It’s no secret that “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” at the Perelman Center for the Performing Arts has made the ’80s musical popular again, and the costumes are a big part of that.
“Cats: The Jellicle Ball” takes the story to a human ballroom, not literally, and instead of wearing realistic cat costumes, the characters wear runway-ready looks courtesy of costume designer Qween Jean. Jean knew fashion and movement were a priority when she started brainstorming the design.
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“Cats move. They dance, so there’s a lot of movement. There’s a language of movement in fashion,” she says. “As a designer, I wanted to merge those worlds very strongly, but also instill joy… We’re not making cat costumes, but I wanted to make some cat fashion.”
Of course, there are cat-inspired moments throughout the show—fur coats, furry accessories, and cat ears—but for Jean and the rest of the creative team, it was necessary to take the production in a whole new direction while honoring the original music.
To get at ballroom culture, Jean delved deep into the archives, particularly from the New York Public Library’s image collection and photographer Chantal Regnault’s book “Voguing and the New York Ballroom Scene 1989-1992.”
“[Regnault is] “She was an iconic photographer from that era, invested in taking portraits of the mothers of that era,” says Jean, noting that the show pays homage to those icons and portraits at the beginning of Act Two. “We were able to bring Chantal into our rehearsals, and that connection was incredibly helpful and essential for me as a designer.”
Throughout the production’s workshops, Jean would constantly meet with the actors, discussing their characters and what “armor” they would wear as a ballroom cat—a year-long period of research and conversation before even a draft was created. Eventually, a series of vibrant, bright, and textured costumes inspired by the period materialized.
While all of the costumes are unique and specific to each cat’s personality, a few stand out. For starters, Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat’s appearance resembles that of an MTA employee with a little extra sparkle, Jean’s “thank you” to essential workers in New York City.
“The essential workers of this city never get their flowers,” she says. “The hardworking women and femmes at the MTA, always gorgeous, the way they personalize their work uniforms… When I thought about Skimbleshanks, I thought, ‘What’s the way to give back flowers?’”
As central as the music is to “Cats,” so too is the character Old Deuteronomy, played by Broadway veteran André De Shields, who inhabits the ballroom as the elderly cat who oversees everything that goes on.
“Their presence is the most important thing. They are the most perfect cats,” says Jean, noting that an additional costume for the character was designed and created in just three days during the production’s technical rehearsals.
To capture the power of Old Deuteronomy, she played with various shades of purple, a color that symbolizes grandeur, and structured silhouettes, some of which were asymmetrical.
“For [Old Deuteronomy’s] “The wardrobe, I worked very hard,” Jean says. “I wanted to give a nod to an elder statesman. … There’s a sense of nobility and authority in Old Deuteronomy that can’t be questioned.”
Then there’s Grizabella, the Glamour Cat, who transforms throughout the show, first appearing in a shabby fur coat and closing the second act in a sparkly, studded gown.
“We were able to design something that was a real celebration of her journey,” Jean says. “We see a whole character transformation over the course of prom night.”
While “Cats” may be a controversial series — fans had a love-hate relationship with the 2019 film — “The Jellicle Ball” is bringing new viewers into the series, but for Jean, it’s always been pure magic.
“First of all, ‘Cats’ was always important. That’s the profound genius of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber,” Jean says. “So many of us were able to bring ourselves in. … That’s why this production was able to help people unlock and connect. We saw people, and it’s not that we couldn’t see them before, but we could see parts of ourselves.”
While some theatergoers may be taking a new interest in “Cats” thanks to the upcoming production of “The Jellicle Ball,” which runs through Aug. 11, it seems Jean was destined to attend the ball anyway.
“This is a love letter to the eight-year-old Queen, who bought my first ‘Cats’ CD,” he says, recalling that full-circle moment. “It’s an epiphany.”
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