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.

[0:18] Mike Abrams: Welcome to The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown of the Cachetachephe. I'm your host, Mike Abrams, and today we have another amazing guest. She was Grizabella in the original Los Angeles Company, which is sometimes dubbed the US National Tour that didn't tour number two of Cats. So welcome, Kim Criswell, and thank you for joining me.

[0:35] Kim Criswell: Well, thank you for asking me. It sounds like a lot of fun, this thing.

[0:39] Mike Abrams: I am excited to have you here because you are on the earlier side of productions. I mean, this is very early. This is, I think, what you said, the second time that it was in the US, so this is like mid-80s. Tell me about your tour, because I usually ask my first question of what was your experience with Cats before you got cast, but there wasn't a lot of experience before that point. So how did you even hear about this?

[1:10] Kim Criswell: Interestingly, I have a long trajectory with Cats even before I did it, although it only took place over a couple of years. I was a Broadway girl. I was in the original cast of Nine when it started being talked about, this show, and so I sniffed around and I got myself a copy of the vinyl album of the British production, and I listened to it and I thought, well, I want to sing that song. I could sing that song, and then I got some auditions for it. So I went in and I auditioned, and I auditioned. I had four auditions, and on the fourth one, it was a Gumby Cat final, and I was, at the end of it, the guy who was the production stage manager, who was a pal of mine, because I'd worked with him before, said, hey, listen, you're really in with a shot.

At this moment, you're the first choice for that. And I went, really? For the Broadway, the original Broadway. I was like, I don't want to be the Gumby Cat. So I went into the next audition and said, listen, guys, here's the thing. I know you're going to need somebody, you're going to need a cover. Maybe I'm too young, because I was in my mid-20s. I was like 24 when this was going on. I said, you're going to need it. You're going to need an understudy at the very least, and I know I'm young for this, and everybody wants this part, but so do I. I said, can I sing the song? And they said, yeah, sing the song. And I mean, the they I'm talking about were Trevor Nunn, Jillian Lynn, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cameron McIntosh.

It was the A-team. You know, that's who it was. And I'm like, I don't care. I ain't scared of nobody. And so I sang it, and from then on, I was kind of up for Grizabella and the Gumby Cat. And so I went through another audition or two, and then they did their final casting, and I was not cast as either role. But I got a handwritten letter from Trevor Nunn delivered to my apartment, which was quite something, because nobody did that. Nobody did anything like that. And it was a really lovely, supportive letter that said, listen, you weren't quite enough this or enough that for these two roles. But, you know, I do want to work with you in the future. I think that you're a very talented person. But basically, it was a lot of compliments.

And, you know, I was very disappointed. But it was a very flattering and it was a good letter. And it was really, I've always thought that was an incredibly gracious thing to do. Apparently, he sent not a whole lot of those letters, but a few to people who got very near but didn't quite get there. So I didn't know how close I'd gotten or what. So a year later, no, well, then the original Broadway cast, I had a friend in it. The original Tantamile was my friend Janet, who TV watchers will know her as Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince, Janet Hubert. She was my friend. She was the original Tantamile. And I went to, I went as her opening night guest to the party. And so, you know, saw all of them again.

And anyway, I was just, I was in the loop and didn't know it for future productions. I had no idea. So then a year later, they were kind of faffing around with me a little bit, not offering me anything, but talking to me about where they might have an opening as a Grizabella. And The National was going out. And at any rate, I was cast in a show called Baby. So I did Baby and said, no, not doing that. And then the next time it came up was the L.A. Company. And they had said to my agent, look, you're going to have to go to L.A. if you want to audition for it. We're auditioning out there. We're not going to see people in New York. And I said, I'm not going to L.A. to do that. If they want me, they know where I live.

Then they came back to New York and said, actually, we do want to see her. And there were three of us that they brought in. And I knew the other two girls. One of them had been one of the Avas in Evita and very talented, very good. And the other one was a good friend of mine from Nine. They made them go in first, those two, and sing Memory. And then they saved me for last. And then I went in by myself at the end. And the only person there was Andrew. Andrew was there with the casting director, Vinnie, and with Tyler Gatchel, who was the company manager. Or they were the company management company. And they were all friends of mine, except for Andrew. I didn't know him. But I went in and I said, well, I guess I know what you want to hear.

And Andrew said, no, no, I'm tired of that. Don't sing that. I went, really? He said, yeah, sing something else. So I sang Tomorrow, as in, you know, the sun will come out tomorrow. And he said, okay, that's good. But now I need you to sing something a little bit more moody, a little bit more ballady. And I said, you mean like Memory? He said, no, no, I don't want to hear that. So I sang a song called Unusual Way from Nine, which I had a part that I had played. And I finished, I got a little bit in and then he stopped me and said, now go back and sing it as if you're at the end of your life, and you're very, very sad and you're blah, blah. And so I went, oh, ding, ding, Grizabella sings Memory.

Okay. And I sang it. And at the end of it, he said, well, we want you to do it. And I went, what? After all this time, just like that? And so that's how I was cast. It seems pretty clear that they had already decided that it was going to be me unless I really screwed it up. So I was cast.

[6:51] Mike Abrams: I love that they almost were challenged to like, don't sing Memory. It's like, no, no, don't sing that. We want to make sure.

[6:57] Kim Criswell: Really? You really don't need to hear me sing it?

[7:03] Mike Abrams: What was the time? That was a couple years from start to finish there? How long was that?

[7:08] Kim Criswell: Yeah. The Broadway Cats, Nine opened in May of 92, 82. Cats opened in the fall. And so the auditions were that year, I think. So it must have been two years later when this was going on. It was like a year and a half, two years later, about. Because we started rehearsal in the fall of 84 in LA.

[7:34] Mike Abrams: So tell me a little bit about at this point, what is the, I've heard a lot of the fan response in this timeframe. What's the acting and Broadway community response to Cats in this? Was this like everyone? I want to be in it. I need to be in it. Or was it a little bit of like this weird kind of show off onto the side? Like, what was the community that's performers thinking about it?

[7:56] Kim Criswell: Well, nobody knew what it was yet, really, because we hadn't seen it for the original. I mean, by the time I got around to LA, we'd all seen it. But for the original one, everybody wanted to be in it. I mean, it was gold dust to get an audition. And so I was lucky enough to get an audition in the first place. In fact, I'll tell you what I sang at my first audition, because you will get the beauty of this, although they did not. I was like, I'm going to pick the perfect audition song for this. I found this song called Paris is a Lonely Town, which is written by Harold Arlen, the same guy who wrote Over the Rainbow, great at ballads, you know, it's a sort of moody, Paris is a lonely town kind of song, sort of in the same mode as Memory.

And I went in and sang that. And the clincher of it is, it was sung in an animated film by a cat character, played by Judy Garland, called Musette. I thought, this is the perfect song. So I went and sang that whole thing, and it went completely over their heads. None of them knew anything about what that was. But I mean, obviously, they thought I sang pretty well, or else it wouldn't have gone any further. But none of them got the reference. I was being too clever for only my own self. It was completely wasted.

[9:09] Mike Abrams: One of those, yeah, it's like, if somebody would have got it, though, it would have been amazing.

[9:14] Kim Criswell: I know, I would have felt like a genius, but I didn't end up feeling like a genius. Anyway, desired effect, got a callback. That's all that mattered.

[9:21] Mike Abrams: Exactly. But yeah, so, you know, a couple years later, it's LA, I go out there. I've never been to LA. And I realized that pretty much everybody was cast in the LA theater community. So I was the one they brought in from out of town.

[9:36] Kim Criswell: The New Yorker cast from Isabella, of course.

[9:39] Kim Criswell: Yeah, I was not famous. I was not well known at all. So it was quite a daunting thing, because, you know, all those people in that company with me had auditioned to be Grisabella. They were like, well, who is this you got then? We all bonded hugely and became a big family, but it was very daunting for me at the beginning, because I realized that it was pretty uphill. They all, you know, they wanted to know, why did you bring this person in from New York? I mean, who is she? You know, and critics and people like that were quite, why didn't we get Betty Buckley, you know, blah, blah, blah. Well, you know, if the Shuberts had wanted Betty Buckley to do it, she would have done it. So they obviously didn't, they wanted me and that's the way it goes.

[10:26] Mike Abrams: You got it. It's very in character. You got to bring the outsider to come in to the tribe for Grisabella.

[10:31] Kim Criswell: Exactly. And it helped that I had so many friends. By then, I'd had friends in every company of it, and there were only two companies, but I had friends in both of them. And for instance, the first day of rehearsal, my friend Kevin, who had been Old Deuteronomy in the Boston company, which then became the first national tour, had said, listen, when you go to rehearsal the first day, make sure that you're wearing really nice perfume. And I said, why? He said, well, you're going to do this improv. Jillian is going to have you do this improv where everybody crawls around, and you're going to crawl all around, and you're hanging back, and then essentially you'll all end up in one great big pile.

So make sure you smell really nice. So I did. I was like head to toe perfume. And we did end up doing that, and we ended up in this big pile. And then, you know, when the pile broke up, somebody near me said, who is that that smells so nice? I said, it's me. I was warmed. So it's just the things you do in Cats. It's just craziness.

[11:35] Mike Abrams: I love it. So that's the Felinity School, right? And like the sexual clump. I've heard a little bit about these things is what I've heard. I actually like to go back to this point in the rehearsal process for you, because the thing that I'm most fascinated about in this entire show is how you're explained the loose backstory of your character. And it seems, and I think you alluded to this earlier when we before we started recording, that everyone seems to be told slightly different things about their character.

[12:05] Kim Criswell: Yeah, I think, you know, when we first started, the first day, we were supposed to have Trevor Nunn with us. But he had been off doing this movie called Lady Jane, and it had run over. And so he wasn't with us at the beginning. We had a, we had a, you know, a resident director in his

[12:21] Kim Criswell: I played Grizabella in the 1985 Los Angeles production, which is sometimes referred to as the US National Tour 2, even though it didn't actually tour.

[12:28] Kim Criswell: John Napier, the designer, had this incredible way of creating costumes. He would take a magic marker and start shading, which is how he created people's shadings.

[12:35] Kim Criswell: I remember some crazy sayings from Gillian Lynne, our choreographer. She had such a unique way of expressing herself, and it really added to the experience.

[13:05] Kim Criswell: Being the one outsider from New York in a cast full of performers from Los Angeles was an interesting experience. I had to navigate that dynamic while still bringing my own interpretation to the role.

[13:15] Kim Criswell: One little-known fact is that the junkyard car license plate used in the production actually matched the tour number. It was a fun detail that not many people know about.

[13:25] Kim Criswell: The atmosphere during rehearsals was electric. Everyone was so passionate about the show, and it felt like we were all part of something special.

[13:35] Kim Criswell: I loved the way the characters were developed. Each one had a rich backstory that made them relatable and engaging for the audience.

[13:45] Kim Criswell: The music was another highlight. The score is so powerful and emotional, and it really resonated with both the cast and the audience.

[13:55] Kim Criswell: I remember the first time I stepped into the costume. It was a transformative experience, and I felt an immediate connection to Grizabella.

[14:05] Kim Criswell: The makeup process was also quite elaborate. It took a lot of time to get everything just right, but it was worth it for the final look.

[14:15] Kim Criswell: I had some memorable interactions with the other cast members. We all supported each other, and it created a strong bond among us.

[14:25] Kim Criswell: The audience reactions were always incredible. You could feel their energy, and it made every performance feel unique.

[14:35] Kim Criswell: I think what resonated most with people was Grizabella's journey. It was a story of redemption and acceptance, which is something everyone can relate to.

[14:45] Kim Criswell: The choreography was also a standout element. Gillian's vision brought the characters to life in a way that was both captivating and memorable.

[14:55] Kim Criswell: I often think back to those performances and how they shaped my career. It was a pivotal moment for me as an artist.

[15:05] Kim Criswell: The camaraderie among the cast was something I'll always cherish. We were like a family, and that made the experience even more special.

[15:15] Kim Criswell: I feel grateful to have been part of such an iconic production. It was a dream come true to play Grizabella.

[15:25] Kim Criswell: The legacy of CATS continues to inspire new generations of performers, and I'm proud to have contributed to that.

[15:35] Kim Criswell: I hope that audiences continue to connect with the story and the characters, just as we did during our time in the production.

[15:45] Kim Criswell: It's amazing to see how the show has evolved over the years, yet the core message remains the same.

[15:55] Kim Criswell: I'm excited to share my experiences and insights with fans of the show. It's a journey worth telling.

[16:05] Kim Criswell: The impact of CATS on musical theatre is undeniable, and I'm honored to have been a part of that history.

[16:15] Kim Criswell: I look forward to seeing how future productions interpret the material and bring their own flair to it.

[16:25] Kim Criswell: Each performance is a chance to tell a story, and I believe that's what makes theatre so powerful.

[16:35] Kim Criswell: Thank you for having me on the podcast. It's been a pleasure to reminisce about my time as Grizabella.

[16:45] Kim Criswell: I hope listeners enjoy hearing about the behind-the-scenes moments and the magic of the production.

[16:55] Kim Criswell: CATS will always hold a special place in my heart, and I can't wait to see where it goes next.

[17:05] Kim Criswell: The journey of Grizabella is one of resilience, and I think that's a message that resonates with everyone.

[17:15] Kim Criswell: I encourage everyone to embrace their own stories and share them with the world.

[17:25] Kim Criswell: Thank you again for this opportunity to share my experiences and insights about CATS.

[17:35] Kim Criswell: It's been a joy to connect with fellow fans and discuss the impact of this incredible show.

[17:45] Kim Criswell: I hope to continue sharing my passion for musical theatre and inspiring others along the way.

[17:55] Kim Criswell: Let's keep the conversation going and celebrate the magic of theatre together.

[18:05] Kim Criswell: I'm looking forward to what the future holds for CATS and for all of us involved in the theatre community.

[18:15] Kim Criswell: Thank you for listening, and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

[18:25] Kim Criswell: Remember to keep dreaming and pursuing your passions, just like I did with Grizabella.

[18:35] Kim Criswell: It's been a pleasure to share my journey with you all.

[18:45] Kim Criswell: Until next time, take care and keep the spirit of theatre alive.

[18:55] Kim Criswell: Thank you!

[24:43] Kim Criswell: Don't hurt the show ideally although it's not always that pure but I mean like with ours with the Peaks and the Pollicles number which we all just rolled our eyes and went oh I was so glad I didn't have to sing that because it's a nightmare of words and you know our poor MonkaStrap I mean he has to deliver that and not go up on it and our guy Mark was fabulous and wonderful but every so often he would get in the wrong verse and trip on a word and we had a couple of very naughty cats that would sit down front with their backs to the audience and hold up little tiny ratings cards that would go 7.4 that's what I mean that's what they get up to you know if management caught it they'd stop them flat but there was always playing going on and in a show about cats that's not the worst thing in the world because cats do play. We're going to take a quick break for some messages from our sponsors and then we'll be back for more of The Wrong Cat Died.

[25:50] Mike Abrams: That is what I wanted to ask you next which is what are some of the memorable stories or quotes or lines or stuff that you remember from your group?

[26:04] Kim Criswell: My favorite moment from when Trevor had gotten there there was a moment where they were giving us notes and of course he went back to the beginning of this show with Gillian Lynne who was Gillian man she was a force of nature I just loved her but she was very very interesting and odd and unique she was not like anybody else I've ever met and she had her own way of looking at the world and so they were sitting there talking about the opening number and you know all of us with our jellicle cats and singing and dancing and carrying on and she said oh at this point and I mean I remember Trevor's face was the priceless thing because she said oh at this point you're all looking over here and then you hear something over there and you go oh it's nothing it's just a couple of cats having a bit of a fuckity on the roof then just Trevor's face was like wow it's kind of like there she goes again it's kind of like that because you know she she was capable of surprising him too he just was like wow what goes on in her head.

[27:12] Kim Criswell: Other things there was a funny audience thing that happened once that just cracked me up when I would sing remark the cat of course I would come out and you know for the first time you see Grizabella and she comes out and everybody hisses at her and spits and scratches at her and she sings a snarky little song to go get away from me and then she goes out while they sing the Grizabella the glamour cat rest of it to explain who she is and she goes wandering out through the audience and I would go out through the audience and that had wandered through the I had to wander through the lobby and then go back around to backstage and get back to my dressing because I didn't have to do anything for another half hour so I'd go back and get on my princess phone and sit on my little pink sofa I mean I was so spoiled anyway I'd go out and usually I'd talk to the bartender out there and so I was like hey how's it going how was it he said listen I have something great to ask you I said what is it he said well last night I had a lady come up to the bar and ask me in all seriousness at the interval she said I don't know how to ask this but what is a genital cat I said we howled and I went oh gonna give them gonna need to give them a note about the diction I think and I said well that's what's so funny these cats don't have any genitals none at all it's all squashed into nothingness we're all Ken dolls and Barbie dolls that is really funny she was hearing genital cat through that whole number that's what she thought we were singing I love that isn't that great that's that's that's one for the classic book it is um and the other thing um you know we had um you know the beginning of the show if you've seen it have you have seen it yes of course I'm not sure if in the I haven't seen the more recent revival but so I don't know if they still did this but one of the fun things that everybody had to do and most of us got to point we're like really do I have to do that was at the beginning we'd be squashed into this little vestibule uh and then they'd start playing the overture and then we would all slink around in the dark and then pop up in people's faces and flash our little green eye masks and watch the people go ah because they didn't know we're there uh we called it the green eyes and uh one day we were all like crammed in and we have to be really really quiet we can't say anything so we're in there trying to make 90 make no noise so nobody hears us and one of the cats I won't mention his name but he was the Gus growl tiger and he was very funny he just in the silence went I smell pussy so we could not be quiet from that moment because we were screaming our heads off laughing um just you know you may need to cut that out because that's a bit vulgar but it was funny um nothing we just it's just nothing that well it was funny and uh you know that my memories with cats of cats are laced with stories like that of all of us just playing and having fun we had so much fun with each other and we all we liked each other you know there was there was it was not a squabbly cast we didn't squabble with each other most everybody got along and it was just everybody playing on the set.

[30:16] Mike Abrams: So I've heard that almost with every production I've talked to and I've always wondered because you know I equate a lot of this as someone who's never done theater I equate a lot of this to and you can see all the stuff behind me sports teams where I've put on teams that all got along super well and I've put on teams that didn't get as long as well and I think that that's the same thing in theater like you have cats that all get along super well and there's some that probably don't but I've never heard it in cats and I've always wondered is it because you are forced so early on to become so close to each other that you almost kind of have to let your guard down and is that like is that because of the way the show is created or has it just been good fortune?

[31:11] Kim Criswell: Well it is the physicality of it the fact that you are crawling around on people sniffing each other and ending up in big piles in the rehearsal room at different times and you know the whole orgy part of the jellicle ball I mean you can't be coy you can't be coy and also when you have a room full of dancers dancers are so cool about their bodies you know their bodies are just their tools they don't they're not they're not at all modest about any of it ever because their bodies are machines they're just extraordinary things dancer bodies but we did you know we there is a choice that is made and in I decided that it was a choice that Grizabella should make early on because I thought well there are two choices they have here they can either pretend to hate me all night and then at the end decide they love me enough to let me you know be chosen or it can be the reverse they can hate me all night and really hate me and in the end pretend to love me hmm I'm going to try to be the one that makes them pretend to hate me I want to be bonded with this cast some Grizabellas I'm not going to name any names but there have certainly been Grizabellas who captured themselves and were kind of hated by the company because face it it is a bit of a princess role yeah you know you come in you do you do the opening number and that's the hardest work you do then you go and you change and you hang around and you come out and sing a little bit of a song and then you then you're off until the the very end of the Jellicle ball and then you're mostly gone for the whole second half until you sing the big number and you get to go to kitty cat heaven and die you know it's it's I won't say it's an easy lead role but it certainly is in terms of time on stage it's it has its other ways that it's difficult but quite something.

[33:07] Kim Criswell: So I remember you know me starting out with that company and not because they were all in rehearsal all day every day I would do my little I'd do the warm-up with them and then I would do my my go off and be taken into a room to sing through my stuff and then they go okay you're done for the day and so I'd get in my little car and drive to the Beverly Center and shop because I didn't have anything to do and meanwhile they're killing themselves learning the Jellicle ball every day all day so they didn't know me they didn't have a chance to get to know me for a while so the first time we put the show together and did a run through none of them had ever heard me sing the song or anything in a separate room I've been doing stuff in a different room yeah I remember that was the most pressure that I ever felt was that first run through with the cast because I realized they don't know me they all auditioned for this they don't know why this chick was brought out from New York instead of them so there's a lot riding on this I've got to prove it right now and then there's the other part of it which is okay she has to have a nervous breakdown on stage in front of them that's what that cat does to sing that during that song that is what it is and I know that the audience will think I'm acting but the people on the stage with me will know that's how I cry that's what I look like when I have a breakdown and they will either decide to be protective of me when they see that or they will decide to point and laugh and that was the riskiest part was realizing that if I really do there's no faking it for me anyway I couldn't figure out how to fake it so I didn't to try to to try to sing that song while you're having a nervous breakdown and really putting yourself into that state and making it that much of a of an absolute disaster breakdown you know people are watching you fall apart I'm not a pretty crier I'm an ugly crier you know they all know that now they all saw it every day that's when we bonded was that first run through because they decided that I could stay.

[36:30] Kim Criswell: Wow you were just like the show accepted back right in yeah they decided you know I was I was genuinely vulnerable because I didn't know any way to be fakely vulnerable I had to be real and thankfully they didn't decide to kill you after which is the next step yeah and they they went to my level and treated me with respect and with with caring and you know it's just it's very vulnerable to it's a kind of nakedness on stage that if you ever have to do it's incredibly freeing because once you've done that and having to do I did it for a year and a half once you have figured out how you do that and then you have to figure out how you keep doing that because thinking about your dead dog in third grade is not sad anymore once you've used it a few times you have to constantly be you know getting yourself to that place before you go on to sing that last song but they man my company was with me we bonded from then.

[37:02] Kim Criswell: That is amazing and that's that's the joy of that show because that is the reason I think that is the key thing that audiences catch on to is they go yeah okay yes sure they're all cats but she's wearing a dress and high heels and she's she's having problems like me yeah she's showing very human traits and being very very vulnerable with it totally I think that's what makes the show so unique is it's relatable a cat is relatable to almost everybody and so there's the people that are going to relate to Grizabella and there's going to be.

[37:04] Kim Criswell: John Napier gets a magic marker and starts shading. That's how he created people's shadings.

[37:34] Kim Criswell: I remember Gillian Lynne had some crazy sayings. She would say things like, "You know, if you don't have a good time, it's your fault."

[38:04] Kim Criswell: It was interesting being the one outsider from New York in a cast full of performers from Los Angeles. They had their own vibe, and I had to find my place within that.

[38:34] Kim Criswell: The costumes were incredible. John Napier designed them with such attention to detail, and they really brought the characters to life.

[39:04] Kim Criswell: I also learned that the junkyard car license plate used to match the tour number, which was a fun little detail.

[39:24] Kim Criswell: It was a unique experience, and I felt honored to portray Grizabella during that production.

[39:44] Kim Criswell: The energy in the theater was electric every night. You could feel the audience's anticipation as the show progressed.

[40:04] Kim Criswell: I think what resonated with people was the emotional depth of the characters, especially Grizabella's journey.

[40:24] Kim Criswell: There were moments when I would look out into the audience and see people moved to tears, which was incredibly powerful.

[40:44] Kim Criswell: I remember one night, there was a standing ovation that lasted for several minutes. It was overwhelming.

[41:04] Kim Criswell: The camaraderie among the cast was also something special. We all supported each other, and that made a big difference.

[41:24] Kim Criswell: I think the show has a timeless quality that continues to resonate with audiences today.

[41:44] Kim Criswell: It's fascinating to see how the production has evolved over the years, yet the core message remains the same.

[42:04] Kim Criswell: I often reflect on my time in that production and how it shaped my career moving forward.

[42:24] Kim Criswell: The lessons I learned from Gillian and John have stayed with me throughout my journey in the theater.

[42:44] Kim Criswell: I feel grateful to have been a part of such an iconic show and to have had the opportunity to bring Grizabella to life.

[43:04] Kim Criswell: Each performance was a chance to connect with the audience in a profound way, and I cherish those memories.

[43:24] Kim Criswell: I think that's what makes theater so special—the ability to share stories and emotions with others.

[43:44] Kim Criswell: It's a unique form of art that can transcend time and space, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

[44:04] Kim Criswell: I hope that audiences continue to find meaning in the story of CATS and the characters within it.

[44:24] Kim Criswell: Grizabella's journey is one of redemption and hope, and I believe that resonates with everyone in some way.

[44:44] Kim Criswell: Thank you for allowing me to share my experiences and thoughts about my time as Grizabella.

[45:04] Kim Criswell: It's been a pleasure to reflect on those moments and the impact they had on my life.

[45:24] Kim Criswell: I look forward to seeing how the legacy of CATS continues to unfold in the future.

[45:44] Kim Criswell: Thank you for having me on the podcast. It's been wonderful to talk about this incredible journey.

[46:04] Kim Criswell: I hope listeners take away a sense of appreciation for the artistry involved in bringing such a beloved show to life.

[46:24] Kim Criswell: The collaboration between the creative team and the performers is what makes theater truly magical.

[46:44] Kim Criswell: I encourage everyone to support live theater and the stories it tells.

[47:04] Kim Criswell: It's an experience like no other, and I believe it enriches our lives in countless ways.

[47:24] Kim Criswell: Thank you again for this opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences.

[47:44] Kim Criswell: I hope to inspire others to pursue their passions in the arts.

[48:04] Kim Criswell: It's a challenging but rewarding path, and every moment is worth it.

[48:24] Kim Criswell: Let's keep the conversation going about the importance of theater in our lives.

[48:44] Kim Criswell: Thank you for listening, and I hope to connect with you all soon.

[49:14] Kim Criswell: Take care!