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[0:15] Mike Abrams: Welcome to The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown of Cats Hatchery. I'm your host, Mike Abrams, and today we have another amazing guest. They have been with CATS Jellicle Ball since the beginning, performing as Electra at the Perlman Performing Arts Center, and now, as they swing, making their Broadway debut. So welcome, Kendall Grayson Stroud, and thank you for joining me.

[0:31] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Thank you for having me. I'm excited to have you. I really wanted to chat when you were at the PAC, and we just ran out of time. Just the performances, I interviewed as many of you as I could, but I know you've been involved since very early in this project. So let's start, before we start talking about the Jellicle Ball, let's first start talking about CATS. So what was your familiarity with CATS before the Jellicle Ball?

[0:58] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Nothing.

[0:59] Mike Abrams: Zero, okay.

[0:59] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Nothing. I had no introduction to CATS. I mean, it's embedded in pop culture pretty heavy, I feel like. But no, I haven't seen it. No VHS tape. None of that.

[1:16] Mike Abrams: So you went in cold.

[1:17] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah. Oh, yeah. Freezing.

[1:20] Mike Abrams: Because you were involved in the early readings as well, right?

[1:24] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yes. I was in the first workshop in 2022.

[1:28] Mike Abrams: Okay. So when you heard about it, what was your reaction of, like, I don't really know CATS that well, but here's this kind of – I mean, I remember the first workshop. It's kind of a concept at that point. It's a very, very unique concept. So what was your thoughts walking in at that point?

[1:45] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Well, so I had seen that there was an article posted somewhere that was like, ballroom CATS happening. Somebody is thinking about it. It's brewing. And I saw that the company casting it, X-Casting, Victor Vasquez of X-Casting taught, like, a three-week master class at the program that I attended in university. This is NYU. And I was like, I think I should kind of, like, look into that. And so I emailed Victor and I was like, what's going on? Like, is there any way I could kind of weasel my way into this? And he was like, oh, my God, yeah, I'd love to have you come on audition for this. So once I went through the audition process and then I got in, like, I had just been introduced to the idea of what ballroom was, like, the community in itself.

I had seen bits and pieces throughout my life, you know, through, like, you know, random moments. But I hadn't seen, like, Paris is Burning yet or any of, like, the foundational things that would, a lot of people are introduced to the ballroom community through. But I had a teacher, Dawn Elin Fraser, who was the speech specialist and dialect coach for the project as well. She had introduced me to ballroom through a speech project. And that was all I had. It was like a small glimpse. And that's what I used for the audition process. But then I got in and it was like, oh, my God, that's so crazy. And now I'm like in a house and like I'm trying to, you know, it's been years since. But yeah, did that answer the question?

[3:50] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Yeah. So you kind of love it because you're you know, you weren't in the ballroom community. You know, you knew about it a little bit adjacent to it and you knew I mean, we had Victor on and so we did an episode and chatted through just the whole idea of the casting through the show and the workshops, which was fascinating. So you kind of go in. And I'm very curious in those early phases of like the workshops leading up to the PAC of like the cats part of things, because like you're obviously figuring out how to turn this, you know, like really reimagine this. But as someone who didn't know cats, knew a little bit about ballroom, was there like a cat's debrief for you all? Was there like a ballroom debrief? Because you did have this mix of people coming together.

[4:34] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, in the initial workshop. Yeah. Yeah. So in the in the first workshop, I mean, things were really like spaghetti to wall. It's like Skimbleshanks was like it was like reggae for a second. Things were really like crazy. But we did get a ballroom briefing for sure. We I mean, Bill, Jalen and Josie were really adamant about making sure the core of the project was we stayed true to why we were doing it, which was for the ballroom community and for trans women and for whatever. So, you know what I mean? So we we were really focused on that for sure. And then the material kind of spoke to itself. I mean, we a lot of people I'm sure you've heard this, but the thing where it's like the people who don't didn't understand cats have said that they kind of get it now because the categories and the there's there's this ball and it's a competition and how and it kind of like gives it a little more context.

Mind you, again, like I I don't I still wouldn't say I'm an expert at the cat's world because ours is very specifically designated to the ballroom community, you know. So, yeah, that's hard. We didn't get much about cats, I feel like. But I don't know if that's true for everyone in the project.

[6:21] Mike Abrams: Yeah, I think that makes sense. I know Josie was really like big on understanding and bringing through a lot of the cat's moments, at least early on in the project. I remember when I when I spoke with her, there was a lot of conversation about that. And then also, you know, like Jonathan did cats on tour and I had, you know, you had some of that in there, but it is so, so uniquely different and so incredibly similar at the same time, right, that it is like this. I've always been fascinated by that question because you built something completely new, like you all did. You create this thing that does make a clear storyline and a better, you know, an arc that's easier to follow for people that don't know cats.

But at the same time, if you know cats, there's not that many like massive changes and difference. Like there's some stylistic things, there's some choreography, obviously. There's a little bit that you all change on the McAvity storyline on Broadway, kind of based on who you all have. But but it's cats at the end of the day. And so it's such a cool, cool kind of piece. So I want to fast forward, though, to the PAC, because now you are Elektra, you have a character, you're building out kind of the storyline for Elektra. So how did you like embrace that that character like as you were getting to do it for multiple months?

[7:34] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah, a blast. I think, you know, I was a swing at the PAC as well, too. So I was balancing a lot of things at the same time, which seems to be a theme for me. But yeah, I think I think being given the opportunity to develop a character as the first professional thing basically that I've ever done was an insane ride. So grateful. I think Elektra, you know, she wasn't really a super highlighted cat in cats generally, other than the mention of her from what I know in in the naming of cats. And so but I did have a little boop Elektra, you know what I mean? And that was fun. But I did the Virgin Vogue number. I basically literally came on in the naming of cats and then left stage after I lost Virgin Vogue to Skimbleshanks.

I'm still mad about it. Actually lies. Cassandra. Yeah, it's a split track. Cassandra Skimbleshanks. But but yeah. But yeah, I mean, she's just she's just fun. She's like definitely like she's cutting. She's got she's got a bone to pick and she's coming for the competition. She's fiery. I miss her. Who knows? Maybe she'll come back.

[9:15] Mike Abrams: Yeah, yeah, I did. I found it interesting that she got replaced by etc, right?

[9:22] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah, not replaced because because there's different like different roles, but but there's there's no more Elektra in Broadway and there's now an etc. So you was Elektra in did you have Elektra in one of the houses for the pack? Like was it House of Dots? House of it couldn't have been House of Dots.

[9:38] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah, no, she was she was a double of seven, which just means that you're not in a house. But I think that where she was going, I could see her being a part of I could see her wanting to be a part of like Macavity. I think at the I think at the pack, it probably was Dots. But I think if it was on Broadway, the one we have now, I think she would be wanting to go to Macavity. No offense to the House of Dots. I love the House of Dots. You know, I love I love everybody. But but I think contextually, that's where she would want to go.

[10:25] Mike Abrams: Okay. Okay. In this production. And you were swinging at the pack for I think how many different cast was it? Jenny Any Dots, Mungo Jerry, Rumpleteazer? Or no, Mungo Jerry, Tugger and Cillabub?

[10:32] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah, yes. That's how right. How you know that? I did some research before I did some research before.

[10:46] Mike Abrams: Right. Right. That was it. Yeah. Okay. And did you go on for everybody? Not everyone. I went on for him for Jenny Mungo and Cillabub. But I didn't go on for. I didn't go on for Tugger.

[11:10] Kendall Grayson Stroud: And then was it was that those were the only ones, right? Jenny, Mungo Jerry, Tugger and Cillabub? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I went on for the other three.

[11:21] Mike Abrams: Okay. And you're now swinging on Broadway for who? Because this is one I couldn't find as many for.

[11:24] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yes, I am swinging on for like, 10 roles.

[11:38] Mike Abrams: Wow. It was it was 11. But we finagled some things. Now it's 10. You're basically yeah. Yeah. Okay. Essentially. And who was your debut with?

[11:45] Kendall Grayson Stroud: My debut was with Mistoffelees.

[11:45] Mike Abrams: Mistoffelees. Nice. Nice. Okay. What is the transition? I mean, obviously, you said first professional thing, you're creating a role, but also you're swinging. And that's just such an incredible talent to be able to do that. So what's the swing life been like?

[12:03] Kendall Grayson Stroud: My blood pressure is pretty high. But no, I mean, you know, I mean, it's kind of, it really is a balance of pros and cons, because in one way, it's like, of course, I'm stressed pretty often. And you never know, you would never know where you're going. Mind you, this is the beginning of our run. So in the craziest time to have an opening, like the Tony's and promotions and all of that, whatever, all of that is making, you know, people are exhausted. We love what we're doing, but we, you know, we're done. It's a lot. Yeah, it's a lot leading up to the Tony's. Yeah. So there are a lot of moments of the swings being utilized pretty early on in the process. And it's a blast to play around in different roles.

It's a crazy opportunity to switch into all these different modes, because they really are inherently unique by text. But also, the people on stage who have really played massive parts in developing these roles. It's insane to step into to actual people. Because when I go on for Mistoffelees, sure, I'm trying to do the mystical magical thing, but really, I'm kind of embodying essence of Silk and what Silk has done for that character. And when I go on for Elektra, I'm going or sorry, etc. I'm going on for I'm trying to embody what Haya has built into this track. And that's kind of crazy, because I'm like, I'm, I'm not trying to be you, but like, I'm kind of trying to be you. And that's crazy. But yes, it's been a ride for sure.

[14:22] Kendall Grayson Stroud: For sure. And there's more to come. I mean, there's literally eight other roles that I'm slated to be in at some point. Yeah. And with a show like this, you'll get the chance for sure.

[14:35] Mike Abrams: How do you stay prepared for that with 10 roles? You're a different spot of the theater with every single one of those.

[14:43] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah. This show in particular is a beast to be a swing on. I think everyone has a different process for swinging. I think the traditional idea of swinging for this show doesn't really work always. A lot of it is being hyper-adaptive and hyper-aware, which in other shows is also the case. But this one, a lot of moments are improvised. A lot of movement isn't actually said. And so what the world is actually asking of a new cat, a swing, when stepping in is just being sensitive and to really be tuned in, really locked in to the world around you and how you interact with everyone. If you're in it and if you're in character in the moment, you are able to ride through as long as you just have your basic points, like the highlighted moments.

Make sure you hit your light spot. There's a line that needs to be sung here, and it's your line, so don't miss it. And then embodying. But as far as balancing all the roles in your head, I don't know if I exactly have the answer for how I'm doing it yet, because it's shifting every day. Right now, really, all I'm doing is just consistently going over tracking sheets and watching the show a lot.

[16:50] Mike Abrams: Makes a ton of sense. Do you have one that you're most excited to go on for?

[16:55] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Oh, I don't know. I think as far as dancing goes, I think the Victoria track is crazy. It's so insane. And if and when I go on and do the track and it goes well, I'm excited for that moment, for sure. But as far as character-wise, my Ginny in Adults is crazy. I played Ginny at the PAC as well, and I loved that role, so I'm excited to revisit it in the context that it is now.

[17:45] Mike Abrams: We're going to take a quick break, and then we'll be back for more of The Wrong Cat Died. How has been the transfer to Broadway? You obviously had massive success, and now you get to play with new space, new characters, new everything, but ultimately a continuation of what you've built. So what was that first couple of performances like as you're doing this new thing on Broadway?

[18:10] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah. Surreal, for sure. I think also leading up to it, the process was pretty... It's always wild putting a show up. You would think that a transfer, because we had the foundation of what it is, you would think that it would be an easier thing to like, okay, we have basically what this is, so we just have to condense it. Okay, great. It was not like that at all. It felt like we were essentially going from scratch, but we had source material, at least for me. Mind you, again, I'm covering everyone. So it might be different for different people, but yeah, it was pretty crazy. I mean, the runway was cut into like a third of what it was, so that was crazy. And you know, Rachel, who designed the whole thing, oh my god, phenomenal job. She did a phenomenal job. The lighting, Adam did a phenomenal job. It's a really crazy thing that the technical aspects...

[19:31] Mike Abrams: The staircase?

[19:33] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah. Let's not spoil the surprise for the people who haven't seen it yet, but how Grizabella goes to the Heaviside Layer is crazy.

[19:41] Mike Abrams: It's crazy, yeah. Cut that.

[19:44] Kendall Grayson Stroud: No, we'll keep it in. We didn't say how it's happening.

[19:46] Mike Abrams: Right. No, right, right. They'll be ready to go, because I interviewed her before the first preview, and I tried to get her to tell me stuff, even off camera. Even when I was like, hey, we're done recording, and she would not spoil anything.

[20:01] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Really, really.

[20:01] Mike Abrams: So you will have a blast figuring out how that's going to work, and all the other fun stuff, because a lot of people saw it at the PAC, and what I loved is that if you saw it at the PAC, you still are going to get a really cool new experience, because you're seeing a different version with a different runway. Like you said, it's shorter, so there had to be some adjustments to some choreography, but you're also seeing a bigger, brighter, badder production with lights and video boards and all kinds of stuff, and some new characters, too, like you said. But if you hadn't seen it at the PAC, it's still going to be an incredible time, because it's so fun and new and loud and energetic, and you have a great time when you walk in and walk out.

[20:45] Kendall Grayson Stroud: It's a party. It really is a party.

[20:49] Mike Abrams: You do laugh. You do cry, but you leave feeling better.

[20:57] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah, and I think there's hopefully some educational components for people where you're seeing representation you don't usually see on Broadway, and you can learn something about, if you don't know about ballroom, you learn a little bit about it from moments of happiness. So I'm curious to hear. You kind of teased this, but you are now in a house. So what has your ballroom journey been like, as you've gone from learning more about it, not knowing much, to now being involved in the community?

[21:24] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Well, it has been one of the most important pieces of my life so far. Just in context, quickly, I moved a lot through my childhood. So as far as consistent chosen family things, I never really had a consistent, you know what I mean? Other than my parents. And so I've always been desiring the idea of a consistent chosen family. And so when I got to New York, I went to school, got introduced to ballroom. Once the project started, or the first workshop started, and I was really getting the face-to-face education in what it is, what ballroom is, with the people who were in ballroom, pioneers of ballroom, I was like, wait, I feel like this is the thing that I need? And then Omari Wiles, co-choreographer, he has a house, House of Uruchi.

And in talking with him through the workshops, eventually it just made sense for me to go to a practice. He just offered, come to a practice, come watch a practice, whatever. And I was like, cool, awesome. Yeah, let's see, let's see, whatever. I clearly had a great time. I was like, this is insane. What you guys are doing is insane. I want more of that, and I want to know you, and I want family. It's like that. And then, I mean, and then kind of the rest is history. Like, I just, I'm obsessed with, I'm obsessed with what it is ballroom has done for the world and for people. So I'm excited for my ballroom journey even further past this point. I'm not sure where it's going to go next, but we'll see.

I mean, it seems like I'm almost more leaning towards that world now than I am theatrically, like what I got my degree in, which is great. I was never expecting that that was going to be the case. Yeah, never.

[24:14] Mike Abrams: It's been interesting as someone who didn't know much about ballroom before the Junko Ball, before seeing it, how there's this level of mainstream that's starting to kind of happen for it, but also in a way that's authentic, because it's kind of inherently not mainstream. That's a little bit of the idea. But I think it's cool to see a lot of the people that I've brought to the Junko Ball are people that probably would have never had anything outside of Paris is Burning. They would have not had a lot of this knowledge, and that's, I think, really cool.

[24:46] Kendall Grayson Stroud: It is intriguing. It gives them an opportunity to learn something new and potentially dig deeper if it's something that's seeking community or seeking something like that. So I found that having this on Broadway, it's such an important show to have in this moment in time, in this moment in history, with everything going on in the world, to open up people's eyes to another underrepresented community in a way that is, too, in a world associated more with what maybe they're familiar with, with theater or Broadway or something else. I found that this is such an important show, and I'm rooting for you. This will come out before the Tonys, so hopefully, I'm rooting for y'all to win everything. But I think it's really cool, and I'm glad to see that.

I was fascinated talking to so much of your cast, especially what I call the musical theater group, the group that was not the ballroom group, the musical theater group, to see, like, all right, how many of you are getting recruited, and by which house, and how are you going to end up, and are you all going to end up in a different house? And I was like, that has to be happening, right?

[25:46] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Of course, of course. You will see.

[25:50] Mike Abrams: I'm curious, too, because I'm sure things are brewing. I have a few, like, premonitions.

[26:01] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Okay, okay.

[26:02] Mike Abrams: Have you walked your first ball?

[26:04] Kendall Grayson Stroud: I wouldn't say officially. Yes and no, not under the house I'm in.

[26:10] Mike Abrams: Okay.

[26:16] Kendall Grayson Stroud: But I have, like, walked things, and then didn't really say anything about it. I wasn't charged, so don't get it twisted. But no, it's fine. But also, it just wasn't, like, they weren't huge events, so it kind of, not that it always has to be, but I also don't think I did, like, so stellar that I was like, let me post this. My debut, my actual, like, the first time I actually walk and I make it, like, a public thing, I want to make sure, and this doesn't, it doesn't actually matter, the optics of the situation, but because I'm also, I'm really crazy about optics, and, like, how I, like, you know, I just want to make sure that whatever it is that I do, that I'm really, that I'm really, like, doing it justice.

[28:01] Mike Abrams: Okay.

[28:02] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah.

[28:03] Mike Abrams: You want to do it?

[28:04] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah, I do.

[28:05] Mike Abrams: You want to do it.

[28:06] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Exactly. That's exactly it. Whatever it is, I really want to make sure I spend a lot of time, possibly money, to make sure I, like, look a certain way and, you know, embody the thing I want to embody. Plus, I'm not really sure, you know, there's a journey, there's definitely a journey that I'm going on now, personally, because of ballroom in terms of, like, honestly, like, gender things and, you know, all types of stuff that, like, this community has allowed me to access. And, like, I didn't even know there were doors for certain things, you know? And so I'm finding a lot about who I am. And so before I make, like, huge sweeping debuts that I find extremely important, I want to make sure that I'm, like, going in the right direction.

[28:25] Mike Abrams: Yeah.

[28:26] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Let me get it right.

[28:27] Mike Abrams: You want to get it right versus getting it done quickly.

[28:30] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Right. Exactly.

[28:32] Mike Abrams: Okay. The last thing I want to hear about before we go to some rapid fire is I've loved the guest judging kind of concept. And you all have had some incredible people. So what has it been like, the kind of?

[28:45] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Every day of the show and go to find that list of who's coming. And then I want to know, do you have any dream guest judges?

[28:51] Mike Abrams: Of course. I mean, and there's been some crazy, like insane. Yes, all of the guest judges, I'm so grateful that people are wanting to come and play with us. Like it's insane. Yeah, I mean, we have this like little envelope that like has like a cover on it. We have to like lift it up. Because like, we don't we don't talk about it. Like if you don't want to know, we are going to tell you we're not going to ruin the surprise.

[29:25] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Do people go in surprised?

[29:27] Mike Abrams: Oh, yeah. All the time. Yeah. The only person who can't is Dudney because yeah, you know,

[29:33] Kendall Grayson Stroud: he's got to call them out.

[29:34] Mike Abrams: Yeah. But, but like, it's crazy. I think like, I dream guests. Well, like, I'd love for I'd love to see the Obamas. For sure. However, I don't think security wise. That one might be a little bit more challenging, but yeah, I don't know if they'd really be able to guest judge. I'm sure they'd be able to, you know, watch the show, but it would be

[30:10] Kendall Grayson Stroud: they definitely can because they were at proof. Yeah, opening night or early on. Or at least Michelle was I don't know if Brock went but

[30:20] Mike Abrams: I can't remember.

[30:21] Kendall Grayson Stroud: He might have but yeah, I think it's doable that that might be it will might be a little tougher to put them on the guest judging stage. But that would be Yeah, I think that'd be great. It's just like all of my dream guests, I feel like inherently are like, no way there's no way but if it was like if Beyonce was there, I that'd be kind of awesome.

[30:43] Mike Abrams: We got to manifest some of these, you know, like, I mean, you're opening night was John Legend.

[30:48] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah, well, okay. Exactly. Exactly. Well, I also think like, a lot of like, I'd love to see more ballroom icons for sure. And like ballroom specific, like pioneers. Definitely, I think that that's important as well.

[31:05] Mike Abrams: You've had a few from what I've seen, at least from the ones that you know, I follow the social media and then I've been at a couple different productions or I've come to the show a couple times already. So I, you've had a you've had a handful I'm excited to see it's also fun to see some of the kind of, you know, ones I wasn't expecting, but then when I saw like, that's a great idea. Like, yeah, so fun. I have a couple I've, I've sent to, to your to your team about, okay, here's my idea. So I'm not gonna say them because I want, okay, I want to see if they actually come to life. Yeah. And then I want to, I really want to do it one day. So we'll see if they'll let me. Yes. Okay, wait, that'd be crazy. That'd be crazy.

[31:45] Mike Abrams: Also, where's where's Buckley?

[31:48] Kendall Grayson Stroud: She was at opening.

[31:50] Mike Abrams: I want to see her.

[31:52] Kendall Grayson Stroud: She was at opening night. She was at opening night. She, she did stop through on the gold carpet and answered a few questions for me and I told her the premise of this podcast and she walked away. She was not thrilled. But no, she's, yeah, she's, I mean, she's around. I definitely, I feel like that's possible. Yeah. Maybe they might be already in the works. Maybe I can. Yeah, I mean, I, I'm surprised that her and Elaine Page, like the two of them have not been, I'm sure that there's already coordinating on that. And then I saw, I mean, didn't Andrew Lloyd Webber obviously did it with Lin Manuel. And so like, you've had, you've got, you've got good names.

[32:33] Mike Abrams: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I saw like Mark Jacobson. Yeah. And Anna Wintour, right? Like that was a crazy combination. What?

[32:41] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Super fun. I like that. So we're gonna, we're gonna try to get the Obamas and Beyonce. Yeah. Great. Perfect. Well, I'll make some calls. We'll see if I can. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You got it. Okay. Yeah. I'm on it. I want it. Don't worry. They're, they're all going to respond to my DMs.

[32:57] Mike Abrams: Well, yeah, of course. Okay. Any other final kind of cats, Joe Cabal thoughts, memories, fun stories, anything before we go to the rapid fire?

[33:08] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Oh my gosh. No, too many. Too much. Too much. Yeah. Just come see it. Just come and seriously. Well, we're going to come. We're going to keep track of all, all 10 of your characters and you've done how, wait, how many have you done so far?

[33:21] Kendall Grayson Stroud: I've, so I've done Mistoffelees, I've done et cetera. And then I've done like, um, two different versions of the booth singers. So one of them has like a cop component. Won't say anymore. Um, and then, but both of them have like a server. Yes. Component as well.

[33:46] Mike Abrams: Yeah. I don't think that's as well. That's pretty early. That's the opening number, right? Like there's, or at the end too, but yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And then who's left? So you've got another singer, right?

[33:55] Kendall Grayson Stroud: I've got, yeah. Another booth singer slash cop. I've got Jenny, uh, Mungo, Jerry, uh, Victoria rumple teaser McAvity one, two, three McAvity, Jenny Mungo rumble teaser, Victoria Mistoffelees, Victoria Mistoffelees. Did I say rumble teaser? Yeah. Yeah. I always miss one and it's not the same one every time. It's just cause I think my brain just is like, no tugger, no tugger. Oh, et cetera, et cetera. All the ones that I cover. Okay. Yes. Okay. So I've got everyone, but misto, two booth singers and et cetera.

[34:48] Mike Abrams: Okay. So we we've got a, you got a couple more.

[34:53] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Okay. What's skimball Cassandra. You do skimball Cassandra. Yes. Yes. Yes. And then I used to do tumble Brutus. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. You basically are just walking every, every single category then at this point, at this point, yes.

[35:10] Mike Abrams: We're going to take a quick break and then we'll be back for more of the wrong cat died. Let's do some rapid fire to close out here. So these are questions I'm asking as you Kendall. So I'm asking for your answer, not one of your 10 characters, but for right now, if you could go on for one night, any cat, any character, it doesn't matter if you could sing a dance at age, whatever, just, you just want to go perform it. Who do you want to perform as?

[35:31] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Oh my God. Oh my God. Uh, probably like if it's not Grizabella old Deuteronomy, like one that either one of them.

[35:42] Mike Abrams: Okay. Favorite and least favorite cat from a personality standpoint. So like who would be your best friend and which one would bug you?

[35:48] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Uh, my favorite cat, uh, would probably be a syllabob. I think like I, I love her. Um, I also love daddy. Um, I think my, oh, my least favorite. Oh no. Um, oh no. I feel like my spirit as Kendall, I love Naomi with my whole heart. She's my favorite person on the planet and the cavity is a villain at times. And I think that would make me nervous. Okay. Yeah. I always say separate this from the person. This is not about, this is about the character. I think especially in the original cats, McAvity. Yeah. We would have some problems.

[36:40] Mike Abrams: Favorite song in the show. Favorite song. Oh, uh, oh, honestly, McAvity. Yeah. It's one of my favorites. Oh my God. The vocals are crazy. Um, if you were going to be in a house of the cat. So if you, if you can, we're going to be in the house of dots, house McAvity, house of glamor or start your own, which one are you going to be in?

[37:07] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Um, I think like this spirit of myself would be in glamor. Okay. I love it. And then this podcast centers around me not believing in Grizabella. It was the right jungle choice. I think your, your show makes this a lot harder, but I want to know who is your Jellicle choice and why.

[37:26] Kendall Grayson Stroud: My truth is that I think because this is my only introduction to what cats is that Grizabella has to be the Jellicle choice. Okay. Um, I think it, because the, the, our story is about trans women being the creators of all of this. So the like pioneer, like Tempress, she's not Grizabella, but she is Grizabella. Oh, it's so hard. This, this is hard.

[38:14] Mike Abrams: No, I don't disagree with you. I think I actually told Jalen after seeing the very first pack, I think it was the second preview. The first time I saw it, I was talking to Jalen after, and I was like, y'all ruined my show. Like, but it's, but it's because my whole beef with this is, is that the Heaviside lair to me was death and that's not your Heaviside lair at all. Right. And it was, it bothered me. It irked me to have a redemption arc lead with just like, okay, we're welcoming you back to the family. And then also now bye. You're dead. Right. So that's kind of where I just like struggled with it. And so this does, this changes that heavily. Right. And so that's where it's like, this is a different redemption arc of like being welcomed back, but then going, it feels like back into the community welcomed, like the, the ascension to the Heaviside lair doesn't feel like a finality.

It feels like being welcomed back into the ball or the community, you know? And so that's where I was like, this is a different story and this is a different argument. So I still would have a different vote here. It has nothing to do with Temporus or it just, I'm, I'm just stubborn and sticking to my guns, but I, I have, uh, I have found that this is like, by telling a clearer story, it also tells, it makes the, this kind of joke harder to make. I'm sure. May it.

[39:37] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, who do you think, who do you think is the doggle noise?

[39:43] Mike Abrams: Um, my, my vote has been Gus because I think Gus is ready. And I think Gus is like telling the story ready to go again. If you're thinking about needing to be born into a new life. Yes. Then Gus has lived a very, very fulfilled life has is just telling his stories as an old senile man in the other cats, especially like very much just an old senile man reminiscing. It's like, it's time. It's time to go. Yeah. And honestly, even, I mean, I don't think it like, like should happen in our version, but that is not, that actually works as well. It definitely does. Yeah. Junior's ready. Junior's a legend, ready to go. Wow. And he's like teaching the kittens. Yeah. Yeah. I see that. I think that they could switch. So it's like now, now Grisabelle gets welcomed back and she can take Gus's spot as like teaching the kittens.

[40:39] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Oh, that's interesting. That's a different story. Interesting. Yeah. But that's, that almost like still does it. It allows, at least in the, you know, non Jellicle ball version, it allows Grisabella's redemption arc to be family welcoming, welcoming her back and having the opportunity to spend time with her family instead of being like, okay, we get it now. Bye. You know, like we're going to get rid of you, which has always been my grape. Like that's always been the pain point for me. And so this would allow that, like have one more year, kind of spend some time with the family that, that loves you. And that's now embracing you again.

[41:20] Mike Abrams: Yeah. I'll see. I, I didn't bug Andrew Lloyd Webber on the carpet to, uh, to try to, to try to get this answer. He was, he was a little late for y'all. That's why y'all started so late. And he was, uh, he was being very nicely asked questions by everybody. So I keep going.

[41:39] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. This has been fun. Um, how can people stay in touch with you on social media or is there a way to find out when, you know, you're probably called last second, but if you have any planned, uh, performances that people can come see?

[41:50] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Yeah. Um, my Instagram handle is at Kendall Stroud, K E N D A L L S T R O U D. Um, and I have a channel that, that does post them all. Yeah. Yeah. And as of now, I don't have any specific dates, uh, planned, but stay tuned. I'll be on. You'll be on. Yeah. Just subscribe to the channel. You'll, you'll see, there'll be, there'll be plenty of chances for you. You've got Tony season. You've got, yeah. Don't worry. Especially in the next like few weeks. I'll be on. And for everyone, if you haven't seen the show, you gotta go see it. I'll link how to buy tickets and everything. It's, it's the most fun you'll have on Broadway.

[42:35] Mike Abrams: Yes. Come see us. Well, thank you for coming on and chatting through everything. It was so fun to have you.

[42:42] Kendall Grayson Stroud: Oh, thank you. This was awesome.

[42:45] Mike Abrams: Awesome. And thanks everyone for listening to this episode of the wrong cat died, the podcast breakdown, the catastrophe to follow along. You can subscribe to the Apple podcast, Spotify, or else podcasts. Also social media at the wrong cat died or check them out at the wrong cat died.