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[0:00] Mike Abrams: Welcome to The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown of the Catastrophe. I'm your host, Mike Abrams, and we have another From The Vault. Every once in a while, I'm going to re-release some old episodes to just show you how far the podcast has come over time. And I have a fun one today. This one was with Melody Rose, who was Tantomile on the U.S. National Tour 6 of Cats. This was episode number 53, originally released on July 29 of 2021. And super fun episode with Melody. But the reason I wanted to re-release this is because Melody is currently Beverly in The Outsiders on Broadway and is just absolutely amazing in that show. It's one of the best shows I saw last year, extremely well done, worth seeing, and she is so fun in it.

So I wanted to re-release where we can talk all about Cats and you can hear a little bit about the backstory of the twins and some of her work as a swing and just what she did as Tantomile on tour. So enjoy this old episode from 2021 with Melody Rose.

[1:20] Mike Abrams: Welcome to The Wrong Cat Died, the podcast breakdown of the Catsatrophy. I'm your host, Mike Abrams. And today we have another amazing guest. She was Tantomile on the most recent U.S. National Tour number six of Cats. So welcome, Melody Rose. And thank you for joining me.

[1:32] Melody Rose: Thanks for having me.

[1:34] Mike Abrams: I have been a little terrified of the twins as I've learned more about them. And so I do want to get into that later. But I do always love to start about hearing about your Cats history. So I want to hear, did you do a childhood production? Did you do production before the tour? How much did you know about the show before you went on tour?

[1:56] Melody Rose: So I essentially was a young Cats obsessive fanatic. When I was around 10 years old, my sister brought home the Cats VHS from, I think, Hollywood Video or Blockbuster, something crazy. And I remember her watching it. And I went in and out of her room to see bits and pieces of it. And I was so interested because I've been dancing since I was three. So I was super into musicals. And then I was like, let's watch the whole thing. So I sat and I watched the whole thing. And I kind of put my own plot together and understood it at a young age somehow and created this whole story. And at the end of Mistoffelees, I was like bawling as a 10-year-old because it was so beautiful to me as a child. And that's when I was just, I just became obsessed.

And then I started showing it to all of my friends at sleepovers and being like, I want to dance like these people when I'm older. And then, of course, I saw it. I saw it on tour. I'm going to say 2007 or 2008 when it came to the Hippodrome in Baltimore back in the day. And that was the first time I saw it live. And I was like, wow, it's just like the movie, not putting two and two, that Gillian Lund did both productions. And then I saw the revival in 2016 a couple of times because I had a bunch of friends from school and dance competitions growing up that were in it. So I got to see that twice. And then a bunch of auditions happened while I was at school for that production. And that didn't work out and then somehow ended up on the tour.

[3:26] Mike Abrams: That's amazing. Okay, I want to break down a couple of these things you said in there. So one is, it's an older, I'm assuming an older sister?

[3:32] Melody Rose: Yes, four years older.

[3:33] Mike Abrams: Okay, four years older. So she has it. Did she, what was her take on the show when she saw it? You became obsessed. Did she enjoy it?

[3:40] Melody Rose: She enjoyed it. She really liked it. She was a big Mistoffelees fan, big Skimbleshanks fan. She even made me, fun fact, she even made me a little plush Mistoffelees. She's super creative. So I had a little plush Mistoffelees when I was younger.

[3:55] Mike Abrams: So you were really into this. Okay. And what did your friends think when you showed them this? Like, was it well received?

[4:03] Melody Rose: Yes and no. It was very, it was a mixed bag of emotions. Like, what in the world is this? Like, who the hell are they? This doesn't mean anything. They couldn't think of a plot. They couldn't put two and two together. It was just, they were weirded out by the half human, half cat thing. But some of my friends, most of the dancer friends were like, wow, these people are so talented. Even when we were young and really didn't know much about the technical elements of the show. Yeah, it was just mostly a mixed bag.

[4:35] Mike Abrams: I do. So I didn't even really know much about it until I kind of knew what it was. I knew it's a running joke and a punchline and a lot of different things, but I didn't really know. I didn't go as a kid. I didn't see it. I didn't grow up in theater. I didn't grow up singing, dancing or anything. So it was like, I saw what came through occasionally through Indiana and I would only go to a few shows and Cats just was never on that list. And so I didn't even know the 1998 movie or VHS existed until after I saw it on Broadway. And so I find it kind of fascinating. I have seen that now, but I find it's like, I can only imagine if somebody showed it to me as a 10 year old, I'd be like, what are you making us watch? Because it's definitely different. I mean, if you're a dancer or you're in theater, you're probably just like, yeah, this is incredible. But if you're not, and you're just watching, it's just like, what is this movie? What is going on?

[5:30] Melody Rose: Yeah, exactly.

[5:30] Mike Abrams: Okay. So you, you've been obsessed from day one. Did you, growing up, was there a cat, they were just like, this is who I'm going to be?

[5:39] Melody Rose: Yes and no. I was so, of course, all little dancers growing up, they want to be Victoria, the white cat with the high leg. I remember watching her in the 1998 film and being like, how can she get her leg that high and hold it like that and go into a split? I did not know that was physically possible. And then I was, I'm going to work hard to be able to do that one day. And yeah, I just was obsessed with her. And I remember going into auditions and I kept being pulled for Victoria. So a lot of, most of my audition process was around Victoria. It would be like, let's do the Victoria solo, Victoria solo. And then I was like, oh, I'm Tantomile, cool. But it was just funny how the road to it was mostly Victoria, Victoria, Victoria. But yeah, she was just so magical. And she got to dance with Mistoffelees, who was my favorite. So that's who I looked up to the most when I was a kid.

[6:30] Mike Abrams: Okay. So that is, that's a very common dancer answer, right? Because it's like, it's got the solo, the dance number. So now tell me, you get casted and you're one of the twins. And I have not really dug, I dug into a lot of the like, the song characters. And then I have now learned about some of the other ones fairly deep. And the more, I actually still have a page open because I'm like, the twins fascinate me. Because the more I've learned about them, the more I'm like, what, what is going on? Like, I never pieced together what like, their, their powers and all this stuff that's happening. And the more I've heard about it, it's an experience. So tell me a little bit about like, what you were told about your character. And then like, what it's like playing that almost psychic.

[7:17] Melody Rose: A lot of people are scared of the twins, which is so funny. They don't know why they're there. They're confused as to what their storyline is. Why are they always introducing old dude? Why are they psychic? What does that mean? So Tantomile and Coricopat, they're essentially timeless is what I was told. There are basically three categories of cat ages in the show. There's the kittens, there's the little teenager cats in between and the adults. So the adults would be like Jelly and Skimble. And then teenagers like, would be more like Alonzo. And then the younger cats, Sillabub, Victoria, Rumbleteazer, all that. But the twin cats really don't have an age. Apparently they're so wise, they could be 400 years old, that kind of deal.

And essentially my adjectives that were given to me, because all cats have the three adjectives that they are given at the beginning of the process. Mine were telepathic, suspicious and tentative. And with Tantomile, she and Coricopat, they're always sensing if something is wrong. And they're the first people to realize that the energy is off in the room and they can sense Grizabella is coming or they can sense the happiness that old dude is coming and everyone can relax. So everyone in the show kind of looks to them to see how they should be reacting, if they should be nervous, if they should be worried, if they can be calm, if they can be playful. They kind of look to the twins to make sure everything is okay.

It's kind of like the, I don't know, like how to keep it in moderation, the tribe moderation, if you will. But that's kind of what we were told. But yeah, a lot of people get creeped out by the storyline of the twins, but we're really just there to be the messengers of old dude and transfer the energy to Sillabub to give her the courage to sing Moonlight to bring Grizabella back in, essentially.

[9:29] Mike Abrams: What about the relationship with Cassandra or Cassandra? Because isn't she also a little timeless and telepathic?

[9:36] Melody Rose: Yes. So we were told that she is also a psychic cat, if you will. There's no sibling relationship, but there's definitely a relation, maybe a long lost cousin. But there are moments in the show when we did pass Cassandra and kind of like give her a nod just because we know. We already know that she has the same sort of powers as us, not as strong. But we just kind of acknowledge that throughout the show. It's very, very small. The audience eye usually doesn't see it, but it is in there.

[10:11] Mike Abrams: Yeah, I think that was a piece where I want to see it again to see all the other nods of like, you turn before everyone else. You kind of sense the show before it happens. And that to me is not something I picked up on because it's such an experience when you're there. There's so much going on that it's hard. I was still just trying to figure out the plot, let alone anything else that was happening on stage. And now I'm like, okay, if they're psychic, how much power do you think that they really wield over the tribe? Is it a lot of understated power that they don't use every year but probably could?

[10:53] Melody Rose: I definitely think it's understated, and I feel like they save it for special events. They could use it, but I think they reserve it. For instance, in the show, there's a couple of ways that you can see that they can sense change before all the other cats, like at the end of the Mungojerry Rumpelteaser duet, they all go in slow-mo when they throw their bags of cash or when they rob the house. When they throw their bags over, it's in slow motion to the audience's eye, but to Tantomile's eye, it's in slow-mo.

[11:58] Melody Rose: Complex. Complex, not complicated. And then there's also during the ball, at the end of the ball, right before the judders in the song, where it's like, or whatever. And, but the first people to turn around, it's right after the Play-Doh Victoria duet, when they, the first people to pop up are the twins. When that music comes in right before the big ball music. And that's because we sense Grizabella first and she's in the upstage left corner. And we kind of sense it first and then Misto gets up. And then I think Cassandra gets up and then kind of everyone's realizing something's wrong, something's wrong. Because the twins are messed up, the Misto's messed up. People are like, the back of their hair on their neck is standing up, something's wrong. And then you realize Grizabella's in the upstage left corner and they start to dance all together and shoo her away.

[13:01] Melody Rose: So how much influence do you think that they probably could have had on the tribe? Like, everyone's looking to them. Do you think that they recognize how important they are? Or they're just like so old at this point because they're timeless. They're just like, yep, I got it. This is our job. We're going to keep doing it. I think they're pretty far removed. I think that the adult cats are the ones that they look to for kind of what move they should make in accordance to how they should act when a different cat comes out and does their number. Like when Grizz comes out, they're all like, get back, get back. They don't really look at the twins for that. They kind of just look at the twins for safety, I think, more so than how to react and like, I don't know. We don't have power over the tribe. We just kind of have, hmm, never really thought about that.

[13:47] Melody Rose: That's what I'm here for, to ask the questions that no one else is asking. Okay. What else were you told? Like what other pieces, not just for Tantomile, but for everyone else, like what else are you told about? Here's the relationships or the stories that like you need to kind of know to play your character? Well, we know that we are kind of, I don't want to say servants, but we are the messengers and pretty much the altar boys for Old Deuteronomy. So if Old Deuteronomy wants to bring wisdom to the tribe, we are the ones to deliver that message because Deuteronomy isn't going to take his time to interact with each individual cat. We kind of deliver the message telepathically through touch. And there's a moment like, there was a moment where we, because Victoria is the one who touched Grizz at the end.

She knows that she's chosen, which is strange in the plot line, but I understand it. But there's a moment where Coricopat and Tantomile crawl over to Victoria and touch her right before Gus's song. And it's very unnoticeable to the audience, but we actually touch Victoria. And that's kind of when we send the energy to her to be the one to be curious enough to touch Grizabella at the end. She's always curious, but she is kind of removed because the adults tell her to stay away, but she's still curious, not as curious as Cillabub.

[15:27] Melody Rose: So you are the one that gets Victoria to go touch Grizabella at the end. You give that message. I did not pick that up. Very, very subtle. That might have been just something that we made up, that we believed for our characters, because we obviously all have the artistic freedom to kind of make up our own plot line through our cast. But I can't remember if that was a stage direction, but we created that moment because we felt it was right and everyone kind of knew about it. I love that. I think there is, yeah, I mean, there has to be some artistic freedom in that. And I think there is so little, not little, you're given some, but you're not given a ton about every character. And so there has to be a little bit of okay, what else?

Backstory. Did you create more to your backstory than what was given? Let's hear it. I want to hear. We had to kind of create our own backstory. Of course, I had the whole three adjectives thing done. I had the telepathic side down. I was psychic. Got it. Witch cat. Check. And after that, I kind of relied on my, not relied on, but worked with my twin to kind of find the energy to portray the characters in a true manner to ourselves and our personalities personally.

[16:47] Melody Rose: And it was interesting because I had so many different twins because my twin Maurice, he's choreographer in the tour, he was the Misto cover. So every time Misto was out, I'd have a new twin. So it would change and change and change. So with everything, there was a different story that we told. Some were a little bit more playful, some were more reserved, some were more technical and stoic. It was very interesting because as a twin, you can't really have the freedom to find your own, I don't know, style of movement. You have to move the same with them or off. And thankfully, one of my twins was one of my best friends from college and school that we danced together. So we just like kind of knew I could just kind of like take a deep breath and relax when he was on stage because I knew how he danced so well that I could just turn that side of my brain off and just work on the character.

And yeah, we just kind of like created a plot where Coricopat was a little bit more reserved rather than playful. And like I would like during, like during Tugger, when we're sitting on the oven, you can't really see the twins, but we're on the oven while everyone's dancing. And the whole point of Tugger is that all the men cats want to be like him and all the women cats want to be with him. And like, I like kind of like broke out and like into the more playful kitten side of my character. And Coricopat would like shoo my paw away and be like, all right, let's get back to how we watch over the tribe and calm it down. So my Tantomile was a little bit more playful, more kitten-like than it should be, I think, but it worked. And yeah, we just kind of created the storyline of how we would watch over the tribe, kind of like watch cats in a way. Make sure everything was a-okay in the junkyard. But yeah.

[19:01] Melody Rose: Yeah. So you kind of have a role that is almost like an observer throughout. What is that like to be able to do a little mix of like, you have a real part to play, dance to play, and numbers and stuff to do, but also kind of like an audience member in a sense of like overseeing. Is that a hard-like what's that balance? Well, I enjoyed it because I could really study all of the characters and their adjectives and their emotions. And I kind of like could sit back and be like, I already know what's going to happen. I already know what happened in the past. I already know what's going to happen 100 years in the future, kind of. I know what's going to happen. I'm calm and cool and collected. And like watching the audience and kind of like smirking at them being like, oh, you have no idea what's about to happen, but I know. Kind of that like, I don't know, pre-notion of every movement that they're going to make. Yeah. It's hard to describe. Yeah. It's kind of a unique thing.

[20:05] Melody Rose: I wonder how much as a Tantomile thinking about like, I know everything. I know what's going to happen. I'm going to be there. Did you ever come up with your what's going to happen next year's Jellicle Ball? Like, you know what's happening in next year's Jellicle Ball. Grizabella is going to be picked for this year. You're going to go about your business this year without her. And you already know what's Jellicle Ball 2. Like what's happening there? I think in my head, what I would make up is that we'd come back. Everyone's a little bit older. There's a couple new kittens coming for the first time. I think Victoria would start to become her own Grizabella in a sense, just because she is the cat that everyone was crazy about last ball.

And I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned this on your podcast in the past, but in Andy Blankenbuehler's revamping of Gillian Lynn's choreography, Victoria partners with every single male ensemble member in the ball. And she's the only one to be lifted by every single one of them. And it's kind of like, they all have to touch her in the ball.

[21:12] Melody Rose: I don't think I... No, no one's mentioned that. That's really cool. I don't think I pieced that together too. That's like a very unique piece. So she's now... Yeah. So that's awesome. I learn something new every time I talk to anybody about this show because there's so much happening. So okay. So she's now... She's like the hot commodity on this show now. And then I'm sure people will... Who would be the next Griz? Because no one's really that... I don't want to say disheveled or has that bad of a past unless Macavity would come back and kind of ruin it all. Is Gus still around? I think Macavity would come back and kind of like hope for a... I don't know. His own redemption? Redemption. Yeah. That would be kind of cool, I think. Yeah. Is Gus still around in your second Jellicle Ball? Has he died in between? I think he's already on his last four legs. Yeah, yeah.

[22:19] Melody Rose: And I always thought that Gus should be the one to be reborn. We're going to get there. We're going to get there. Don't worry. That's coming. That's one of my... That's my last question for you. I want to hear the Gus argument. Okay. One other question a little bit about the twins. Since I think it's really interesting you said you had different twins at all times. In that kind of scenario, do you really try to lead and they try to kind of play into your twin? Or do you kind of come a little bit more to them? Or is it really pretty mutual? Well, with my normal twin, it was very mutual.

[22:56] Melody Rose: We knew each other back and forth. We became telepathic in a way. We knew which way we were going to move. If we moved our hand a certain way or pointed a certain way, we were there. But the other two, definitely, I could say that I would be the one leading them or I'd be like, let's go over here. The ones who would do it two times a month, they would kind of be a little bit, it wasn't their main track. It was kind of like their five out of six swing tracks. So I would just kind of be like, okay, so we're going to go over here and then they would relax a little bit. But yeah, no, definitely with the two other twins that I worked with, it was a little bit more me leading, which is interesting because I enjoyed that because I'm normally... I also get in trouble a lot in partnering class because I always want to be the one initiating the movement or being the momentum giver.

And I always get yelled at because the men are supposed to lead the ladies, whatever that means. But yeah, so that was fun to be able to lead. Yeah, as a dancer to be able to do that. That's really cool. That's kind of a fun piece.

[24:10] Mike Abrams: What would you... I wanted to give you the scenario of you, the tour's coming through and you have one of your friends that you showed this crazy VHS to from Blockbuster years and years and years ago. And you're going to say, Hey, look, you don't remember what you saw. Here's what you're going to go witness. How would you give them a rundown of like, here's what Cats is and you're going to go to the show. Here's what you're going to see.

[24:33] Melody Rose: Okay. So how would I explain Cats? Okay. I would say one night a year, all the cats in the Jellicle tribe, all Jellicle cats come together at the junkyard once a year when the Jellicle moon is full and risen to dance for old Deuteronomy, who makes the Jellicle choice of one cat that will ascend to the heavyside lair. And it happens once a year, one cat gets to be reborn into one of their new nine lives, however many they're on. And basically it's a contest of dancing cats to sum it up well, dancing for their lives, if you will. Love it. Love it. Friends come, they enjoy it. What about, did you have to, did you bring anybody to go see the new, like the new movie, the one that came out that was in theaters? Did you kind of have some, some people come with you?

[25:19] Melody Rose: We were actually on tour with Cats in Toronto when Cats the movie came out and a group of us went to go see it together, actually.

[25:34] Mike Abrams: And what was that experience like knowing you saw it probably on an off day or just like a matinee before you were going to go do the show that night?

[25:44] Melody Rose: It was, I think it was right before I was put into the show. So I think it was a week. No, it was after I was in, I think it was on a day off. So we all went and it was very interesting. There were people in the audience that were kind of reacting as if though it was kind of a midnight showing of Rocky Horror is the best way I can describe it. And I couldn't, I couldn't believe the reactions and watching the movie, incredible cast, incredible choreography. The editing was extremely distracting and did not do the dancers service at all. All of the dancers are so talented, Robbie Fairchild and all of them, just so wonderful. And the editing just made it look so strange and you couldn't even see the choreography really because of the quick cinematography changes. And I was just as such a diehard Cats fan of the 98 film. I was just so sad. I was like, these are going to be like the younger generation's experience of what Cats the musical is. And it's, it's not.

[27:03] Mike Abrams: I find that really interesting because the reason I wanted to ask you as like, you know, as a dancer, that was my biggest gripe with the movie. I mean, there are plenty other questionable decisions, but I was excited when I first heard about it to see it more. So because of like, there was some really talented dancers and then there were some really powerful singers. I was like, okay, this will be really cool. Even if it's not well edited or done, they're put together. Like, you know, there were a lot of questions about like, oh, the cats are really big and they're really small and all these other weird kind of decisions. I was like, all of that won't be that big of a deal if the dancing and the singing is really good. But it was really hard to see any single movement from a dancer because it was moving around so much.

[27:44] Melody Rose: Yeah, it was, it was the tails for me. Like all of the, we barely even touch our tails in the show and it just kind of is like a, um, a second thought and it's not supposed to be highlighted at all in the choreography, really. And I just remember watching Victoria and her, the fur was CGI'd over her pointe shoes. And I was like, why would someone do that? So yeah, it was very, I don't want to say it, but it is, it was disappointing for me. And the night that I went home after seeing the show, I actually downloaded the 1998 film on iTunes so I could watch it, so I could cleanse your palate.

[28:35] Mike Abrams: And I love that. So you go buy it, go watch it, make sure you're ready to go. Please come see the stage first and I promise you'll understand it better and get a more joyous experience of it.

[28:48] Melody Rose: Yeah. I do think that's, um, that was a piece that I hope people go get to see a live version and that that's not, they're like not turned off because of the experience that they had. Cause it's so, it's so different. It's so different. But I also like feel like that even with the 1998 movie, I still feel like even that was, that is kind of still a stage version, but a film stage version, but I was like, it's still very different than seeing a stage version.

[29:20] Mike Abrams: I agree. Okay. Let's go into a little bit of rapid fire, a couple core questions I want to ask. So then we can have our hearty debate. Um, who else, like if you could put any cat at any moment, who would you want to be?

[29:35] Melody Rose: I would have to say I understudied her. I never got to go on, but for, I would have to say Victoria.

[29:40] Mike Abrams: I figured that that was going to be the answer. I was like, you know, that's the, as a dancer, that's also what you grew up wanting to do. Um, what if I take her out of the running? Who would be number two?

[29:50] Melody Rose: Number two. I think I am secretly obsessed with tapping. So I would think Jenny.

[29:57] Mike Abrams: Jenny. Okay. Are, do you, are, do you tap?

[30:04] Melody Rose: Yes. Love to.

[30:05] Mike Abrams: Okay. So Jenny would be fun to, does that mean you could do, doesn't Skimble tap too?

[30:09] Melody Rose: Well, not in the stage version. Just in the movie, just in the movie.

[30:14] Mike Abrams: Okay. Um, what is your, who's your favorite and least favorite cat?

[30:20] Melody Rose: My favorite cat is Mr. Mistoffelees forever will be so magical. So I fell in love with Jacob Brent when he played it in the 1998 film. And ever since I was obsessed, um, least favorite cat, I don't know. That's hard for me. I might have to say, Oh, I don't know. That's going to be a tough one. It might be a long pause here. Um, I don't know. I don't want to say Mungo because I guess as a twin, like you don't want to be a part of the other twins. Like you kind of shun them a little bit in a way. It's like, they're just annoying stuff. Annoying me lesser twins, Mungo, but Oh, rumble teaser. That's another one. I'd love to play too. Even though I'm saying because as a twin, that's, I think that's a fun rationale though. It's like, okay, there's only room for one twins and we're really, we are critical to this show and so you can't get rid of us. So it's one of you two's guys, the least favorite.

[31:27] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Something like that. What is your favorite song?

[31:35] Melody Rose: Favorite song besides Miss Stoffelis, I'd have to say Skimbleshanks. So fun. We'd be singing Gus and then like, we'd be crying like tears in our eyes and then just like full one 80. We are jumping up and down about a cat who's conducting a train. It's so much fun. And it's kind of like a, your second wind of the second act.

[32:00] Mike Abrams: Yeah. Who, which cat is my last one before we get to the million dollar question. Which cat do you think character wise, like personality wise would be thriving in 2021?

[32:07] Melody Rose: Honestly, I think Jelly Lorem would be thriving right now because she always knows what's best for the kittens and the cats. And I bet she would just kind of put all anxieties aside and just kind of go forward with a fresh palette of viewing the world. I don't know, viewing the world in a positive, loving light.

[32:34] Mike Abrams: Fairly motherly. And I do like the answer a lot. I've thought that my answer has always been Bustopher because I feel like just like to sit at home, hang out, like don't really need much. I think this is his time. Relax, kind of a long hibernation phase. Yeah. This is his, this is his era right now. Thriving. You're totally right.

[33:01] Mike Abrams: Okay. Million dollar question. I have argued at length why I don't think Grizabella is the right jovial choice. I want to know if you agree with me or disagree with me. Either, I would love to hear either your defense for Grizabella or who you think it should be and why.

[33:22] Melody Rose: Okay, well. And I actually, I will, I want to have this like, who do you as Melody and then who would Tantamile as the, like, I would love to hear both of those answers. Me as Melody, I think I do. I do kind of agree that Grizz should be the one to be chosen because of just seeing how, well, see now, now I'm torn because thinking as Tantamile, I would pick Gus just because the relationship that we created within the show with Tim who played Gus. Us as twins kind of had a special relationship with him. And like we were feral cats, like we don't have collars. So like we don't have owners. And we also think that we might be related to Gus in a way. And we were told that that could be a possibility. So we kind of have that special connection with them, with him. And I don't know, he just lived a long, wonderful life.

[34:24] Melody Rose: Welcome back to The Wrong Cat Died. I'm Melody Rose, and I played Tantomile on the US National Tour 6 of CATS.

[34:54] Melody Rose: Growing up, I was a huge CATS fanatic. I had a little plush Mistoffelees when I was younger, and I remember just being completely enchanted by the show.

[35:24] Melody Rose: The character of Tantomile is really interesting because she and her twin brother, Coricopat, have this unique connection to the Jellicle cats. They are the ones who can see the future and have a deeper understanding of the Jellicle Ball.

[35:44] Melody Rose: I think one of the most compelling aspects of Tantomile is her loyalty to her twin and the other cats. She embodies this sense of community and support that is so vital in the CATS universe.

[35:59] Melody Rose: When it comes to the Jellicle choice, I have to defend Gus. He has such a rich history and a beautiful story. I believe he deserves to be the one chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer.

[36:19] Melody Rose: Gus represents the nostalgia and the legacy of the theatre. His character reminds us of the importance of honoring those who have come before us.

[36:39] Melody Rose: I think the Jellicle Ball is such a magical night, and it’s fascinating to think about who will be chosen each year. It’s a celebration of life and the stories we all carry.

[36:59] Melody Rose: I’m really excited to see what happens at next year’s Jellicle Ball. There’s always so much anticipation and speculation about who will be the Jellicle choice.

[37:09] Melody Rose: The energy in the theatre during the Jellicle Ball is electric. You can feel the excitement from the audience, and it’s such a special moment for everyone involved.

[37:29] Melody Rose: I love how each character brings their own unique story to the table, and it makes the decision of who to choose even more poignant.

[37:49] Melody Rose: I think it’s important for fans to connect with the characters on a personal level. Each cat has their own struggles and triumphs, and that resonates with people.

[38:19] Melody Rose: The bond between Tantomile and Coricopat is something I really cherish. It’s a beautiful representation of sibling love and support.

[38:49] Melody Rose: I hope audiences continue to find new meanings in the show, no matter how many times they see it. There’s always something fresh to discover.

[39:09] Melody Rose: CATS has such a timeless quality, and I think that’s why it continues to resonate with people of all ages.

[39:39] Melody Rose: I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this incredible production and to share the magic of CATS with audiences across the country.

[39:59] Melody Rose: Thank you for having me on The Wrong Cat Died. It’s been a pleasure discussing my experiences and the wonderful world of CATS.

[40:19] Melody Rose: I encourage everyone to keep celebrating the stories and characters that make CATS so special.

[40:49] Melody Rose: Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the show, there’s always something to love about CATS.

[41:19] Melody Rose: I look forward to seeing how the legacy of CATS continues to evolve and inspire future generations.

[41:39] Melody Rose: Thank you again for this opportunity to share my thoughts and experiences with you.

[41:59] Melody Rose: I hope everyone enjoys the magic of CATS as much as I do.

[42:19] Melody Rose: Remember to keep the spirit of the Jellicle Ball alive in your hearts.

[42:39] Melody Rose: Until next time, keep celebrating the arts and the stories that connect us all.

[42:59] Melody Rose: It’s been a joy to be part of this conversation. Thank you!

[43:29] Melody Rose: I can’t wait to see what the future holds for CATS and its fans.

[43:49] Melody Rose: Let’s keep the dialogue going and share our love for this incredible show.

[44:09] Melody Rose: I appreciate everyone tuning in and being part of this community.

[44:29] Melody Rose: Let’s continue to honor the legacy of CATS and the stories it tells.

[44:49] Melody Rose: Thank you for listening to The Wrong Cat Died.

[45:09] Melody Rose: I hope to see you all at the Jellicle Ball!

[45:29] Melody Rose: Until next time, take care!