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 Catastrophe. I'm your host, Mike Abrams, and today we have another amazing guest. Right now, you can see her in the ensemble in Smash on Broadway, but before that, she performed in a few productions of Cats, including the South Korea Tent Tour and the Australia Circus Tent Tour. So welcome, Sarah Bowden. Thank you for joining me.

[0:30] Sarah Bowden: Hi, thanks for having me. I'm so excited.

[0:34] Mike Abrams: I'm excited to have you. I love Smash, so it was really fun, and I think Smash actually parallels to Cats character-wise really well. So we'll get to Smash, but we got to start with Cats. And so, you did Cats. You've had a very long career. You did Cats. It's been a while since you did it, but I want to know, I think you did it in the early 2000s or even the late 90s. What was your familiarity with it before you got cast in Australia?

[1:00] Sarah Bowden: Okay, so I have a funny story about this. It's a story I tell often, so if any of my friends are listening, they've probably heard it. So it was 1998 when I auditioned for Cats. I was a baby. I was still in high school, so I hadn't even finished high school. I think I was 15 years old or something. And the day before the audition, so it was before everyone had a mobile telephone, and we were meant to meet at the McDonald's, me and my friends, that we did amateur musical theater on the weekends. We were all going to do this big audition for Cats. I think it was the Princess Theater in Sydney it was auditioning. And we were meant to meet at McDonald's at 9 a.m., and there was maybe six of us there, like going together, girlfriends.

And I, the night before, was at some like year 10 formal or something, some dance party, and I got drunk, and my mom was so angry at me. And I remember waking up in the morning, she woke me up with a vacuum cleaner. She's like, get up, get dressed, you've got to go see your friends. And I was like, I don't want to go, I don't feel very well. She's like, get dressed, and we're going, and your friends are going to miss their audition if you don't get up. So she drove me to this audition, and I was not feeling it. Met my friends, went in, and then they kept doing these, I'd never been to an audition before. Like, not like that, not like a big... Yeah, like official, real, huge act. Yeah, I was still in high school, like I was just doing theater on the weekends for fun, and all my friends were going to this audition for Cats, and I didn't even know what they were doing, I just wanted to hang with my friends, as you do.

So I'm in this audition, and they kept cutting groups, and they kept calling my name, and I kept leaving with my friends, because my friends were getting cut. And they're like, no, no, they called your name, you have to stay. I was like, oh, okay, well, I kept staying, and I wasn't feeling very well. And then I remember dancing at one point, and it was Chrissy Cartwright from London, who's one of the directors.

[2:45] Sarah Bowden: Like Maine, yeah. Chrissy Cartwright and Joanne Hunter. And Chrissy Cartwright looked at me, and I was doing one of the things, and she's like, stop, stop, stop. So you've got to see the mouse, follow the mouse, pounce on the mouse, chase the mouse again. And I was like, wait, wait, wait. Are we cats, like meow, like we're going to crawl around on the floor and stuff? And she was like, yes, what's your name? I was like, Sarah. She's like, yes, we're cats. So can you do that? I was like, sure. So off I went, I did the thing again. And then, you know, fine, we got cut. And then we were doing the big girl section, which is like this big, and she was like, Sarah, is it? I was like, yes. She was like, does anyone ever tell you how to point your feet?

Because I wasn't a ballet dancer, I'd never really trained. And I was like, calm down, I'll do it again. And I was like, really kind of like bratty with this woman. I didn't know. Yeah, anyway, so that was kind of me just being like, oh, we're cats. Like, you're gonna make us crawl around on the floor. Cool. That's really weird. And then they had sent me outside with the lyrics to moonlight, which is the syllabob song. And they were like, you know, the tune of memory, here are the words, go outside and practice. And I didn't have the balls to ask or say anything. I just took this piece of paper, I remember and sat in the in, there's like, in the Princess Theatre that if anyone's Australian, they would know there was this like alleyway.

And I remember sitting there with these words, and I burst into tears. It had been a long day. I was very hungover. My friends had all left. And I was by myself in the alleyway of this theatre thinking, what am I doing? And then a motorbike shows up. This guy on a motorbike takes off his helmet. It's like a movie, right? shakes his hair. And it's my dance teacher, Aaron Cash, who I was totally in love with, because you're 15, and you're in love with your dance teacher. And he sat beside me. He's like, Hello, sweetheart, what's wrong? I was like, they've given me these words. And I don't know the tune of memory. I don't know what to do. I'm really confused. Like, Oh my god, you're still here.

That's very exciting. And he sat with me in the thing. And he sang these words with me. He was auditioning for Rum Tum Tugger, of course. Okay, okay, casting came out. They're like, I'm ready for you. He's like, just give me a minute. I'm just I'll be in in a minute. And then you know, I sang the song, they had to take it down because I couldn't sing it that high. It was a little too high for me. And they took it down a third or something and made me sing. And then that's history. And I've booked this Australian tent to I actually booked the German production in Germany from that audition, but I was 15. And the Germans were like, well, you can't work in Germany. So the Germans didn't take me but Chrissy Cartwright kept me and then they put me in this, this tent tour with circus workshop. And you know, we did all this crazy circus things. So that's my audition story with cats and me not knowing anything about it.

[5:23] Mike Abrams: And so you knew you walked in not knowing anything about the show or at all. I mean, you just were just there to hang with your friends.

[5:36] Sarah Bowden: Yeah, yes.

[5:38] Mike Abrams: And you were hungover. So you were in peak peak performance.

[5:42] Sarah Bowden: As you could, I think you can only do when you're 15 years old.

[5:45] Mike Abrams: Yeah, exactly. I mean, you're...

[5:47] Sarah Bowden: And I was talking back to Chrissy Cartwright.

[5:49] Mike Abrams: Yeah, I mean, maybe that's what helped. Maybe she appreciated that.

[5:54] Sarah Bowden: I think she thought I was spunky. She thought I was cute and cheeky, which the kittens kind of are. And she always said to me back later, when I met with her, like the second and third time, she was like, you were just like full of fire. And you just had this no technique, but it was just fun to work with you. And I just knew that Celebub needed that energy. And I remember when I first got to rehearsals, when I'd booked the show, we started singing Moonlight. I was like, oh no, I don't do it there. They made it lower for me. And they were like, no, no, no, sweetheart. Now you have to. Yeah, now you got to figure it out. I was like, oh, okay. So yeah.

[6:28] Mike Abrams: And so this was how old were you when you went on the tour?

[6:32] Sarah Bowden: I turned 16 during rehearsal. So once we'd started, I was 16. Yeah, I was 16. Our white cat was 17. And our Cassandra was 18. So there were like three babies. Yeah.

[6:42] Mike Abrams: Wow. And then you are going across the country, basically.

[6:46] Sarah Bowden: Yes.

[6:46] Mike Abrams: Did you have to pause high school or was it summer?

[6:48] Sarah Bowden: I left. I quit. My dad didn't speak to me for a little while. And I had got an agent behind my mom's back. And my agent, Penny Williams, who was very cool, was like, I'll tell your mother, don't worry. And off she went and signed a contract. She's like, you're old enough. And I went. I left. I had two suitcases. I didn't know. I called my grandmother the first night I was out. And I was like, okay, so the recipe says, bring the water to a boil. How do I do that?

[7:15] Sarah Bowden: Literally come in knowing nothing.

[7:17] Mike Abrams: So you walk into rehearsals. At this point, how much do you know? This is the 1998 stage, not stage production, because it was truly a movie, but that movie had just come out. So you had at least maybe the opportunity to grab the VHS of that. But did you know anything when you walked in about cats or just moonlight?

[7:36] Sarah Bowden: That's it. I didn't grab the VHS. I had no idea. I didn't know how a room worked. They were teaching us the harmonies and the things and dancing at the same time as singing, and it was all very confusing. But I think because there was a couple of other younger people, and we'd done, because it was the circus tent thing, a four-week circus workshop before. It was six months before. I walked on a ball, a syllabob in Peaks and Pollicles. And they were teaching people like trapeze and cloud swing and all this kind of crazy stuff that we did in the circus tent, which was really cool. So I kind of had got to know some of the people. And because there was a couple of us that were really young, I think it just felt like we were at school. And I'm really good. I was a straight A student. So I'm really good at doing what I'm told. So I figured it out pretty quickly. But it was definitely like throw you in the deep end.

[8:33] Sarah Bowden: I mean, I'm still doing that eight shows a week. I've been doing that. And I'm an old lady now. So I'm coming up to 30 years of doing this full-time. So it was amazing. And it's incredible to be older in this business now and watch the young kids come in. And it's so beautiful for me to watch how naive they are. And I think, God, I was even more naive than that. These kids coming in now with college, and they know what they want to do, and they're here, and they're like... But even if not, there's so much more stuff for them to kind of see and research and go. Even just like they have all social media to see behind the scenes and day in the lives and all that stuff that you definitely didn't have access to.

I mean, you didn't even have moonlight to listen to. In that scenario, you're in the alleyway. You're just pulling up on your phone real quick and listening to the lyrics and the sound or how to on YouTube. You have probably endless resources to help you through that moment. And you're sitting there praying that Tugger comes out and can help you or you're in trouble.

[9:36] Sarah Bowden: And that was like a divine moment of like... That's where I really... And looking back on my career in the universe and stuff like that to not be woohoo, but that was a divine moment that happened to help me along that path. It was meant to be. Like you said, now these kids have... If you want to be on Smash on Broadway, you go just to the Smash Instagram site, and you know what the choreography is, you know what the costumes are, you know what the vibe is, you know what the people are. I didn't even have a mobile phone. I didn't even have... I had to meet my friends or they would have been standing at McDonald's for an hour waiting for me to miss their audition. That's how... And sometimes, I don't know, sometimes I think I'm the old lady that wishes we could go back to that.

But I think watching my career grow too, I'm in these places where I'm like, oh, I still work like that. I still show up to a show and I'm like, hi, I'm here. I'm the vessel. Teach me. And that's not really how it works anymore. Like you, I show up, and if I show up like that, cold, blank canvas, there's 20 other people in the room already know the lyrics, the thing, the whatever, and I don't think theater works like that anymore. It's much quicker. It's much more heightened. It's like people are better. I'm watching these kids come up and I used to be able to do a double or a triple pirouette, and they're like 17 pirouettes leaving me in the dust. And that's okay because you get older and the kids come up and they take over and it's wonderful.

But you don't show up as a blank canvas anymore, and I wouldn't give that up for the world. I learned Cats day by day in that rehearsal room with these creatives who knew it, and they told me what Cillabub was. And I remember I was a high school kid. So the Cillabub that I brought was so innocent. And the kittens are supposed to be in love with Rum Tum Tugger, and I remember it was Richard O'Brien. He's a friend of mine now. We called him Dickie, and he was just this cool, swaggy, 28-year-old hot. And just like the kittens, we were just like, ah! But I'd never met him before. So the minute he walked in the room, we were like, huh! So there's no... I wouldn't give that up for the world is what I would say. That to me was really special in that experience. Yeah.

[11:49] Mike Abrams: Yeah. The evolution's happening in everything though, and it's kind of interesting to hear, because I hadn't thought about it much in the theater space of the same thing. But we were talking before we started recording that you're a runner, and the four-minute miles now a thing, and before that, that would have been never thought of. And you see that in every sport too, where they're like, oh, they're jumping higher, and they're faster, and they're this, and they're training differently. And it's the same thing happening in theater, which is so unique to hear. But I want you to take me back to 1999. And this is your first real job, first professional gig. How much did you think about Cillabub's story?

Because you've got to learn the music, and then you've got to learn how to walk on the ball, and where to actually dance, and not kick your friend in the face. But there's also this, like, all right, this is the backstory, this is what I need to know, this is the character. And since it's your first kind of job, how much did you build into that character?

[12:41] Sarah Bowden: I think because I was so young, and because my coaches, you know, I mean, Chrissy wasn't there. It was Joanne Hunter and stuff doing the Australian production. And Gillian Lynn came in a couple of times as well, which was really special, you know, came in to help us. I think they really just gave us this, like, Cillabub. I think Cillabub was the baby, right? She was the youngest, apart from Victoria. And they just kind of put me, and like, Emma was what, the play, Victoria was like, friends with me. Me, Brooke, and Emma were like, kind of friendly together. And then Pounceville was also young, Hunter, he was like, a baby as well. They kind of put us together, and they were like, you know, you're the kittens, and you have to have a lot of energy, and you're always on your knees, I didn't even have knee pads.

I was like, I don't need knee pads, I'm good. Off I went. My knees now, 30 years later, are like, why did you do that? But at the time, we just had this, like, abundance of energy and innocence that I think, if you cast a 15, 16 year old to play the baby of the company, there wasn't much that they needed to tell us. We kind of just floated up, did the thing. I was in awe of everybody and everything. I remember the guy that played Munkerstrap, Glenn Hochstrom was his name. He's passed away, bless him. But I remember having a conversation with him, and I was 15 at the time, it was very beginning early on, and I was like, hi, and how old are you? I was like, I'm 15. And he was like, okay, I was like, how old are you?

He was like, well, I'm 30. And in my brain, I was like, he's so old. And I remember saying to him, I was like, you're, I'm half your age. And he just looked at me and he was like, oh, you've made a friend. We just like, these like 30 year olds, which the older cast, they took us under their wing. And it really became this family because we were on tour as well. It's very different to doing a show in New York City. We moved every week, that tent, every single week, packed up the trucks. We got on a bus and it was a bus. It wasn't even like on a plane. It was a truck and bus tour. And we would pack up our suitcase, put it under the bus and get on the bus and drive. It's Australia. Sometimes you would drive 10 hours.

[14:50] Sarah Bowden: I think my audition story is quite unique. I was 15 years old, and I had just finished my dance exams. I was in a dance studio, and I got a call from my agent saying, "You need to go to this audition for CATS." I was like, "Okay, great!" I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I remember walking into the room, and there were all these people in cat costumes, and I was just like, "What is happening?"

[15:20] Sarah Bowden: They asked us to do a dance combination, and I was so nervous. I remember thinking, "I just need to get through this." After the dance, they asked us to sing, and I sang "Memory." I was so scared, but I just went for it. I think they saw something in me because I got a callback, and then I got the role of Sillabub. It was a whirlwind experience, and I was so excited to be part of such an iconic show.

[15:50] Sarah Bowden: My first experience in CATS was incredible. I remember the first time I put on the makeup and the costume. It was such a transformation. I felt like I was stepping into a different world. The energy of the cast was amazing, and we all bonded so quickly. It felt like a family.

[16:00] Sarah Bowden: Touring with CATS was a whole different experience. We traveled all over Australia, and it was such a joy to perform in different cities. Each venue had its own unique vibe, and it was exciting to see how audiences reacted to the show.

[16:10] Sarah Bowden: One of my favorite memories from the tour was when we performed in a circus tent. The atmosphere was so intimate, and it felt like we were right there with the audience. It was a magical experience, and I loved every minute of it.

[16:20] Sarah Bowden: I also had the opportunity to tour South Korea with CATS, which was an adventure in itself. I remember one night, we were in the middle of a performance when a typhoon hit. The wind was howling, and we could hear the rain pounding on the tent. It was such a surreal experience, but we powered through the show.

[16:30] Sarah Bowden: The bond I built with my castmates during that time was incredible. We were all in it together, and we supported each other through the ups and downs of touring. It was a formative experience for me, and I cherish those memories.

[16:40] Sarah Bowden: Performing in 'Smash' has been a thrilling experience as well. The energy of the Broadway stage is electric, and I love being part of such a talented ensemble. The choreography is challenging, but it's so rewarding to see it all come together.

[16:50] Sarah Bowden: I feel like my journey has come full circle. From auditioning for CATS at 15 to now performing in 'Smash,' it's been an incredible ride. I can't wait to see where this journey takes me next.

[17:00] Sarah Bowden: I think the most important thing I've learned is to embrace every opportunity that comes my way. Each experience has shaped me as a performer, and I'm grateful for every moment.

[17:10] Sarah Bowden: I also love the idea of casting CATS characters into 'Smash.' It's such a fun concept to think about how those iconic characters would fit into the world of 'Smash.'

[17:20] Sarah Bowden: If I had to cast a character from CATS into 'Smash,' I would definitely choose Grizabella. Her story of redemption and longing resonates so much with the themes of 'Smash.'

[17:30] Sarah Bowden: I think she would bring a lot of depth to the show, and her journey would be so compelling to explore.

[17:40] Sarah Bowden: Another character I would love to see in 'Smash' is Rum Tum Tugger. His charisma and energy would definitely light up the stage.

[17:50] Sarah Bowden: I can just imagine him stealing the spotlight and bringing that playful spirit to the show.

[18:00] Sarah Bowden: Overall, I think the blend of CATS and 'Smash' would create such a unique and exciting experience for audiences.

[18:10] Sarah Bowden: I love the idea of merging these two worlds and seeing how they could complement each other.

[18:20] Sarah Bowden: It's all about storytelling, and both shows have such rich narratives to explore.

[18:30] Sarah Bowden: I can't wait to see what the future holds for me in this industry.

[18:40] Sarah Bowden: I'm just going to keep pushing forward and embracing every opportunity that comes my way.

[18:50] Sarah Bowden: Thank you for having me on the show! It's been a pleasure sharing my journey with you.

[19:00] Sarah Bowden: I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the episode!

[19:10] Sarah Bowden: And remember, always follow your dreams and never give up on what you love.

[19:20] Sarah Bowden: It's all about passion and perseverance in this industry.

[19:30] Sarah Bowden: Thank you again for having me!

[19:40] Sarah Bowden: I can't wait to see what comes next.

[19:50] Sarah Bowden: Until next time!

[20:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[20:10] Sarah Bowden: ♪ Musical number ♪

[20:20] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[20:30] Sarah Bowden: I'm so grateful for this opportunity.

[20:40] Sarah Bowden: It's been a wonderful experience.

[20:50] Sarah Bowden: I hope to see you all at the theater!

[21:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye for now!

[21:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[21:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm excited for what's to come!

[21:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[21:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[21:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been a pleasure!

[22:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[22:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[22:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm looking forward to the future!

[22:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[22:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[22:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been amazing!

[23:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[23:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[23:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm so grateful!

[23:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[23:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[23:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been a joy!

[24:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[24:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[24:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm excited for the future!

[24:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[24:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[24:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been wonderful!

[25:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[25:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[25:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm looking forward to what's next!

[25:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[25:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[25:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been a pleasure!

[26:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[26:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[26:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm excited for the future!

[26:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[26:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[26:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been amazing!

[27:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[27:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[27:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm so grateful!

[27:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[27:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[27:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been a joy!

[28:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[28:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[28:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm looking forward to the future!

[28:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[28:40] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[28:50] Sarah Bowden: It's been wonderful!

[29:00] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[29:10] Sarah Bowden: Thank you!

[29:20] Sarah Bowden: I'm excited for what's next!

[29:30] Sarah Bowden: Bye!

[29:41] Sarah Bowden: Because I love the show so much. But what they've now done with this stage production, compared to the TV series, was kind of high stakes and a bit serious. But the stage production is just silly. And yeah, it doesn't have this serious, you know, dramatic because the TV show was a little bit dramatic. It was great. It was like you're watching a TV show and it was a series and you wanted to know what happened next and you tuned in. This is just like three hours of pure, silly fun. It's insane. And it's so much fun to do. I can't even... So the combination of this silly fun and then actually getting this dream come true moment of singing these songs like, I can't believe they picked me moment is like, it's beautiful. So yeah.

[30:04] Mike Abrams: That's so fun. Yeah, it is really an entertaining show. It's funny. It's fun. It's kind of poking fun at itself. But it's also poking fun at a lot of things in the theater space. As someone who didn't grow up in the theater space, but has now learned a lot, the part that cracked me up is I've gotten to know some of the theater influencers. And you all hammer them at one point in the show. And I was laughing really hard because they're all really good-humored about this stuff. They're all super great people. And I'm like, they're going to love this when they see it. But you poke fun at them pretty hard too. You tackle all of the different parts of what a show looks like, including inside and outside the show, and do a great job with it.

So it's a great show. Everyone should go see it. I had a blast. It was, again, I laughed the whole time. Everybody in the cast is amazing. So it's a very well put together show and it's a fun show. And again, if you haven't seen the TV show, it doesn't matter. It's still a great night of theater and you'll follow everything through and you can catch what's going on and enjoy it. But we got to do my favorite thing, which is I know cats, so I like to cast the cats characters into the roles. So I've thought about this and I actually think this lines up a lot better than some other shows I've done this with. But I'm going to give you the Smash character and then I want you to tell me which cat would play them. Okay. Do you have this already? I have this thought through too. So I have my answers.

[30:34] Sarah Bowden: So I'm going to start with the two writers. So I'm going to start with Tracy and Jerry, and I think we can do them together. But I want to hear who you think for Tracy and Jerry.

[30:39] Mike Abrams: Weren't they like Tantamile and Korokpet?

[30:45] Sarah Bowden: So I, yes, I had Tantamile and Korokpet or I kind of thought maybe Mungojerry, Rebel Teaser. They're like, it's a little bit of the two. It's like, it's got to be one of those pairs. Or it could be Jenny Anydots and Bustopher Jones.

[30:52] Mike Abrams: So I have both of them in other spots.

[30:55] Sarah Bowden: Okay. Okay. Cute. All right. So that's why, but I agree with you. I think Mungo and Rump is probably better.

[31:00] Mike Abrams: So Mungo and Rump have a little more space.

[31:03] Sarah Bowden: Yeah, they have some fun. They're funny. They have their moments. I think the twins kind of are too much of like, they're seeing the future and it's, I don't think the Tracy and Jerry are seeing the future at all.

[31:10] Mike Abrams: No, they're in the moment. So definitely Mungo and Rump. I like them. Okay. What about Anita?

[31:15] Sarah Bowden: Anita? Cassandra.

[31:18] Mike Abrams: Ooh, why? Tell me more.

[31:20] Sarah Bowden: I don't know. Cause Cassandra's so refined. She's so fancy.

[31:25] Mike Abrams: That's true. That's true. I went Bustopher Jones cause I thought Anita's the money.

[31:30] Sarah Bowden: That's great. Anita's the producer.

[31:32] Mike Abrams: It's true. All right. Bustopher Jones cause he's fancy too.

[31:35] Sarah Bowden: Yeah. He's fancy and funding the show.

[31:38] Mike Abrams: Bustopher Jones has more spunk and Anita definitely has spunk. She's definitely like outspoken and yeah. Okay.

[31:43] Sarah Bowden: Okay. You said you get to play Susan. So what about Susan?

[31:47] Mike Abrams: Susan. What's she?

[31:49] Sarah Bowden: This one was hard, I think.

[31:51] Mike Abrams: This is really hard. Cause I want to say she's a Grizabella, but just in the fact because she's like the oldest member of the cast, you know, but I don't think it's Grizabella.

[31:58] Sarah Bowden: Oh God, that's tough. Oh, I don't know. Is it Jelly Lorem?

[32:02] Mike Abrams: I have Macavity.

[32:05] Sarah Bowden: You're so good at this.

[32:06] Mike Abrams: I'm like, there's a little bit of like kind of ruining the show, kind of like really putting bad thoughts into people's minds.

[32:12] Sarah Bowden: Oh my God, it's so Macavity. It's perfect. It's perfect. Yes. Done. I agree. Okay. Okay. What about Karen?

[32:18] Mike Abrams: Karen? Well, she kind of wants to do the thing. She's kind of eager, isn't she? I don't know. You tell me.

[32:23] Sarah Bowden: So I had a couple of choices here. I ended on Jelly Lorem because I feel like she's a little bit of a caretaker. She's bringing in the cupcakes and everything. And so that's kind of how I ended that. But I feel like to your point, like she is the understudy who wants to be on and wants to be the thing. So that could be a couple other characters, but I ended on Jelly Lorem just mostly because of the baked goods. Also because she's just so kind. Like even if everything happens to her, she's like, it's cool. She's got a heart of gold. So yeah, okay, Jelly Lorem. All right. Okay. Okay. What about Chloe?

[32:49] Mike Abrams: Chloe? I have two here.

[32:51] Sarah Bowden: Is she like a bum ballerina? Could be.

[32:54] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Tell me.

[32:56] Sarah Bowden: I had her as Jenny Any Dots or Skimbleshanks.

[32:59] Mike Abrams: Skimbleshanks. Oh yeah.

[33:01] Sarah Bowden: Because she's kind of keeping everything in order without her. I don't think this show's happening.

[33:06] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Skimbleshanks. Definitely more than anything. Because she's upbeat and positive as well. And yeah, she's keeping it together when no one else is. When it's falling apart. What about Nigel?

[33:14] Sarah Bowden: Nigel. See, is Nigel Jenny Any Dots?

[33:18] Mike Abrams: That could be, yeah. That's probably the best answer. I was trying to debate the Monkish Chapel of Deuteronomy just kind of as the director and in charge, but he's so funny and those two are so serious.

[33:26] Sarah Bowden: That's the thing. Monkish Chapel's very serious, right?

[33:29] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[33:30] Sarah Bowden: You know what I mean? He's the director and he's in charge, but he's seriously in charge and everything's very like, this is the way that evening's going to go. And Nigel's just losing it. Without Chloe, he's not going to... So I think it's like a Jenny Any Dots.

[33:41] Mike Abrams: I think Jenny, yeah.

[33:42] Sarah Bowden: Skimbleshanks is keeping all the reins. Yeah. It's a Jenny Any Dots.

[33:46] Mike Abrams: I agree. I agree. Okay. What about Ivy?

[33:49] Sarah Bowden: Is Ivy Grizabella?

[33:51] Mike Abrams: This is my Grizabella, yeah.

[33:53] Sarah Bowden: Ivy Grizabella.

[33:54] Mike Abrams: She's going through it all.

[33:56] Sarah Bowden: She's going through it, man.

[33:57] Mike Abrams: She's going to get her redemption arc.

[33:59] Sarah Bowden: She's really going through it.

[34:01] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Okay. Is there anybody else? What about, have you, have you, I'm sure you've not done this with your cast. Although you do have some cats though. Wendy's a cat.

[34:07] Sarah Bowden: Wendy's a cat.

[34:09] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[34:10] Sarah Bowden: What did Wendy play? Jelly Lorem.

[34:13] Mike Abrams: Wendy played, I can tell you, hold on.

[34:16] Sarah Bowden: She would have been a jelly, she has to be. Her soprano voice is insane. Insane.

[34:20] Mike Abrams: Wendy played Jelly Lorem on, yeah, on tour.

[34:23] Sarah Bowden: That, that sounds about right. Haven't thought about anybody else. Oh my God. I love the Ivy is Grizabella. That's hilarious.

[34:29] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[34:30] Sarah Bowden: It's perfect. It fits perfectly.

[34:32] Mike Abrams: It's perfect.

[34:34] Sarah Bowden: Oh, amazing. And then I guess Scott, then he does assistant. It's like Pounceable.

[34:39] Mike Abrams: Yeah. I was trying to figure out Scott. It's kind of, I couldn't figure out. So that's why I didn't even ask. I was like, that's, that's a tough one.

[34:44] Sarah Bowden: It's kind of like.

[34:45] Mike Abrams: It's got to be one of the kittens, right? Young and.

[34:48] Sarah Bowden: Pounceable, I would say.

[34:50] Mike Abrams: Pounceable would fit.

[34:52] Sarah Bowden: Okay.

[34:53] Mike Abrams: There's a, it's fun. I, I love this. It's my favorite thing to do. Let's, let's do some, let's wrap us up here with the important question. So let's do some quick cats, rapid fire. So if you could go on for one night in any cat, whether you're getting male, female, you could do it. You can't do it. Vocal range or not. Who would you want to go on for one night?

[35:11] Sarah Bowden: Mr. Mistoffelees.

[35:13] Mike Abrams: Mistoffelees. Do those turns.

[35:14] Sarah Bowden: If I could dance like that, yes. I can't anymore because I'm an old lady, but I probably could have when I was younger, but Mistoffelees, hands down. I love it.

[35:20] Mike Abrams: Who are your favorite and least favorite cats from a personality standpoint? Like, which one would you want to hang out with and which one would bug you to no end?

[35:27] Sarah Bowden: Who would I want to hang out with? Jenny, AnyDots, Skimbleshanks, Busterford Jones, all the crazy ones.

[35:32] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[35:33] Sarah Bowden: Yeah. Literally all the crazy ones. Yeah.

[35:35] Mike Abrams: Who's bugging you?

[35:37] Sarah Bowden: Who's bugging me?

[35:38] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Which one's, which one is going to be like the family member that you don't want to, that's like, all right, enough.

[35:43] Sarah Bowden: Demita, she's nuts. Chill out, girl. Show your love. It's all good.

[35:47] Mike Abrams: Okay. Okay. Favorite song in the show?

[35:50] Sarah Bowden: Favorite song in the show. Um, I think it's Skimbleshanks the railway cat. Come on.

[35:55] Mike Abrams: That's great.

[35:56] Sarah Bowden: Skimbleshanks the railway cat.

[35:58] Mike Abrams: It's great.

[35:59] Sarah Bowden: As a, as a runner, I had somebody recommend putting that on your running playlist because it's so fast and it's like a really good upbeat running song.

[36:05] Mike Abrams: That's a little minute of like a push. That's a little run push in the middle of your slow run to give you a little, yeah, I like that.

[36:10] Sarah Bowden: Yeah. So, so you can add it to your next, to your next playlist. Um, since you did this in a circus tent tour multiple times, which cat do you think would be the best in the circus?

[36:17] Mike Abrams: The best in the circus? Who was the best in the circus?

[36:20] Sarah Bowden: Like in a traditional circus. Like if we put them in a traditional type of circus, who would be the best?

[36:26] Mike Abrams: Um, um, Tantamon and Gorgobop.

[36:30] Sarah Bowden: Oh, that's great.

[36:31] Mike Abrams: I think they do foot juggling and they do it in perfect sync.

[36:34] Sarah Bowden: Yeah. That's also the like, come see the, the creepy psychic ones.

[36:38] Mike Abrams: Yeah, exactly. It's like a weird sideshow thing where they don't talk and they just move the whole time and they do like random stuff that you're like, what?

[36:44] Sarah Bowden: Yeah. I love it. Um, okay. My million dollar question. This whole show is, is based on the fact that I don't think Grisvelle is the right jellicle choice. So who are you, Sarah, picking as your jellicle choice and why?

[36:52] Mike Abrams: Who am I sending up to the Heaviside?

[36:54] Sarah Bowden: Yeah. If you're picking, who, who are you picking as your jellicle choice?

[36:58] Mike Abrams: MonkaStrap.

[36:59] Sarah Bowden: MonkaStrap. Okay. Tell me why.

[37:01] Sarah Bowden: Because I think that, you know, I think he thinks he rules the roost and he's in charge and everyone's like, and I just love it when I'm on, I'm an Aussie. So like, I like to pick the underdog and I just think like, if you just get rid of him and send him up to the Heaviside lair before his time, it's like, it like shakes up the rest of the cats and it's like, okay, well what do we do now? Because like our whole hierarchy system is like disheveled.

[37:15] Mike Abrams: I love it.

[37:16] Sarah Bowden: I love that. It just creates chaos.

[37:18] Mike Abrams: As I say, you're an agent of chaos here. You're going to come to the audition hungover. You're going to, you're going to do all kinds of stuff you can to kind of really shake things up. I'm here for it. This has been amazing. How can people stay in touch with you? And we'll link everything for Smash too, but how can people keep up with what you're doing on social media?

[37:31] Sarah Bowden: I'm kind of on Instagram and that's about it really, just because, you know, 1999. But yeah, I think I'm sarahbalden.de for Deutschland because I lived there for a very long time. But yeah, hit me up on Instagram. I love to like meet new people. If you're coming to see Smash, please hit me up on Instagram and I'll say hello at stage door. We'd love a stage door moment. Yeah, that's kind of it really. I have a Broadway run club if anyone wants to kind of like Broadway run for NYC. We kind of meet on Saturdays at the moment, I think. And now that the summer's coming, we'll probably do two days a week. It was pretty abysmal. We had a small group through the window, but we were still doing it. But as the summer...

[37:54] Mike Abrams: You chose Saturday? You do two show day you're going to run before?

[37:57] Sarah Bowden: Yeah, that's kind of my thing. I normally like to run a half marathon or something on a double show and then, you know, but we might do that just on days we'll see. But like, yeah, we're doing this. I just want to create some community. And it's like, it's not for people on Broadway. It's for anybody listening to this podcast who loves Broadway, who's a fan. Bring your mom, bring your brother, bring your cousin, bring your nephew, just kind of a way to create community. And then we try and run and it's always like, we'll do the park. So sometimes there's like two laps of the lower loop, which gives you like about three miles and then we'll be the second group that will run off and do the whole thing, which is six mile run.

We might, as the summer goes on, do some longer runs and stuff. But that's a really great Broadway Run Club, NYC. We're on Instagram, on Strava. And I think in about a week or two, we'll start picking that back up again now that the sun shines out. So yeah, hit me up, sarahbrown.de, broadwayrunclub.nyc. Yeah.

[38:12] Mike Abrams: I'll link all that too in the episode too, so everyone can do that. And of the fall, I'm a slow runner. Growing up playing the opposite of running. I grew up doing basically plyometric essentially of like start, stop. So running a mile was like not a thing for me until after college. But that's such a fun, fun way to do it. I'm still shocked that you do it on Saturday and just like how physically demanding one show is and you're going to do it twice. And it's like, no, let's just go for a quick little six mile run around Central Park before that. If people, if you know me, you know, that's what I do. Yeah. I did. I was on the national tour of Moulin Rouge just recently. I left last year. And when I left, I did a running away party instead of a goodbye party.

And I organized a half marathon. It was, we were in St. Louis in Forest Park. I set it up and my whole cast joined. Some people were at the water station and did nothing. Other people ran a couple of miles and then some people ran one mile and did the last bit. So everyone kind of came to this run and ran with me. I was like, I'm going to say goodbye. We're going to do a party. You're going to come on a run with me because that's what I, you know, it's what I do. And everyone showed up, the whole cast showed up and ran a mile or gave us some water or did the water. So it was really fun.

[44:03] Sarah Bowden: That's awesome. Yeah. Well, this has been so fun. So thank you so much for coming on and sharing about your CATS experience and SMASH experience and just a lot of fun stories and conversation. Thank you.

[44:14] Mike Abrams: Thank you. And thanks everyone for listening to this episode of The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown to CATS at your feet. To follow along, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or listen to the podcast. Follow us on social media at The Wrong Cat Died or check our website at theruncattide.com.