right away?

[5:37] Lucas Thompson: Super early. I had just moved to New York, basically. I had been there for a couple months and then I left, which I was really excited about. I thought, what a great opportunity. I have nothing to lose. I was wanting to build some credits on my resume. And funny enough, a lot of the people on that artistic team that I worked with are responsible for a lot of big projects later for me. So, I felt like it was very kismet that way. And, you know, there's nothing like touring as far as building a family. You know, we really did become kind of an angelical family. And some of those friends of mine are my absolute best friends in the world. They're my kind of New York family. They're my theater family.

So, it was very early. And because I hadn't gone to a musical theater program too, it was a little bit of a crash course in how that worked. I had come from these classical arts like opera and ballet. And I really appreciated sort of learning from everybody about, oh, this is kind of how things are done in the theater world. So, it was really good for me to do that.

[6:43] Mike Abrams: Yeah. It's interesting, too, because I think there's like the nine-to-fivers, if that's people you know and your family members and everything, it's already hard enough to explain what your job is. And then you add in Cats to that of like, I'm going to travel the country in a cat costume eight times a week. You know, it's just like one of those extreme fascinating kind of like additions to an already challenging piece.

[7:10] Lucas Thompson: Oh, yeah. I mean, even telling people you're doing Cats, telling friends who are in the business, you know, it already has sort of its own stigma to it. And I always say being in Cats is very different than seeing Cats if you haven't been in it. It's a really different experience. It's sort of a soulful, sort of kind of sacred experience almost to me.

[7:34] Mike Abrams: No, I agree. I kind of feel that way just having had this show, because the first time I saw it was a I-know-nothing, I've never, I-know-memory, and that was it. You know, like, I don't really know what I'm walking in. I know the punchlines. And then I went to see the tour a hundred episodes later, which is, I mean, three or four years later. And I felt like the same thing. I felt like I had done enough of the conversations and research, not at the same level you all being in it. Like, that's a whole different experience. But I felt like, oh, this is a whole different appreciation for what's happening on stage and what's happening with the, like, moments between characters and everything. So it is kind of a, it's a show that if you see it once, it's probably really, really hard to follow what you're doing. But if you're, you know, in the super fans and all the stuff that exists out there, if you really break it down, it's a very thoughtful show.

[8:23] Lucas Thompson: I always wonder, though, how thoughtful was it? Like, in the 80s, I don't think some of these things were being thought of at that level that they've turned into. And I think that some of that's just like, eh, it just worked out well.

[8:32] Lucas Thompson: I think so, too. I mean, it was funny during rehearsals. I remember, you know, we would do a group warm-up, and then we actually did probably 10 to 15 minutes of Felinity every day, where we really just pretended to be cats. And our director, Richard Stafford, who had been a part of the Broadway show, he kind of would throw these little tidbits out at us about the relationships between cats. And for me, who was really pretty unfamiliar with the show itself, and especially the relationships between these cats, you know, it was really helpful. But I did wonder where that folklore had come from, if that had developed over time, or if that's something that, you know, Trevor Nunn, Gillian, and Andrew had all kind of come up with themselves.

[9:27] Mike Abrams: My take on that now is there are definitive yes answers.

[9:32] Lucas Thompson: Yes.

[9:32] Mike Abrams: And there's a lot that's the, like, telephone game between productions. Because I've had, I still, I'll always go back to this example, but I made a meme, it's kind of been a year ago at this point, and it was just Bombalurina and Demeter. And it was something slightly sexual as a meme. And a bunch of people were like, that's gross, they're sisters. And then a bunch of people were like, no, they're not sisters, they might be dating, they could be, or they're friends. And so, I put a poll up, and I got a 50-50 split. And so, I just think there's some where it's like, that's ambiguous cast to cast. That is definitive from the folklore. And I kind of love that, because then there's also the examples of where these people are friends, these people have a, you know, showmance happening.

So, their characters maybe seem like they're dating more than, and they're not historically dating. Like, there's just that, all those different things that come into play that make the things unique, because it isn't definitive. And as long as you hit your marks, you sing your songs, and you don't take a wild turn into, there's no way that this, you know, like, Macavity's not all of a sudden good today. We know some of those things have to happen. You have that freedom to kind of play a little bit more than you do in other shows.

[10:54] Lucas Thompson: Oh, absolutely.

[10:54] Mike Abrams: So, what do you, we're going to put the memory to the test here, but what do you remember for some of those relationships? And I really think, you haven't thought about this for a while, I'm sure. What's the thing that was like, oh, I'll never forget this. Like, I just never thought about, like, would have never thought about that relationship, or never, like, assumed those two cats were together, or that this is father and son and daughter and mother and whatever that is.

[11:17] Lucas Thompson: I mean, to be honest, I couldn't really, you find out fast how sexual the show is.

[11:24] Lucas Thompson: Yeah. I mean, really, these sort of are sort of a tribe. There's sort of a lot of pagan kind of stark imagery in it. I mean, there's sort of a loss of innocence for a character like Victoria. There are really adult themes in it that you don't think about as, you know, when you think about cats being sort of for kids. But there's a lot of sort of complicated emotions and relationships happening. And I remember being really surprised by that, especially talking so frankly about it in rehearsal.

[11:57] Mike Abrams: Yeah, there's definitely a few where I always, I have to be careful with some of these because social media, if TikTok's around by the time this comes out, but I've had audio turned off because I remember saying, they have an orgy and it's murdered. And I'm like, you know, like immediately turn off that audio. But the one thing is there's two definitive things that I've heard that nobody seems to argue with that are Victoria is basically losing her virginity on stage during the lift, and that Demeter has been abused sexually. And I'm like, that's our only two definitive things that we agree on? Like, how is that across all productions? We know that that's true. And it's not these more like, oh, these are sisters, you know, type of like, this is a dad and son type of thing. It's like, nope, those two are it and we're having an orgy at the ball.

[12:47] Lucas Thompson: Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Trauma and sex.

[12:50] Mike Abrams: Yeah. The 80s. The 80s in a nutshell. I want to come back to some of like the theories and thoughts and the stories, but I want to keep going in the Cats history because then you later go on in a regional production and it's marked as Alonzo in everything I've read, but it sounds like it's not the case.

[13:08] Lucas Thompson: Yeah. So, this was a really interesting story. And this is sort of the exciting thing about theater. I had been cast in North Shore's production of Cats as Alonzo, which I was really excited about. We rehearsed in New York for three weeks. We get to rehearsal the day before we're supposed to actually trek to Boston to tech and put up the show. And our monkaStrap walks in on crutches. He had been running and stepped on a piece of glass, I think. Something had sort of or a nail had gone through his foot. I mean, he could not put any weight on one of his legs. And I think our director had a bit of a freak out moment, but he called me over and he said, how would you feel about stepping into monkaStrap?

I said, sure. You know, it was both exciting and petrifying because they had reintroduced a big song of monkaStrap's about the dogs and the piece of polycol song was back in the show that I had not done on our tour. And so, you know, it was sort of starting from scratch, learning a big, long, kind of complicated panter song. I thought, oh, can I do this? But I spent the entire bus ride on the way to Boston the next day, just memorizing it, getting it in, getting it in my voice and trying to make some choices. And yeah, it was thrilling and terrifying, but it worked out well. And it was great to prove to myself that I could work under pressure like that. And then we had kind of, you know, they sort of divided up the Alonzo choreography among other cats so that it sort of got covered by them. Yeah, no more Alonzo.

[15:03] Mike Abrams: Interesting. So, they just totally got rid of the Alonzo. There's no time to backfill. There's probably not a swing or an understudy type of situation for a regional, what was it, like, how many weeks? Three or four weeks?

[15:16] Lucas Thompson: Yeah, probably like, you know, two and a half, three weeks of shows. It was pre-pandemic where they definitely didn't have swings in regional houses. So, we were just all doing our best. And, you know, everybody else rallied so well, too. Picking up choreo. Oh, I don't know this, but I'm going to do this little feature Alonzo. I'm doing the lift and the ball with Victoria. We all, it was like, yeah, it was really...

[15:40] Mike Abrams: That was my question. Like, he has the lift, right? So, that's the one you have to really replace.

[15:44] Lucas Thompson: Yeah. But we had lots of fabulous people there to step in. So...

[15:49] Mike Abrams: Do you remember who lifted?

[15:51] Lucas Thompson: I think it ended up being Coral Capat, which was... My dear friend Jesse Thatcher played Coral Capat. I believe so. They might be able to correct me.

[16:04] Mike Abrams: Okay. So, here's my question with that scenario. It's such a theater moment, too, right? Like, nobody in the audience has any idea that you've cut a character 24 hours ago and all this stuff is new. But if you asked a super fan who is watching this from a plot perspective, and like the way I think about it, you just dramatically changed the story, because Alonzo was the one who is taking Victoria's virginity, essentially, in that number. And now you're giving it to one of the twins who have a vastly different storyline and arc that you're doing. And it's like, I bet no thought goes into that. It's just like, who physically can lift her, right? Like, who could do the dance number? But from a storytelling perspective, you dramatically changed the story.

[16:44] Lucas Thompson: Oh, yeah. I mean, but sometimes it's just logistics. We need a body. We need a capable partner. We need someone who can do this lift safely. And we'll invent our own little way of motivating that.

[17:02] Mike Abrams: So, do you talk about that side of it? Like, hey, today... Not the first show. Like, obviously, just get through it. But now it's like, all right, do I need to make any character decisions that changes because this person's now lifting this person?

[17:16] Lucas Thompson: I didn't... I don't remember thinking about that at all. Yeah, I don't think so. You'd have to ask the other cast. Maybe they had to.

[17:27] Mike Abrams: Okay. Let me ask this a slightly different way, then. How much thought as a swing when you were on tour went into, I've got to embody this character? Not just from like, oh, I got to be a little bit more bad and mischievous today. But like, all right, I'm the cavity today. I got to do this kind of moment with Demeter. And these are my brothers here. And like, do you think about that when you're doing it that many times for a full year? Or does it just become muscle memory of like, I just got to go out there and deliver the show today?

[17:55] Lucas Thompson: There were certain tracks where I got to go on enough. I mean, obviously, I went on for Coral Capel all the time. But I also remember going on for Platonic Cavity a lot. And I felt like I got to sort of develop a language that lived in my body for a while. A lot of the others were sort of one-offs. I think I performed Alonzo once. I never performed MonkaStrap, because our MonkaStrap never called off. I think I did Skimple one time. I did, you know, Rum Tum Tugger one time. So those kind of performances, you're really thinking logistics, you know, safety. Are you in the right spot? Are you being a capable partner for somebody? You definitely want to show up as the character, but it sort of takes a bit of a backseat to the logistics and safety of things.

[18:41] Mike Abrams: Don't kick somebody.

[18:42] Lucas Thompson: Exactly. Don't kick somebody. Be in the right spot. You know, that's the really tough thing about swinging. Swings are usually really smart, super detail oriented, which I am. And you want to be operating at a 10 the first time you go on. You want to go on and be perfect. You want to be living. You want to be present. But you just can't be. And so you have to have some grace with yourself about that, just knowing, okay, if truly the show is successful, if I don't get hurt, we don't stop the show and no one else gets hurt. And then you can kind of build on that. But that's tough for all of us in the business, because, you know, everybody wants to be doing their absolute best all the time.

[19:26] Mike Abrams: Yeah. I'm glad that swings have gotten their moment in the spotlight, too, of late, because when I did, I had no idea what a swing was. I was like, oh, this person's not on today. And then I learned, I'm like, wait, you're doing... Especially in Cats, I talked to someone, it's like, well, at two o'clock I did Bombay Arena and at eight o'clock I did Demeter. I'm like, how? How do you do the opposite side of the same song with mirrored dancing? That is a skill. That is an incredible skill that it takes to be able to do that physically and mentally and successfully. And so, I'm so glad that people are seeing the importance of swings, but also just respecting the skill that it takes. It's very different to be able to do that.

[20:10] Lucas Thompson: Definitely. And I would say, for me, the hardest part sometimes is the emotional part of not being on stage all the time. You know, luckily with tour, we got to go on a third of the week as the twins. And so, we had the choreography in our bodies, we had relationships with people on stage in the playing company. So, we felt a little bit more intertwined and it was easier when we would go on for another role to sort of understand where we were. Whereas, you know, I've swung a couple other times where you are only going on when you're needed. And then you just, you know, it is a whirlwind with the lights and you're in a costume and makeup. It's all these firsts and you're also kind of trying to figure out all the backstage choreography too. The sets are moving. You know, luckily with Cats, the set never changes. But yeah, it's a rock star of a job. I mean, it is not for the faint of heart, but it is really satisfying.

[21:07] Mike Abrams: We're going to take a quick break and then we'll be back for more of The Wrong Cat Died.

[21:11] Mike Abrams: So, now let's fast forward to 2000. I think it was 17 you did it for Revival, right?

[21:17] Lucas Thompson: Yeah.

[21:17] Mike Abrams: So, how does that come about? And again, another show that I didn't know about a booth singer until this show, and it doesn't seem like it's very common in other shows.

[21:27] Lucas Thompson: It's definitely not. Although, usually in Cats, you know, when we weren't on for like on tour, when you're not on for a role, you are singing in a vocal booth off stage.

[21:39] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[21:39] Lucas Thompson: Can I help plump up the sound? Which was also the case for the Revival. And I think what had happened at that point is that as with a show that's as physical as Cats, a lot of people were injured or sick, and the coverage was so low that they were lacking in a little bit of vocal power in the booth. So, they just needed some singers. And Kristen Blodgett, who is the music supervisor for that production, who I've worked with a lot, gave me a ring. She called me and asked if I'd want to come. And it ended up being my Broadway debut, which was kind of surreal, but magical. It was really fun to come full circle with a show that had meant so much to me.

[22:26] Mike Abrams: It's a little bit freeing to not have to go in and put on the whole makeup plot and everything and just like, let's just go sing this thing.

[22:31] Lucas Thompson: Oh, yeah.

[22:32] Mike Abrams: Down the booth.

[22:33] Lucas Thompson: Definitely. Just squelch the house down and not have to worry about, yeah, don't worry about keeping your body warm the whole show and putting the makeup on. Although, the ritual of that is really special, but eight times a week, it gets old kind of fast.

[22:47] Mike Abrams: Yeah. So, Broadway debut, you said you only did it for a couple weeks.

[22:53] Lucas Thompson: Yeah, just a couple weeks. So, it was a quickie, in and out, but it still just felt really special to be able to kind of be in the building with those artists and sing that score again.

[23:04] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Is there anything different? Because that's a whole different choreography. That's with Andy Blankenbuehler.

[23:10] Lucas Thompson: Right.

[23:10] Mike Abrams: So, is there any differences in the booth singing of having to hit certain points at certain marks, or is it really pretty similar because the score hasn't really changed?

[23:19] Lucas Thompson: Yeah, I would say it was pretty similar to sing. I remember, it's funny how some of that vocal muscle memory was still in my cords a little bit when I was sort of rehearsing and remembering these cutoffs and these crisp consonants here. Yeah, I think the intention of the music stayed the same.

[23:39] Mike Abrams: Okay. So, we talked a lot about relationships and different things, but one of my favorite things is to put you on the spot here a little bit and hear what are some of your favorite tour memories, like the stories that will never leave your mind because...

[23:53] Mike Abrams: You're doing crazy stuff all over the country for, you know, a full year.

[23:59] Lucas Thompson: Oh my gosh. Some on-stage memories. I remember being in really small towns with small theaters where our full set really couldn't even fit on stage. So they had to cut certain parts of the set. You know, we'd be without an oven, without a tire, and they'd actually have to cut dance numbers. People in the dance numbers would have to kind of, you know, they'd cut the back rows or cut the sides a little bit. So I just remember having to kind of really be kind of on it. And just there was something a little exciting about that, that just sort of would reinvigorate you after you had been doing the exact same show over and over again.

[24:40] Mike Abrams: Is that a little freeing because of how physically demanding it is where it's like, hey, I get like a three-minute break here because I can't fit on stage?

[24:47] Lucas Thompson: Oh, you better believe it. Yeah, I think people really took it. It was nice to have a little reprieve from the end of the ball when you're barely getting through it. I have, you know, a billion offstage fun memories. I mean, again, some of the people I toured with are my absolute best friends in the world, and they're family. Yeah, so lots of laughs backstage. I mean, I remember sort of changing lyrics to the song to "Dirty Ones" and just getting into a laughing fit with Cash. Yeah, lots and lots of fun memories. Okay. Was there any, like, on stage, like, yeah, we said smaller theaters. Was there any times where, like, Tyra didn't go up or, you know, we just had, like, some of those, like, crazy, super memorable one-night shows that happened?

[25:41] Lucas Thompson: You know, anytime we didn't have the full set, that was always an adventure. I don't know. I'm sure there was a time that Tyra didn't go up. I don't remember it, though. You know, not being on stage every night, my memories are a little limited, too, because I was still singing my heart out backstage. And then I always love asking, what was your favorite tour stop? And I asked least favorite, but if you don't want to throw a city under the bus, maybe a place where the audience wasn't, or not the audience. Let's not throw the audience under the bus either. But just, where was your favorite and least favorite tour stops?

[26:16] Lucas Thompson: Well, you know, it was always nice to be in sunny California. Yeah, it just was, it was the sun and the air was good on your body. We were usually there for a week, too, which on a non-union tour is pretty rare. We had a ton of one-nighters. So, yeah, being out West was really fun. I don't really think I had a city that I didn't enjoy. You know, I remember having some of my own performances where I didn't think I did my best. I was debuting a track or a role. And so, I have some memories of that, but those are more personal.

[26:56] Mike Abrams: I feel the same. I have a town in Indiana where I grew up where I won't throw them under the bus, but I got kicked out of a hockey game there that I don't believe was warranted, and I still, to this day, hate the town. And I'm like, it has nothing to do with the town, it has nothing to do with the city. I'm just like, I have bad memories there, and I will associate that with that town from here on out.

[27:21] Lucas Thompson: Oh, for sure. That's exactly how I feel. Did you go anywhere near home? Did you have the whole family and town come to see you experience?

[27:29] Lucas Thompson: I did, thankfully. I wasn't necessarily super close to home, but we did stop. We were in Chicago for three weeks.

[27:36] Mike Abrams: Okay. That's close.

[27:38] Lucas Thompson: Actually, maybe just a week. But yeah, that's just a couple hours from where I grew up in Indiana. My mom's from Chicago, so it was a pretty easy trek for everybody to make.

[27:47] Lucas Thompson: Oh, and that was so special. I think they were really seeing me perform at a professional level in an iconic show. I've always had a super supportive family, but that was absolutely special.

[28:01] Mike Abrams: This is the crux of my Jellicle Choice challenge, is that the reason I want a different Jellicle Choice is I want a different one every night, because imagine the night that you're on with your whole family in the crowd if you got to be the Jellicle Choice.

[28:16] Lucas Thompson: Oh, yeah. That's like the American Idol style, baby.

[28:20] Mike Abrams: That's how I want it to happen, because then everyone comes to Chicago. They take that two-and-a-half-hour drive up from Indiana for you, and it's like, not only do you get to do your show, but you get that moment after memory to be spotlight on you.

[28:34] Lucas Thompson: Right up into the Heaviside Lair.

[28:36] Mike Abrams: I want that.

[28:37] Lucas Thompson: Yeah. I've never thought about it that way. That's like the rock concert version.

[28:46] Mike Abrams: Okay, let's do some rapid fire about Cats, then. You've done a lot of tracks, but if you could go on one night, any track, doesn't matter, male, female, if you could do it, if it's in your range, if you could dance it, just you could do one night. Who do you want to perform as?

[28:57] Lucas Thompson: Oh, Grizabella, for sure. Just go on and go out a few minutes on stage, sing "Memory," go up, get your applause and leave.

[29:07] Mike Abrams: Okay.

[29:07] Lucas Thompson: And, you know, there's so many beautiful moments in the show, but I think her story about the kind of it involves the forgiveness she has to have for herself, and then the forgiveness that the tribe has for her, it is the emotional power of the show. It's the emotional core of the show. I think if when people come and they see Cats, and they're kind of seeing all these little vignettes, and they're sort of confused, I think her story is one that they latch on to. It's one I certainly latch on to. And I mean, who doesn't want to just be on stage for 12 minutes and sing a glorious, epic ballad, you know?

[29:45] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Okay. Okay. This is not good for my last question, but I do appreciate the answer. Favorite and least favorite cat, and from the angle of if you were hanging out with them, which one would be your best friend on tour, and which one kind of personality-wise bug you a little?

[29:59] Lucas Thompson: Oh, my gosh. I definitely think one of those kittens would bug the hell out of me, you know? Oh, probably like a Tumble Brutus, you know, just hopping around all the time, being crazy. I would probably get along with like a Demeter, kind of a sweet, maybe a little skittish, we're a little careful, but we can kind of go off on our own little corner.

[30:27] Mike Abrams: Okay. Favorite song in the show?

[30:31] Lucas Thompson: Oh, gosh. It's really a lot of the–I think the choral singing, the big ensemble singing, is really fabulous. I mean, you know, I would–the opening number is just really exciting. So yeah, "Jellicle Cats." And then, of course, "Memory" is iconic, too. Yeah.

[30:52] Mike Abrams: Okay, this is my fun one. I always ask a fun one, and since we both went to Indiana University, and our basketball team is a disaster right now, but our football team was really good this year. So, which cat do you think would be the best Indiana University football player?

[31:06] Lucas Thompson: Oh, wow.

[31:07] Lucas Thompson: I think there's two answers. I've thought about this way more than I should have.

[31:10] Lucas Thompson: Well, I think Macavity could pull one over. He'd have a play up his, you know, ready. He'd be, yeah. What's yours? What do you say?

[31:20] Mike Abrams: So, it depends on how–I've casted cats into a lot of different sports. I haven't done football yet as much, but I think Busterford Jones is one of the linemen, like one of the big guys up front. I do think Macavity is probably somewhere on defense.

[31:31] Lucas Thompson: For sure.

[31:32] Mike Abrams: Like, stealing anything we can.

[31:33] Lucas Thompson: Yeah, exactly.

[31:34] Mike Abrams: But I think the Tugger and Mistoffelees. Mistoffelees has got to be insanely fast. And so, maybe a wide receiver. I think Tumble Brutus is probably pretty good at football in some capacity. I think Alonzo could be, too. Like, there's a lot. But I immediately was like, I just need Busterford Jones on my line.

[31:50] Lucas Thompson: Yeah, just–

[31:51] Mike Abrams: And I'm good to go. Run the ball behind him.

[31:54] Lucas Thompson: Just, yeah.

[31:55] Mike Abrams: Okay, the million-dollar question. I'm a little worried about your answer now, based on some of your other answers. But I've argued at length, I don't think Grizabella's the right Jellicle choice. So, I want to hear, who is your Jellicle choice and why?

[32:07] Lucas Thompson: You know, I may disappoint you, but I've never really thought twice about Grizabella being the choice. I feel like it's the heart of the show. And yeah.

[32:15] Mike Abrams: So, let me ask you this follow-up question, then.

[32:17] Lucas Thompson: Yeah.

[32:18] Mike Abrams: What is the Heaviside Lair to you?

[32:20] Lucas Thompson: I think it's a place of rebirth. I think it's a place of being able to kind of shed your shame. I feel like you can let go of your pain. It's a place of solace. It's a place of peace.

[32:34] Mike Abrams: Okay.

[32:35] Lucas Thompson: And I feel like everybody else is doing pretty well in comparison to her.

[32:41] Mike Abrams: But I'm curious to know, who are you so impassioned to send up there?

[32:45] Lucas Thompson: So, this started with a joke that I thought this was X Factor on drugs, and I wanted to send a boy band up. So, it's going to be Tugger and Mistoffelees.

[32:51] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[32:51] Lucas Thompson: Because I just think it'd be fun. And I do still, to this day, want what I mentioned earlier, which is an audience voting style production to where you do the whole show the same. Grizabella gets welcomed back to the tribe, but then you pause and you vote on who delivered that night. And I think about the time when your whole family drove up from Indiana to Chicago. You got a good chance of winning that night. And just, you go up that night, and then the show ends the same way. It's the same show. I don't want to get rid of Grizabella's redemption arc or that heart of the show, but I think you can make a different choice. And I think it depends on what you define the Heaviside Lair. Where I still sit today, mostly, is that I don't think Grizabella... I think she has more time left, and I think she needs that family to take her back in.

I think she needs that redemption. I think her story shouldn't change. I just don't want to kill her right away. Let her spend a year with the family. Let her have that time to have that redemption. She just finally was accepted back. And it's like, all right, cool, go. And I think, and mostly this is because I've seen a lot of tours that Grizabella's are just naturally younger by the nature of the business, that I'm like, they don't look ready to die. They're not done. So, I'd send Gus, who does feel like he's ready to go. And then that's my argument.

[34:14] Lucas Thompson: I can definitely get behind that.

[34:16] Mike Abrams: I'll still give your Griz vote in the numbers. I keep track of everything. But that's kind of where I am. But I'm, to this day, my only goal left on this podcast is to convince a show to make a different Jellicle choice one night. And it's like, it can be the whole same story, but I want someone else to go up on that tour.

[34:34] Lucas Thompson: Okay, I love it. Well, make it happen.

[34:38] Mike Abrams: I know you know some people in the Cats world. So, I keep saying this enough, and I keep bugging people. I know there's a production happening in Illinois. There's one happening in Pennsylvania. There's a couple regional ones coming up. And I'm like, it's time. It's time. We can do this. I will fly to wherever you need to be to be there for rehearsals to just have that one night, one change.

[35:00] Lucas Thompson: I love it.

[35:00] Mike Abrams: Bye. We'll see. This has been super fun. How can people stay in touch with you on social media or website or whatever else you're working on?

[35:08] Lucas Thompson: I'm on Instagram at LucasJohnThompson. And you can also go to my website at LucasJohnThompson.com.

[35:16] Mike Abrams: Awesome. This has been so fun. It's cool to have another Hoosier on here. So, thank you for coming on and sharing your experience.

[35:23] Lucas Thompson: Thank you so much. It's been great to connect.

[35:25] Mike Abrams: Awesome. And thanks, everyone else, for listening to this episode of The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown to Cats. To follow along, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other social media. Social media is a mess. So, whatever is left between Instagram, TikTok, threads, Twitter, whatever, at TheWrongCatDied or check out our website, TheWrongCatDied.com.