This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:01] Mike Abrams: There's a cat over here. There's a cat over there. I'm the wrong one died. I'm the wrong one died.

[0:16] Mike Abrams: Welcome to The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown of the Cat Sash Video. I'm your host Mike Abrams and today we have another amazing guest.

[0:22] Mike Abrams: If you are new to The Wrong Cat Died, today's guest was episode number 35 discussing one of the most amazing audition stories I've ever heard.

[0:31] Mike Abrams: And then episode 175 discussing her experience at The Pack as Cassandra & Skimbleshanks in CATS The Jellicle Ball where she currently is performing at the Broadhurst on Broadway.

[0:42] Mike Abrams: So welcome Emma Sofia and thank you for being here again.

[0:45] Emma Sofia: Hello. Third time's a charm.

[0:47] Mike Abrams: Third time. I remember when we, I came to the media day and you were like, I'm coming back on, right?

[0:53] Mike Abrams: And I was like, do you want to come back on? Like third time. So I'm thrilled to have you because it has been so fun to watch.

[1:00] Mike Abrams: I've now been three times to see. I saw the first preview. I saw another preview, I think when you were locked.

[1:07] Mike Abrams: And then I saw opening night and I obviously already have plans to come back.

[1:12] Mike Abrams: So I love seeing kind of like the changes and the differences and the similarities, but also the stuff.

[1:16] Mike Abrams: So we'll dive into that because we know your CATS history.

[1:19] Mike Abrams: We've talked a lot about the character development, all the stuff from, from the, your Cassandra's kind of, I think I called it like neurotic, chaotic energy.

[1:30] Mike Abrams: And then your Skimbleshanks, which is now going everywhere.

[1:35] Mike Abrams: So let's actually start with the transfer. Cause I got to talk to you a little bit at opening night, but that was a very, very busy scene.

[1:42] Mike Abrams: But now that you've kind of made that transition, what was, you know, what's been the process of taking something that was so successful off Broadway.

[1:50] Mike Abrams: But bringing it to this much bigger new home with a lot of, obviously more space in, but different space.

[1:56] Mike Abrams: What was that like for you as you brought your characters to that?

[2:01] Emma Sofia: I mean, Broadway is so special and it's such a specific niche, you know, like Broadway houses, Broadway theaters are, have been around a long time.

[2:16] Emma Sofia: You know, they are proscenium theaters. They are old, old, old theaters with a lot of history.

[2:23] Emma Sofia: It's like the biggest stars have passed through these, these same dressing rooms and same stages.

[2:31] Emma Sofia: And it's just so packed with history that to be on Broadway is such an honor, you know, and it's so difficult.

[2:40] Emma Sofia: I think there was a statistic that Bebe, who plays Demeter, she read at our opening night when we were doing all the Broadway debuts.

[2:49] Emma Sofia: She said, I believe it's like 1% or it's like a fraction of a 1% of actors actually make it to Broadway.

[2:58] Emma Sofia: So the Broadway of it all is so exciting. And I think that our production deserves to be a part of this pantheon.

[3:09] Emma Sofia: And the transfer itself, it's so funny, like I was at like a friend's birthday party before we started our Broadway rehearsals.

[3:17] Emma Sofia: And everybody was like, so how are you going to get the runway? How are you going to do the runway?

[3:22] Emma Sofia: And I was like, hi, nice to see you.

[3:25] Emma Sofia: Like everybody was just so curious because at the PAC, at the Paramount Arts Center, we had a 50 foot runway.

[3:33] Emma Sofia: And it was so juicy and wonderful and amazing to be able to fill up all that space.

[3:40] Emma Sofia: And, you know, they connected three of their theaters at the PAC to make one.

[3:46] Emma Sofia: And, you know, it was the inaugural season. It was such a special and unique moment.

[3:52] Emma Sofia: So we were all I was just just curious. I was like, I don't know how we're going to fit the 50 foot runway into a proscenium.

[3:59] Emma Sofia: I don't know. But Rachel, our designer who just was nominated for a Tony.

[4:04] Emma Sofia: She did such a fantastic job of transferring that 50 foot big warehouse feeling into the teeny tiny Broadhurst theater.

[4:15] Emma Sofia: Like she really succeeded in such an incredible way.

[4:20] Emma Sofia: You know, so it's obviously not a 50 foot runway. It is probably half of that. Not even.

[4:28] Emma Sofia: But there's tiers, there's different levels. So she used the space in a really smart way.

[4:35] Emma Sofia: So there's, you know, audience members on the stage in bleacher seating.

[4:39] Emma Sofia: There's we use the little boxes like the opera boxes, you know, for DJ Griddlebone, who that is a new iteration of the DJ because it was originally DJ Chaos, Capital Chaos, who's an icon in the ballroom scene, like a pioneer of house, like ballroom beats.

[5:02] Emma Sofia: And it's now Kenneth Ard, who was the original McCafferty in the original Cats, which is iconic.

[5:12] Emma Sofia: So he's in a little box. Junior LaBeija is like his little post is one of the boxes.

[5:20] Emma Sofia: So it's very immersive. You know, we tried to I think we succeeded in transferring such a huge and unique show into the traditional proscenium Broadway space.

[5:36] Mike Abrams: Yeah, I we had Rachel on and it was it was while she was building everything.

[5:42] Mike Abrams: She's the best.

[5:43] Emma Sofia: And I was I she was amazing. I loved hearing all the like I got to ask her all these questions and kind of like really dig into what this was going to look like, because I had a lot of my questions were same as what your friends are asking you.

[5:56] Mike Abrams: Yeah, but I was coming over from a different lens because I saw the show at the pack three times.

[6:00] Mike Abrams: Yeah, I saw the first time at a table right at the front.

[6:04] Mike Abrams: I remember one way, which is, you know, there's still two of those. I believe Splash Zone.

[6:09] Mike Abrams: I sat on the side of the very end on the side to see the choreography one time, and then I sat right behind Andre for the very last performance.

[6:17] Mike Abrams: And my bigger question was less about the runway because I knew you were continuing a runway, even shorter.

[6:24] Mike Abrams: So a runway was actually where Andre spends his time because it was everything was going towards him.

[6:31] Mike Abrams: And now everything is with him at the back.

[6:34] Mike Abrams: But it's so it's so smartly done.

[6:36] Mike Abrams: So I loved it.

[6:37] Mike Abrams: I mean, we got to I got all my questions answered with with Rachel on that.

[6:41] Mike Abrams: I got to listen, but it's I mean, she wouldn't tease some things because it was still before any single production show had been had been done.

[6:51] Mike Abrams: Those like before previews even started.

[6:53] Mike Abrams: And so there was a couple like she wouldn't tell me how.

[6:55] Mike Abrams: I was like, how are you going to send Grizabella up?

[6:57] Emma Sofia: She did not.

[6:58] Mike Abrams: Oh, thank God she didn't.

[6:59] Mike Abrams: Because it is so cool.

[7:01] Mike Abrams: The heavy side layer is so cool.

[7:04] Mike Abrams: So I'm curious for you, like, especially as Cassandra, you are kind of like all over the place running around.

[7:12] Mike Abrams: And you did that. I mean, at the pack, you did that a ton.

[7:14] Mike Abrams: And you're still have a lot of freedom of movement here.

[7:17] Mike Abrams: But how is it different having a little bit more of like a traditional like orchestra to run up and down the aisles versus having a little bit more of there were more seats and more kind of tables at the pack?

[7:29] Emma Sofia: Yeah. You know, the Broadway house is a little more restrictive.

[7:33] Emma Sofia: You know, like the the Paramount Arts Center was much more like a warehouse.

[7:37] Emma Sofia: It was much, you know, bigger.

[7:40] Emma Sofia: You know, Cassandra is just such a chaotic mess.

[7:47] Emma Sofia: And she just doesn't have any boundaries because she's just naive, you know.

[7:53] Emma Sofia: So I just kind of try to give her no boundaries.

[8:00] Emma Sofia: So any opportunity I have to interact with audience, I take it.

[8:07] Emma Sofia: Any opportunity to to confuse people and to catch them off guard, I take it.

[8:15] Emma Sofia: You know, I I really do get in people's faces.

[8:19] Emma Sofia: I really do.

[8:20] Emma Sofia: Like if there's if there's like in an aisle, like when I'm when Old Old Deuteronomy is is first unveiled, I go up and down the aisle.

[8:30] Emma Sofia: And if there is like nobody sitting on the on the sides, I will walk into the aisle and up to people.

[8:37] Emma Sofia: I've I have jump scared so many people because I'll be in their face and they're like, whoa, what are you doing here?

[8:46] Emma Sofia: And, you know, the director is Bill and Jalen.

[8:49] Emma Sofia: They they have given me so much freedom, given all of us so much freedom to to just be as authentic in our characters as possible, because, yeah, we are not cats.

[9:01] Emma Sofia: We are people and we are at a ball, you know, so whatever feels correct.

[9:08] Emma Sofia: They allow. Yeah.

[9:10] Emma Sofia: We wanted to make it like, you know, like an experience.

[9:15] Mike Abrams: I have loved the because I it wasn't a worry.

[9:19] Mike Abrams: I knew that you all would figure it out. It would be great.

[9:22] Mike Abrams: But there was such that intimacy at the pack.

[9:24] Mike Abrams: And I was like, how do you bring that to a little bit more of a traditional of a of a stadium seating?

[9:29] Mike Abrams: And you and you have because I've now sat in three very distinct areas.

[9:33] Mike Abrams: I haven't been on stage yet.

[9:34] Emma Sofia: Oh, you got it.

[9:35] Mike Abrams: It's it's a plan.

[9:38] Mike Abrams: It's in the works.

[9:39] Mike Abrams: But I've sat on, you know, a little like one or two seats in on the on the side where you're running up and down.

[9:46] Mike Abrams: I've sat on the other side and opening night.

[9:48] Mike Abrams: I set up up at the in the mezzanine.

[9:50] Emma Sofia: Yes.

[9:50] Mike Abrams: And and every single time I had interactions with somebody like at one point, the mezzanine, I look up and there's is Dudney's just standing in front.

[9:57] Emma Sofia: Yeah. Ready to announce his his thing.

[9:59] Mike Abrams: And then Sydney's up there for a little bit. Yeah.

[10:01] Mike Abrams: And so you will get all those interactions and you like have done an amazing job bringing that.

[10:07] Emma Sofia: Yeah. No one is safe.

[10:09] Mike Abrams: No one's safe. But I also will say for you in particular, I'm not again, not a performer.

[10:14] Mike Abrams: So I don't know. Is this is it which side is it stage right where you more are like Cassandra stage right is my domain.

[10:23] Emma Sofia: Yeah. Right. Like the the dots house of dots table and like the orchestra, like where the banquets are, where the guest judges sit and that whole the bleachers on stage.

[10:40] Emma Sofia: Right. Like that. Cassandra just goes all over the place.

[10:43] Emma Sofia: Stage right. It's not safe.

[10:45] Emma Sofia: In Act one. Yeah. Yeah.

[10:47] Mike Abrams: So if you want the Cassandra moments, you need to buy tickets on that side.

[10:50] Emma Sofia: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then that's also the where Skimble comes out.

[10:52] Emma Sofia: Yes. Also where Skimble comes out from stage right, like downstage where the banquets are in the orchestra.

[10:59] Emma Sofia: But Skimble with audience interactions like after like like more throughout Act two is stage left.

[11:09] Mike Abrams: Okay. Okay. Yeah. Amazing.

[11:13] Mike Abrams: What changes have you kind of like, did you have to adjust either?

[11:17] Mike Abrams: Did you make any for the characters as you kind of transition to Broadway?

[11:21] Mike Abrams: Or was it like, hey, this is kind of we figured this out. And this is what we're sticking with.

[11:25] Mike Abrams: Or did you have to make any kind of adjustments to the two characters?

[11:28] Emma Sofia: I did not change anything.

[11:31] Emma Sofia: Okay, I did not. I if anything, I just deepened more into what I had done.

[11:43] Emma Sofia: More into both of them, I think. But there was no, there was no, like, character adjustments or any new discoveries or anything. It was mostly just deepening the work that I had done at the PAC, for sure. Because it was so personal. Like, in our last episode, like, the development of both of the characters was so personal, that I think in the year interim that we had off, I discovered myself more just because I produced a lot of shows, and I did a lot of creative work. So if anything, I came in just more vulnerable and more open and more willing to just give my heart, I guess.

[12:37] Mike Abrams: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I totally understand. The reason I even ask is, and I was thinking about it before, and I didn't personally see this, but there were in other places where, because of just cast changes, or like you said, DJ Griddlebone's different, there are some slight tweaks to the story where, like, Macavity's storyline is slightly different. And there's some of those, I was trying to figure out if there's any of your moments or interactions where, because of that change, like, how they utilize Ken in certain things, or how they utilize Leomi for certain things, if that actually changed any of your stuff. But it sounds like it didn't really impact the Cassandra or Skimbleshanks story at all.

[13:12] Emma Sofia: Yeah, it didn't really. If anything, it was just trying to build the world more. I think the creative team was really, really adamant about building out the world completely. So if anything, it was a lot of moments of them coming up to each individual and being like, okay, what's your relationship with this person? And what is your history with this person? And our associate director, Naomi Stewart, she created a family tree, workbook type, I guess, Bible of the history of what people's association in Ballroom is. If they're a legend, if they're an icon, if they're a statement, if they're a virgin, you know? I think it was just deepening what we already had built.

[14:20] Mike Abrams: Okay. That was my guess. But again, I was curious, because as I watched it, again, my knowledge of Cats is story and character. And so when I'm going in, I couldn't tell you any of the choreography changes you made. I might have noticed one or two things, but I was not going to pick up on that. But I was like, oh, Macavity's story's different. Well, Macavity's a completely different human in so many ways.

[14:45] Emma Sofia: Completely. Naomi is a femme queen, icon, pioneer of vogue femme. She is who created the voguing that we see in media today. The voguing that we see, because voguing, when it started, it was old way. It was new way, old, like Willie Ninja, very specific type of movements. It was very clean. I like to compare it to Capoeira in that there's an element of fighting. To avert and not become violent, they would dance. So it was very warrior martial arts, and clean pictures. And then it's evolved with time. And Naomi specifically is who created, she's the first person who ever did a 360 dip, a 360 turn into a dip. She's an actual pioneer of ballroom. So her energy is so unbelievably different than the Macavity at the PAC. That was more of a traditional theater actor. And he was wonderful. I think that shifting it more to a person who has helped shape the history of ballroom was really smart. Because ultimately, it is a show about ballroom.

[16:23] Mike Abrams: Completely. And it's also Macavity's storyline can be so negative. It's a very crime-ridden. It's the villain of sorts.

[16:35] Emma Sofia: Yeah, totally. And that doesn't fit Naomi. And I thought it was a beautiful update to how to tweak it. Because Macavity's storyline in the Jellicle Ball is already different than the traditional Cats. And so it was already adjusted. And I thought it was brilliant the way it happened.

[16:52] Mike Abrams: So we're gonna take a quick break, and then we'll be back for more of The Wrong Cat Died. I do want to kind of go back though, because you talked and I love the how few people have made on Broadway. It's like, I've always said Broadway feels like as an athlete who played sports, it's like making it to the professional. Like there's not many people that make it there. And you've now are on again.

[17:14] Emma Sofia: Yeah.

[17:15] Mike Abrams: I saw you got the legacy robe.

[17:16] Emma Sofia: I did.

[17:18] Mike Abrams: So how has that been kind of like, like, what is that? What was that moment like having that that like return to Broadway feeling?

[17:25] Emma Sofia: I will. Like, specifically for the legacy robe, I was shocked. I actually did not think I was going to get it because it goes to the person who's had the most ensemble credits. And my Broadway debut, I was an ensemble dancer in Finding Neverland. And then my second show, I was a principal, I was Veruca Salt. So I was like, Oh, I'm not gonna get the legacy robe because I don't qualify. Because Jonathan Burke, who plays Mungo Jerry, he's been in more Broadway shows than me. But what I didn't put two and two together was that he's been in more Broadway plays. And I didn't realize because I haven't been back on Broadway for eight years, I've been doing television and nightlife and cabarets and, you know, just other stuff. And it was like, No, no, it only goes to the person with the most musical credits. So that happened to be me. Because that's how many Broadway debuts we have in this show.

[18:26] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[18:27] Emma Sofia: There's so many green people that have never done this. So I Jen, there is there's video of me of Katie Weber, who gave me the robe, which I did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with her. So it was really special. I was genuinely shocked. I was like, Oh my god. I'm I didn't I did not expect this. So that was really cool. I did not expect that at all. Which is funny, because it's such an obvious thing. Like it's whoever has the most on like, you just kept a count. You should have known.

[18:58] Mike Abrams: I should have known. But I just it was the Broadway play thing that it just, you know, it went over my head. I was just like, Oh, I'm not gonna get it's gonna be Jonathan or Puma. And then it was me. And that was, it became an extremely emotional moment. I was like, Damn, like this is so it's a it's an over 50 year tradition. You know, my best friend Colin Cunliffe, who you know, he got the legacy robe. Also, Skimbleshanks, Papa, I call him Papa Skimbleshanks. You know, so he was there when it happened. It was just such a special moment. I cried a lot. It was great.

[19:40] Mike Abrams: Yeah, it is. I laugh that you didn't recognize it. Because it's like, yeah, you should you could have.

[19:45] Emma Sofia: I should have known. Like, hello, you have so much going on at that moment in time, like this in the middle of your tech, right? Like, it's before you've started, like, that's the last thing you're probably thinking about is like, Oh, who's got let's look at everybody's resume. Yeah, who's getting it. But at that moment, was that like, was that where when was the moment it hits you? That it's like, it's been this many years? And now I'm going back on Broadway? Was it the announcement? Was it the casting? Was it the contract signing? Was it the legacy robe? Like, where was your, like, welcome back to Broadway moment?

[20:19] Emma Sofia: I feel like it's still happening. I feel like I'm like, Oh my god, I'm back. Whoa, like, I still hasn't. Because we're on such a marathon. Like I, I feel we are in the middle of a marathon right now. Like until the Tonys. We just haven't stopped. We haven't gotten a break. So it's, it really is a time of like, maintenance, and just get your body, keep your body healthy, keep your mind healthy, keep your spirit healthy, so that you can get through to the Tonys. And then once the Tonys are over, it'll will settle into the eight show week, you know. So I still don't really feel like I have fully processed that I'm back. Do you know, the times when it hits me the most is when I'm going to the stage door, and you have to like, ring the doorbell to get to go into the stage door.

I think that's when it hits me. It's like, Oh my god, like, I'm at the stage door again. Because my two other Broadway shows was in the same house. I was at the L'Enfantin back to back. It was Finding Neverland, we closed. Six months later, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory came in to the L'Enfantin. So I was in the same house. So that, that was very, you know, unique within itself. And that's the only Broadway house I ever really knew. So being on 44th Street, you know, right next to Schubert's Alley, like right next to the Majestic, which Phantom ran there for over 30 years, like, it's a pretty historic street, you know, like the St. James, Sardi's is across the street from us, Carmine's. It's, it's a little surreal. Like I even saying it now, I don't think that I fully processed it. Honestly.

[22:15] Mike Abrams: Yeah. You, you truly are on a marathon. So I want to talk about some of the fun things that I've seen you get to do. Because this is like, I'm sure it's fun and exhausting, but you've done Miscast. You like you just did Miscast. You just, you did a little pop up performance at the train station of Skimbleshanks at Union Square. You did Good Morning America, you did all these different things. You were mic'd up in rehearsals, which was probably one of my favorite. I've heard the hilarity of being backstage, you know, completely unfiltered. What has all of those like, let's talk about a couple like what was Miscast like that is such a unique and theater only type of thing.

[23:06] Emma Sofia: Miscast. First of all, Bernie Telsey, I love that man. He is like responsible for 90% of my career. He when he called me or emailed me about it, I was like, yeah, anything for you, Bernie, like whatever. I didn't really know much about Miscast. I've seen videos and clips of it throughout the years. But mostly it's just like, you know, there's so many things in the pantheon of Broadway.

[23:27] Emma Sofia: I think the biggest challenge was really just figuring out how to adapt the Perelman Arts Center's long runway into a proscenium space. We had to think about how to create tiers and onstage seating, as well as boxes for the audience to really immerse themselves in the experience.

[24:00] Emma Sofia: Maintaining Cassandra’s boundaryless audience interaction was also a key focus for us. It was important to keep that connection alive, especially since Cassandra and Skimbleshanks tend to play in the house quite a bit.

[24:30] Emma Sofia: We expanded the relationships and the ballroom “family tree” lore, which added depth to the characters and made the interactions feel more meaningful.

[25:00] Emma Sofia: There were also some cast and story tweaks, like Leiomy stepping in as Macavity, which brought a fresh perspective to the role.

[25:30] Emma Sofia: Receiving the Legacy Robe was a huge honor for me, and it felt like a significant moment in my journey with the show.

[26:00] Emma Sofia: The pace of the Tony season has been intense, but it’s also exciting to be part of such a vibrant community during this time.

[26:30] Emma Sofia: I had some standout promo moments, like Miscast, which was a blast to be involved in.

[27:00] Emma Sofia: I'm also looking forward to an upcoming collaboration with MTA Sessions featuring Skimbleshanks, which should be a lot of fun.

[27:30] Emma Sofia: It’s all about finding ways to keep the energy alive and engaging for the audience, especially as we transition to the Broadhurst Theatre.

[28:00] Emma Sofia: The immersive elements we’ve integrated really help to enhance the overall experience, making it feel like the audience is part of the Jellicle Ball.

[28:30] Emma Sofia: I think that’s what makes this production unique, and I’m excited to see how it evolves.

[29:00] Emma Sofia: We’ve been working hard to ensure that every performance feels fresh and dynamic, which is crucial for keeping the audience engaged.

[29:30] Emma Sofia: The feedback we’ve received has been overwhelmingly positive, and it’s encouraging to see how much people are enjoying the show.

[30:00] Emma Sofia: I believe that the connections we’re building with the audience are what truly make this experience special.

[30:30] Emma Sofia: As we continue to develop the show, I’m eager to explore new ways to deepen those connections.

[31:00] Emma Sofia: It’s all about creating a space where everyone feels welcome and part of the story.

[31:30] Emma Sofia: I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and I can’t wait to see where we go from here.

[32:00] Emma Sofia: The journey has been incredible, and I’m grateful to be part of such a talented team.

[32:30] Emma Sofia: I think we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible with this production.

[33:00] Emma Sofia: I’m excited for the future and all the opportunities that lie ahead for us.

[33:30] Emma Sofia: It’s a thrilling time to be involved with CATS, and I’m looking forward to sharing more with everyone.

[34:00] Emma Sofia: Thank you for having me back on the show; it’s always a pleasure to discuss these exciting developments.

[34:30] Emma Sofia: I hope everyone continues to enjoy the magic of the Jellicle Ball!

[35:41] Emma Sofia: When you're doing the sign line after a show and a little kid is dressed up as your character and they have the playbill and they look at you, and they say, "I want to be a dancer." After seeing you know that, to me, those are the most important awards, you know, like, of course, I want to win all the awards because just for my own ego, you know, just to boost my ego, because I've done a lot of work in my life to be this performer. But I think more so than anything, it's about reaching people's hearts and reaching the audiences. Yeah, their hearts and their souls. It's really important now, especially like the society that we're living in, the world that we're living in, there's a lot of confusion, and a lot of opportunity to get really depressed and really scared and really sad.

And these shows that we put on that there's all this work that gets put into them, ultimately, what's most important is that we are allowing people to escape these scary realities that are happening. And to remember, community, remember joy, remember, love, remember, you know, that we all have the ability to put on a song and dance it out and hug each other when we're afraid or confused. So yeah, the awards are amazing. But it is more rewarding to me, the audience reaction and the fans.

[37:25] Mike Abrams: Yeah, I think one thing I've always said about your show that's, it's, you know, one of my favorite parts is you walk out happier than you walked in. Like you walk out with more energy than you walk in, which is so important that to me in these, these times that like, there are a lot of great shows that are a little heavy, and you have to kind of like walk out knowing you're gonna, you're gonna process. Yeah, like, you're gonna have to think about this, which there's obviously a massive time in place for that. And there's a space for it. But I love when I walk into a show and I can just enjoy myself and have like that. And I feel like that to me is for you all, like, yes, the awards are amazing.

But there are some things that aren't even awarded that probably should, you know, I had on Victor and Sujata from casting, and it's like, there's not a casting award, there should be an award. And like, there's, there's that's so vital to what's happening. And there's all that I've always thought there should be an ensemble award for the Tony. So it's great. But I think just like you said, just having people love the show people coming back to the show. I mean, you have people coming back multiple times. I know one amazing fan in particular has been I believe already 13 or 14. Yes. Like that is a that's to me what's so cool about about cats in general, but also in the Jellicle Ball.

[38:40] Emma Sofia: Yeah, the Jellicle Ball is really a special moment in time. I keep saying that we are the revolution, you know, and that this is what the revolution looks like. It's black, brown, queer joy, you know, and we're not telling a story about tragedy. We're not telling a story about a trans black woman suffering. We are telling the story of her triumph. And we are celebrating, you know, marginalized communities, and making it cool and fun and exciting and, you know, inclusive. And our, our, our, you know, our little statement is come one come all. And that's really important right now. It's really important. So yeah, the awards are amazing. I love awards. You know, I'm I have, I've absolutely practiced my awards, you know, acceptance speeches in the shower since I was five years old.

But ultimately, this is about the people, you know, and I say on my Instagram bio, I'm a diva for the people. So any way that I can be a contribution to people's joy in my community, and just the people of the world, like that's, that's my priority.

[39:56] Mike Abrams: Amen. I love it. We're gonna take a quick break and then we'll be back for more of The Wrong Cat Died. Let's close this out with some rapid fire. Still, I've asked these before. This is now round three. I do a different fun one. So okay, if you could go on one night, any character in the Jellicle Ball, who do you want to perform as?

[40:11] Emma Sofia: Uh, Grizabella.

[40:20] Mike Abrams: Grizabella, favorite and least favorite cat from a personality standpoint. So which Jellicle Ball character are you hanging out with and which one to kind of bug you?

[40:23] Emma Sofia: Mungo Jerry is so mean. Jonathan Burke plays a very sassy Mungo Jerry. So I'm going to say because every time Cassandra talks to him, he says really not nice things. So Mungo Jerry, I'm not going to hang out with who I am going to hang out with. Um, I think I'm a cavity. Naomi makes me laugh a lot.

[40:50] Mike Abrams: Okay, I love it. Favorite song in the show.

[40:54] Emma Sofia: Do you know what song? It's really funny and ironic. Mungo Jerry and Rumple Teaser is stuck in my head all the time. I love their song. I love it. It is. That was the one when I first saw the show I was most like I was walking out of theater singing, but also I didn't know anything about Cats at the time. So I'm like, what are these names? Like, why am I walking down the street singing Mungo Jerry? What is that?

[41:17] Mike Abrams: Um, okay. So my fun one, I always ask one, if you do get your meeting with, with our mayor, what, um, if you could cast him as one of the characters in the Jellicle Ball, who do you not guest judge? I'm taking that off the table. I think that would be also amazing. Who do you want to cast him as?

[41:31] Emma Sofia: I think he would play a really good Old Deuteronomy. I do. I do. He embodies that.

[41:39] Mike Abrams: He is. He's showing for that. He's very, he's way too young. He's way too young for that. But the wisdom and the, his, his unwavering self-confidence in his campaign and in his values, that's, that's, it's giving Old Deuteronomy. Definitely.

[42:00] Emma Sofia: Yeah. Um, okay. You picked Grizabella last time.

[42:05] Mike Abrams: I did. You picked, I think you picked Grizabella the second time.

[42:11] Emma Sofia: Did I? Can you tell that I want to be that?

[42:17] Mike Abrams: I can tell you. It's such a fun and tortured. I just want to be tortured. I love it.

[42:24] Emma Sofia: Yeah. So I want to know your jovial choice again. Hold on. I'll let you know the second time I believe was also Grizabella.

[42:28] Mike Abrams: Um, it was also Grizabella. So you're, you're, you're two for two on Grizabella votes.

[42:31] Emma Sofia: My vote is Munkustrap.

[42:35] Emma Sofia: I have a different one.

[42:35] Mike Abrams: Oh, you have a different one today. Okay. Who's your vote today?

[42:35] Mike Abrams: Munkustrap. I mean, I, Munkustrap works like that. People don't understand how hard that is.

[42:43] Emma Sofia: No, they don't understand this man. He creates all of the chants. It's him. He writes it. I have witnessed him writing chants by himself, sitting in a staircase and writing chants. This man, I call him the heartbeat of the show. He is like, he is our heartbeat. I don't know what we would do without him.

[43:07] Mike Abrams: I agree so much. I just finally had him. I had him at BroadwayCon a couple of years ago. And then I had a full episode with him recently. And I kind of jokingly asked him on the carpet, can you write me a chant? I put him on the spot. He's like, no, he's like, no, I can't really do that on the spot. I'm going to struggle. He did something, but then I didn't say anything again. And then when he knew he was coming on the show, he sent me, like he was ready. Like he was like, I'm ready. I have it. And he sent me the video. He sent me is so funny because he's walking down the street and he's filming just the street as he's like working it out in his head. And then all of a sudden he turns the camera to himself and he does. I figured it out. And then that was it. And it's like, he writes them all himself. He has like, he figures out the beats. He trained, like went to learn, like, and study do it. It was so cool to see, hear his process.

[44:01] Emma Sofia: He has reverence for commentating.

[44:01] Mike Abrams: Yes. No, he really, he's amazing. He is my Jellicle choice. I'm glad that we now have a third of the way there of convincing you for the full time. But that was, yeah, I mean, I love that choice. That is a great one. So this is so fun. Round three was great. How can we stay in touch with you? I mean, you're doing so much and this will come out before the Tonys. So leading up to all the fun stuff. So how can people keep up with you?

[44:21] Emma Sofia: My Instagram, EmmaSophiaOKAY. Sophia with an F, not with a P-H. That really grinds my gears when people write it with a P-H. I don't know why. It's such a, you know, like obviously Sophia is P-H, but no, mine's with an F y'all. It's with an F. Yeah. On my Instagram, I have a TikTok. I'm not really on TikTok, but I have one. And come to the stage show. You're all over the Jellicle Ball pages too.

[45:00] Mike Abrams: We'll link all of those so people can find it. And yeah, come to the stage show. Come to the show. Go see it. Broadhurst. Go see it if you haven't. It is amazing. It's such a good time.

[45:10] Emma Sofia: I believe if you show up early, you still get, you're given a fan if you're really early.

[45:13] Mike Abrams: Really? Well, I don't know if they're still doing that. They did that for the opening and the preview, but they're still doing it now. Opening night was like a fan from like the show.

[45:19] Emma Sofia: Yes. From what I heard, and someone can correct if this is not the case anymore, but the first like handful of people, it's not a ton, just get one color. So it's not like the one from the show, but they have a few that I think it's to keep the audience, you know, clapping hands.

[45:29] Mike Abrams: Oh, wow. I didn't know that. That's really cool.

[45:32] Emma Sofia: Which is great. I love that.

[45:34] Mike Abrams: Yeah. I've not been there early enough ever. So well, I'm a show up right before the show starts.

[45:42] Emma Sofia: But that's the living in New York.

[45:44] Mike Abrams: Yeah, I think where you get to see more.

[45:49] Emma Sofia: Yeah. But okay. Well, again, congrats on everything for you. I'm so glad to have you back on the show. And thanks for sharing again. Maybe there'll be a round four.

[46:01] Mike Abrams: Yeah, who knows? Who knows? Who knows after we win all our nine nominations, all the Tonys, nine lives. I thought that was, that was the marketing team ate that one up. They were ready. They were ready.

[46:18] Emma Sofia: Well, I hope you win everything. I will be celebrating either way. I you win everything in my book.

[46:24] Mike Abrams: Oh, thank you, Mike. I appreciate it. I will. I will see you at a show soon. I'm sure.

[46:29] Emma Sofia: Yes, you'll be a guest judge.

[46:31] Mike Abrams: Guest judge. Well, thanks again. And thanks everyone else for listening to this episode of The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown to catch up with you to follow along to subscribe to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, listen podcast, also social media throughout the title. Let's check out our website, thewrongcatdied.com.