Macavity

"Macavity is...the bad cat."

--Nathan Derix-Brown, Macavity 

Macavity, the mystery cat...is evil! He is secretive and sly, very good at sneaking up on cats from the shadows. He is also good with disguises, as demonstrated when he sneaks in dressed as Old Deuteronomy. He uses his long claws and demonic laugh to frighten the Jellicles.

It is not clear how Macavity came to be so evil, but it is known that he has magical powers not unlike those of Mr. Mistoffelees, except that the "original conjuring cat" uses his powers for good. Macavity can appear in two different places at once, create explosions big enough to leave the stage in darkness, disappear altogether from tight situations, and hypnotize cats into doing his will.

It has been confirmed by choreographer Gillian Lynne, that Macavity was in a difficult relationship with Demeter, and likely also Bombalurina. He has a small band of male cats following him and doing his dirty work, and it is possible that his track record includes seducing various young females, as in the end they all rise up against him.

Macavity can be compared to Elphaba from Wicked, in the way they are universally hated and their shared ability to defy gravity. I'm sure there's some fanfiction out there telling the whole of Macavity's story, but I have yet to find it.

Demeter and Bombalurina speak of Macavity with mixed hatred and admiration, describing his skill and his way of life in detail. Not even the most famed police can do anything about him, and his track record goes from murder of humans, dogs and cats...to petty theft such as Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer might commit...to cheating at cards. Nothing he does is honest.

Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Growltiger and Griddlebone are all described as agents of Macavity, but none of them go as far as he will to get what he wants, and eventually Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer turn on him and help to chase him off.

Once revealed, Macavity is a formidable fighter, seeming to strike cats down with a single blow of his claws, sometimes not even touching them. There are several possible theories as to why he targets Demeter...many people take it that he is trying to get her back, but others think that he is just getting revenge on her for seeing through his disguise. In combat, he is not above trickery, but can deal fierce blows when the occasion requires. His final escape proves the point once again: "When a crime's discovered then Macavity's not there!"

It is unknown what Macavity thinks of Grizabella as they are never in a scene together, but some fanfiction authors have suggested that she is one of the cats he hurt, while she was out in the world.

Useful Facts About the Role

You will most likely have to cover a small dance role such as Plato or Admetus (see Plato for more information). Macavity is mainly a dance role, and should never have to sing solo. Some strength is required, as both Macavity and Plato lift other actors. Oh yeah...and you need to be able to blow an electric wire, or make it look like you can, and you should have a terrifying evil laugh.

Plato

 

Plato is a quiet chorus cat for the most part. He is not "bad" exactly, but is weak-willed and easily led. He admires the Rum Tum Tugger very much, and encourages Pouncival to bully Grizabella. He keeps a close eye on the kittens, especially Etcetera, who he tries to keep out of trouble. In the movie he participated in both mating dances--Demeter's partner in the large one, and Victoria's in the solo.

Useful Facts About the Role

Plato may not seem like a very big part, but he actually has a lot to do, participating in almost every dance number.  He is interchangeable with Admetus, although both appeared in the movie. In "Growltiger's Last Stand", he represents a character named George, a follower of Growltiger. The actor who plays Plato will also play Macavity or the Rumpus Cat.

Victoria

"Victoria's one of the kittens of the show. She's quite naive, and I feel that's because she's so much younger than the other cats. All she wants is to be like them. But then, throughout the show, she kind of grows up a little bit more."

--Caitlin McNamara, Victoria 

Victoria is a beautiful white kitten. She is very mature for her age, I think a symbol of a child coming into womanhood.
In Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, there was no cat named Victoria, but Queen Victoria was referred to more than once, and as there were too many names for toms but not enough for queens, they made a character out of that name for Cats...at least, I assume that's how Victoria came into being. She is always very pleased to hear her namesake mentioned.
Victoria's closest friends are Quaxo/Mr. Mistoffelees, with whom she invites all the Jellicles to the Jellicle Ball, and Jemima, with whom she...well...reiterates the invitation at the beginning of the "Song of the Jellicles". She is also good friends with the other kittens.
Munkustrap and Victoria seem to have a close connection, although it is not necessarily a romantic one--in the movie they dance together during "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats", and when Munkustrap describes the Jellicle Choice, while all the other cats crouch down Victoria stays standing. She seems to have a special connection with the spirits beyond the Heaviside Layer.
Although Victoria does not participate in the big mating dance, she has a solo one later on with one of the toms. She does not seem to be portrayed as Alonzo's mate, but she often flirts with him during "Song of the Jellicles". She also admires the Rum Tum Tugger and Skimbleshanks, but not as much as some of the other kittens.
Victoria dances in the Macavity number, but--perhaps wisely--disappears during the battle. She sympathizes with Grizabella more than most other cats, and repeatedly tries to approach her but is stopped by Jellylorum. Finally, at the end of "Memory", Old Deuteronomy has her begin the acceptance circle that will eventually send Grizabella up to the Heaviside Layer.

Useful Facts About the Role

Victoria has no solo singing or speaking lines, and is mainly a dance role. Her biggest moments are a balletic solo early in the show and, of course, the solo mating dance, both of which require extreme flexibility.

Jellylorum

"She's a very practical, pragmatic cat, she's also very mature. She's the caretaker of the old cat, Gus, who was once a theatre cat, and she's very loving, but she's also quite cheeky at times and very playful."

--Sienna Embrey, Jellylorum

Jellylorum, who was named after TS Eliot's cat, is a conscientious female cat. She is very protective of the kittens. In the movie she appears to be the mother of Etcetera and Victoria. She repeatedly has to hold Victoria back from touching Grizabella, who she does not seem to trust.
Jellylorum is close friends with Demeter, Bombalurina and Jennyanydots. Like Bombalurina, she sings both Jennyanydots' and Bustopher Jones' songs, but unlike the fiery young cat, she seems to genuinely respect both.
She does not dance in the Macavity number, but she does help to fight him off. Like Jennyanydots and Demeter, she has no interest in the Rum Tum Tugger.
Jellylorum is very close to Gus. Her exact relationship to him is debatable...she is usually played by an actress young enough to be his daughter, and yet she does play Griddlebone to Gus's Growltiger, and Griddlebone and Growltiger are mates.
Either way, it is obvious that Jellylorum is Gus's caretaker and loves him very much. She is proud of his achievements and is concerned for his health, and seems to have an endless store of patience for all his whims (although she does try to stop him from going into too much detail about Fireforefiddle/Growltiger). When she is concerned for the kittens, however, she can be rougher and harsher, as is demonstrated in her confrontations with Grizabella and Macavity.

Useful Facts About the Role

Like Demeter, Jellylorum is mainly a background dance role. She has no speaking lines, and is best known for her high soprano voice.

Jellylorum can be played by a considerable age range, from around the age of Demeter and Bombalurina to around the age of Jennyanydots. She should, however, at least appear younger than Grizabella.

Mr. Mistoffelees

"He's a bit of a rascal, I think...I think he's a bit of a child prodigy of the Tribe, brilliant at what he does but a little wacky at the same time...and he's not really an adult yet; he's not a kitten, so he's in that in-between stage...but he has these magical powers, and he doesn't quite know how to use them yet, but he's learning."

--Jacob Brent, Mr. Mistoffelees

Mr. Mistoffelees, otherwise known as Quaxo, is a young magician-in-training. He only makes his official appearance as Mr. Mistoffelees toward the end of the show, in a glittery costume that can create the illusion of fire. As Quaxo, however, he participates a great deal in nearly every number, and performs magic several times, such as revealing Jennyanydots for her song, and turning on the lights for the second part of the Jellicle Ball.

Quaxo seems to get along well with Munkustrap, as they collaborate on various points. He has a more interesting relationship with the Rum Tum Tugger. He seems singularly unimpressed by him, calling him "a terrible bore", but the Rum Tum Tugger still sings his song and presents him to the Tribe.

Quaxo is especially close to Victoria; the exact nature of their relationship is questionable, although Andrew Lloyd Webber has hinted that he meant them to be siblings. The two of them call all the cats to the Jellicle Ball.

Like everyone else, Quaxo loves and respects Old Deuteronomy. He is the first to sense that the Jellicle leader is close at hand. This intuition is repeated during Grizabella's various appearances. In early productions, Quaxo was the one to call Macavity's name during the three "Macavity scares", but Demeter later took it over, partially to fit the plot and work up to her leading his song, and partially so the actor playing Quaxo would have time to change into his Mr. Mistoffelees costume.

There has been some controversy over whether Mr. Mistoffelees and Quaxo are the same character, or whether they are two different characters--brothers, maybe--played by the same actor. Although I portrayed them in my fanfiction as brothers, my personal opinion is that they are the same cat.

Useful Facts About the Role

I think that Mr. Mistoffelees probably has to be the best dancer in the cast, and to have had ballet training, since it is very much a dance role that includes complex turns, leaps and other acrobatic moves. He does not do much solo singing in current productions...in the past he did much more third-person singing--that is, he sang about Jennyanydots where Munkustrap does now, about Old Deuteronomy where the Rum Tum Tugger does now, and about Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer whereas now they introduce themselves. He also sang part of his own song. Even now, although there is much less, you cannot completely escape singing--there are some lines that you sing on your own or with others.

Mr. Mistoffelees also has two short speaking lines outside of "Song of the Jellicles": "Old Deuteronomy!" and "Presto!" Because spoken lines are so rare, this is something very special, even though all together this amounts to only three words.

Jennyanydots

Jennyanydots is a mostly friendly and outgoing she-cat, a mother/grandmother-like figure who can still put on style, as is demonstrated in her dance number. She seems to have a close relationship with Munkustrap, and is also friends with Jennyanydots and Bombalurina.
There is some debate about who Jennyanydots' mate is, as she spends quite a bit of time with Skimbleshanks, but is obviously attracted to Bustopher Jones.
She is fiercely protective of the kittens, and seems to distrust both the Rum Tum Tugger and Grizabella. She does not participate in the Macavity dance number, but (in the movie) later helps to fight him off.
Like Skimbleshanks, Jennyanydots is initially a fun and easygoing character, but can also be a strict disciplinarian. She has made a docile knitting circle out of the badly behaved mice, and a "troop of well-disciplined helpful boy scouts" of the "idle and wanton" cockroaches.

Useful Facts About the Role

Jennyanydots is a soprano, who shows off her skill by hitting a high C during "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats". She leads a tap dance and participates in many group numbers.

Like Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy, Jennyanydots can be played by a wide age range.