Cats: The Jellicle Ball with Junior LaBeija, Bill Rauch, and Zhailon Levingston

"Was there ever a Cat(s) so clever?" That is what people are saying about Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the outstanding revival based on the award-winning and long-running musical Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber, itself based on TS Elliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. This reimagining has breathed extravagant new life into the work by setting Cats in an entirely different context: the legendary Ballroom scene, filled with runways, house mothers, and inspired runway choreography.The production began its life at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in 2024 under the ideation and direction of Artistic Director Bill Rauch and Zhailon Levingston. It was brought to Broadway this season to immediate fanfare, earning a whopping 9 Tony Award nominations and three Tony Award victories, including Best Direction, which went to both Rauch and Levingston.In this episode, host Alex Birsh (Playbill's COO and SVP) talks to a theatre friend who’s seen the show and suggests it for those who ask them, "What should they see on Broadway?” And then he brings on his special guests, the Tony Award-winning directors of the show, Bill Rauch and Zhailon Levingston, as well as Junior LaBeija, an icon of the Ballroom scene. Junior was the emcee in the famous Paris is Burning documentary, and currently plays Gus in this production.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.