Bustopher Jones

(I apologize for no picture...there are literally no good Bustopher pictures out there. All the ones I've found have gotten copyrighted.)

If Bustopher Jones was a modern-day human, his friends might well worry about him, for he is...um..."remarkably fat." He does little other than eat, drink and socialize, is twenty-five pounds (as opposed to the average cat, who is fourteen at most), and is only gaining in weight.

However, because he's a Jellicle Cat, and because he's a happy, easygoing character, we can only assume that this lifestyle agrees with him.

Bustopher, interestingly, looks quite a bit like an older, more overweight, less graceful version of Quaxo--the same black-with-white coloring, the same white tail-tip--so there is some speculation that they may be related.

Bustopher is a respected member of the Tribe, and the older queens seem to find him attractive, although the younger cats, especially Etcetera, seem secretly disgusted by him. Everyone defers to him, although he can be vain and inconsiderate. When he's in a good mood, he is very popular, and it seems to be a great honor to be noticed by him.

It is hard to tell what Bustopher thinks of Grizabella, since they are never on the stage at the same time. It is obvious that he is easily frightened, for he runs away at the first suggestion of Macavity.

Useful Facts About the Role

Despite the fact that Bustopher Jones has a whole song dedicated to him, it is actually the only time that he is onstage.
You need to have a pretty deep voice (I don't know the male vocal range, but I'd guess a baritone) to play him. It's not a challenging acting role, since all you need to do is walk very confidently and laugh easily. Bustopher never exactly dances, although the "walk" of his song is choreographed. The move that's closest to dance is when he, crossing and uncrossing his legs, nearly falls backward...or when walking, he wobbles forward and nearly falls offstage. (Please don't actually do so!)
Bustopher is usually played by a middle-aged actor, and I think in smaller productions may be played by the same actor that plays Gus, or even Old Deuteronomy.