Video: Having a (Jellicle) Ball with Antwayn Hopper & Nora Schell

CATS: The Jellicle Ball is hitting the catwalk and welcoming audience members of all stripes to witness its radical reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical!

BroadwayWorld correspondent Richard Ridge stopped in for a chat with two of the show's brightest stars, Antwayn Hopper who plays Macavity and Nora Schell who plays Bustopher Jones. 

Inspired by the Ballroom culture that roared out of New York City over 50 years ago and still rages on runways around the world, it will be staged as a spectacularly immersive competition directed by Zhailon Levingston and PAC NYC Artistic Director Bill Rauch, with all new Ballroom and club beats, runway ready choreography, and an edgy eleganza makeover.  Come one, come all, and celebrate the joyous transformation of self at the heart of Cats and Ballroom culture itself.

"I think to be able to see a group of majority Black/Brown/Queer people on a stage is ` something that is incredibly radical. On top of that, it's a story that is about joy," explained Schell. "So often we only see stories about trauma and pain. We're saying, 'That's not what we're gonna focus on! We're going to focus on ours lives... there is  more to us than our trauma and pain.'"

"[This production] is a political statement. It's a beautiful time for not only the city of New York; not only the ballroom culture; not just the United States," added Hopper. "It's for the world to tune in to! It's about love, acceptance, freedom, and at the end of the day, be who you wanna be and do it the best you can!"