{"id":2795,"date":"2026-05-02T03:28:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T01:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ticketmaster.com\/?p=66112"},"modified":"2026-05-02T03:28:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T01:28:17","slug":"how-cats-the-jellicle-ball-choreographers-took-the-musical-to-the-ballroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myza.co.za\/events\/how-cats-the-jellicle-ball-choreographers-took-the-musical-to-the-ballroom\/","title":{"rendered":"How CATS: The Jellicle Ball Choreographers Took the Musical to the Ballroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Category is: Jellicle Realness! More than four decades after it first became a worldwide theatrical sensation, CATS<\/em> is back on Broadway<\/a>. But like any cat with nine lives, Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s beloved musical has been utterly transformed and reinvented as CATS: The Jellicle Ball<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Originally based on T.S. Eliot\u2019s 1939 book of poetry, Old Possum\u2019s Book of Practical Cats<\/em>, the balletic mega-musical has always told a whimsical story, with feline hopefuls presenting themselves for a chance to ascend to a new life in the Heaviside Layer under the watchful eye of Old Deuteronomy.<\/p>\n

However, in its latest iteration, Rum Tum Tugger and co. have been transported to the ballroom \u2014 the underground LGBTQ+ culture that has thrived in New York<\/a> and other major cities since the drag balls of the mid-19th century. In more recent times, ballroom\u2019s influence has been seen throughout popular culture, from the award-winning documentary Paris Is Burning<\/em> to Madonna\u2019s \u201cVogue\u201d and even \u201cRUNWAY,\u201d Lady Gaga and Doechii\u2019s new collaboration for The Devil Wears Prada 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For choreographers Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons \u2014 both longtime fixtures in New York\u2019s ballroom scene \u2014 the reinvention made perfect creative sense. \u201cCATS<\/em> was already a competition in a sense, right?\u201d Wiles tells Ticketmaster from his Brooklyn apartment. \u201cSo therefore it was like, well ballroom is<\/em> that. So why not center the entire show around a ball?\u201d<\/p>\n

After transferring from its acclaimed Off-Broadway run back in 2024, CATS: The Jellicle Ball<\/em><\/a> is now playing at the Broadhurst Theatre. Anchored by Tony-winning Broadway legend Andr\u00e9 De Shields as Old Deuteronomy, the revival\u2019s cast is filled with living ballroom legends like Junior LaBeija and \u201cTempress\u201d Chastity Moore and a company of new faces not often used to seeing their lives as Black, Latinx, trans, nonbinary and queer performers reflected in the bright lights of the Great White Way.<\/p>\n

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Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons, photo by Andy Henderson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CATS: The Jellicle Ball<\/em> also offers audiences a vital opportunity to experience the magic of ballroom, which in and of itself is often little-known or misunderstood outside of the LGBTQ+ communities it protects and champions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBallroom is very selective on how it’s presented, if it’s presented the right way,\u201d Lyons says. \u201cBecause a lot of people come and they take from it and don’t do it justice or give back. So we just needed to make sure that we were authentic and everything that we did for the show was 100 percent as perfect as it could be so the community is represented the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Below, Wiles and Lyons open up to Ticketmaster about the legacy of ballroom in films like Paris Is Burning<\/em>, crafting the categories for The Jellicle Ball, why the show\u2019s representation of the LGBTQ+ community matters so much and more. Plus, the pair dish exclusively to Ticketmaster about working with Madonna on her long-awaited album Confessions II<\/em> and how they view their platform on Broadway as Black, queer choreographers.<\/p>\n

Hello! It\u2019s so nice to meet you both. Are we having a jellicle day?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Omari Wiles<\/strong>: [Laughs]<\/p>\n

Arturo Lyons<\/strong>: I don’t if it’s jellicle…<\/p>\n

Wiles<\/strong>: It’s a day<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Lyons<\/strong>: It’s more like jell-o…<\/em><\/p>\n

Chances are, CATS: The Jellicle Ball<\/em> could be many theatergoers\u2019 first introduction into the world of ballroom. How would you explain ballroom culture to someone who\u2019s never experienced it before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lyons<\/strong>: I always tell people to watch certain things, like, of course, Paris Is Burning<\/em> and other documentaries like that. What’s the other one called?<\/p>\n

Wiles<\/strong>: Yeah, the Kiki<\/em> documentary, which focuses around the kiki scene?<\/p>\n

Lyons<\/strong>: No, not that one. The other one that came out right after Paris Is Burning<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Wiles<\/strong>: Oh, How Do I Look<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Lyons<\/strong>: How Do I Look<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Wiles<\/strong>: It’s hard to find that one, though.<\/p>\n

Lyons<\/strong>: No, I watched it recently! Like, this year. I think it was on a streaming service\u2026 but Paris Is Burning<\/em>, How Do I Look<\/em>, those kind of documentaries or shows. And then, because of OTA [the New York City-based Open To All Entertainment<\/a>], frequently I tell them, if you want to go to a ball, that should be your first introduction because it’s very small and local. You can go once a week or every other week. I would tell them to do those things first, just so they can get accustomed to it.<\/p>\n

Wiles<\/strong>: Yeah, acclimated with the world and how it works \u2014 authentically how it works.<\/p>\n

Lyons<\/strong>: And see if it’s even for you!<\/p>\n

Wiles<\/strong>: Everyone gets something out of ballroom \u2014 whether you become a competitor or a spectator \u2014 it really depends on how you take it in. To kind of sum it up, it’s like, “Welcome to a world of competition.” You know, different categories that we compete in that vary \u2014 from Fashion to Beauty Standards to Realness and how stealth you can be within\u00a0society, or even the athleticism of the different performance categories.<\/p>\n