Congratulations on the 2nd extension of CATS: The Jellicle Ball! Particularly in the current environment of shows ending their runs due to weak ticket sales, it has truly been exciting to see how much of a response across socials the show has inspired since it began on June 13th. 

While of course there are so many factors to consider in whether to further extend the run at PAC NYC beyond the newly announced date of August 11th, this petition serves to help decision makers see that there is a hunger for this production to continue- and if its legacy home can't be PAC NYC,  then perhaps it can move to Broadway (of which there are already rumors)!

Give time for your future die-hard forever fans to find you!

*Sign if:
-you want to help the cast & production crew stay employed
-you saw the show and loved it
-you have seen glimpses on social and want the stories to continue
-you want to save up to see the show
-you think its cool to see the legacy of CATS continue, through the lens of this interpretation

Am I biased? Absolutely. And not (just) because my friend Robert 'Silk' Mason is playing Mistoffelees!

But don't take my word for it:
*Cititour: " For many years, I felt the four scariest words in the English language were “CATS: Now and Forever.” So, it should mean it a lot when I say that while I don’t think a forever run is necessary – or even possible – “CATS: The Jellicle Ball” deserves a much longer engagement than its planned six-week stint at PAC NYC.

Indeed, this staggeringly inventive and joyous reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s love-it-or-hate-it 1981 musical, now set in the world of “ballroom” culture – if you don’t know what I mean, Google it – is nothing less than an extraordinary achievement that deserves to be seen by thousands and thousands of audience members, many of whom will want to make repeat visits."- Brian Scott Lipton

 
*TheaterMania: "This is a story about chosen names and chosen family — a community that cherishes its elders but also values innovation and competition. The only limits are one’s own imagination and resourcefulness, and the possibility of redemption is always just one ball away.

It’s unexpectedly poignant, yes. But more importantly, it’s so much fun. We feel that from the moment the cats vogue down the runway (authentic and death-droppingly athletic choreography by Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons). The crowd goes nuts, cheering, clapping, and clacking fans in appreciation, making this event feel like a real ball."- Zachary Stewart 

 

*Vulture: "Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” is the vogueing, waacking brainchild of co-directors Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch. It’s a high-spirited mash-up of Lloyd Webber’s possibly most dunked-on musical (the one about cats) with the culture and choreographic stylings of the ballroom scene immortalized in Paris Is Burning. It’s also a tribute to the legends of that scene, living and dead, and an energizing act of cross-community collaboration. A mix of more traditional triple threats with dancers, newcomers, and elders from the ball circuit — as well as a DJ to scribble, juggle, and sample along with the live band — creates a palpable effervescence in the room, banishing any theater in-crowd stuffiness. At intermission, I heard whispers about Steven Tyler being in the crowd. People are stoked, both onstage and off. It’s, as the kids say, a vibe."- Sara Holdren

*NY Post: "Their runway walks, vibrantly choreographed by Arturo Lyons and Omari Wells, are best embodied by Robert “Silk” Mason’s Mistoffelees, who’s magical indeed.

Jellicle leader Old Deuteronomy decides the winners with dramatic flair. As Old Deut, Andre De Shields’ entrance is grander than those of some European monarchs.

All of these unlikely pieces fit together seamlessly. What surprised me most was that the ballroom concept, beyond its initial rush of novelty, unexpectedly unearths laughs and heartfelt moments that were always there, but were kept down by whiskers and Spandex."-   Johnny Oleksinski

*TimeOut: " The co-directors of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Zhailon Levingston and PAC’s Bill Rauch, embrace the musical’s inherent strangeness by absorbing it into queerness. What could have been kitsch becomes celebratory camp: The show’s secret ball for cats is now a ballroom runway competition of the kind recently visited by TV’s Pose and Legendary, presided over by éminence lavande Old Deuteronomy (a regal André De Shields, maned and decked out in purple splendor) and emceed by Munkustrap (Dudney Joseph Jr.). This concept—let’s call it Paris Is Purring—is ideal for the musical’s essentially revue-like structure, and its open embrace of artifice allows the production to sidestep the trap of trying to look like, or move in ways that suggest, actual cats. Instead of feline imitation, it is serving pussy realness, honey—always with an underlying understanding, as at the balls themselves, that realness is itself a kind of performance."- Adam Feldman

*Queerty: " Is Cats: “The Jellicle Ball” as radical as we’d hoped? It depends on who you ask. A typical theater attendee (The Broadway League reports its average theatergoer is 40 years old, and only 29% identify as BIPOC) might dismiss the musical as creative but still stuck in the pastiche of the original. But a stage overflowing and celebrating queer culture in all its shapes, sizes, genders, and orientations is nothing short of revolutionary. "- Matthew Wexler

*New York Theatre Guide: " This isn’t (and is) your house mother’s Cats. These cats swing their arms, swish their hands, sashay down the runway (designed by Rachel Hauck), snap their wrists, clack their fans, clap back at their vogueing competitors, powder their faces, kiki in the corner while watching the spectacle, fluidly move from ballet to vogueing, old way to new way, and take luxurious dips on the ballroom floor."- Kyle Turner

*New York Stage Review: " The hottest club in New York City right now is downtown Manhattan’s Perelman Performing Arts Center, home to a must-see musical revival you never knew you needed of the show you swore you’d never see again—especially after Tom Hooper’s legendary misfire of a movie: Cats. "- Melissa Rose Bernardo

 

*Exeunt NYC: " Cats: The Jellicle Ball pays loving tribute to the material while repurposing it for a new audience. But in the crowd around me were many people wearing vintage Cats merch and cheering at the introductions of songs. The center still holds for the show’s diehard fans. I grew up watching the filmed staging on a VHS at my grandparents’ house and loved how bizarre and grand and silly a musical it is. Those adjectives are also a perfect fit for the ballroom setting and make for a really fun night at the theatre."- Lane Williamson