CONFIRMED: CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL to close on August 8th — Page 10

joevitus said: "ColorTheHours048 said: "

Edited to add that the 8x/week model is unsustainable and torturous on the body after a long time, regardless of the choreographer’s care for pacing. Some dance styles are simply more strenuous and high impact, far more tailored to individual performers’ talents, and therefore harder to just slot people in in the traditional “swing” sense."

The history of Broadway since at least Agnes de Milledisagrees with you. If this show wasn't choreographed in such a way that the dances were impossible to do on a regular performance schedule, that's on that choreographer, not what dancers can sustain in a weekly run. If performerscould dance Robbins, Fosse and Bennett 8 times a week (and they did), the issue isn't what dancers can do, but whether the choreographer is designing dances for that sort of performance schedule."

That’s exactly my point. The choreographers aren’t performing the material; the dancers are. Yes, even dancers who worked with de Mille, Robbins, Fosse, and Bennett hit their physical limits. These people put their bodies through hell and pay for it when they’re older in hip and knee replacements, bad backs, gnarled feet, and worse. Amplify that with the high impact nature of Ballroom and waacking, and you have a recipe for injuries galore.

Updated On: 7/16/26 at 11:58 AM

Not true. They just don’t have the space for a long running show. They’ve made the decision to actually be a nonprofit and do a new season of shows.

quizking101 said: "joevitus said: "ColorTheHours048 said: "

Edited to add that the 8x/week model is unsustainable and torturous on the body after a long time, regardless of the choreographer’s care for pacing. Some dance styles are simply more strenuous and high impact, far more tailored to individual performers’ talents, and therefore harder to just slot people in in the traditional “swing” sense."

The history of Broadway since at least Agnes de Milledisagrees with you. If this show wasn't choreographed in such a way that the dances were impossible to do on a regular performance schedule, that's on that choreographer, not what dancers can sustain in a weekly run. If performerscould dance Robbins, Fosse and Bennett 8 times a week (and they did), the issue isn't what dancers can do, but whether the choreographer is designing dances for that sort of performance schedule."

Remind me which scene in Oklahoma required contortion into a full spinning dip down to the floor with force?"

Tell me you didn't understand my comment without telling me you didn't understand my comment.

So sad to see this closing so soon.

joevitus said: "quizking101 said: "joevitus said: "ColorTheHours048 said: "

Edited to add that the 8x/week model is unsustainable and torturous on the body after a long time, regardless of the choreographer’s care for pacing. Some dance styles are simply more strenuous and high impact, far more tailored to individual performers’ talents, and therefore harder to just slot people in in the traditional “swing” sense."

The history of Broadway since at least Agnes de Milledisagrees with you. If this show wasn't choreographed in such a way that the dances were impossible to do on a regular performance schedule, that's on that choreographer, not what dancers can sustain in a weekly run. If performerscould dance Robbins, Fosse and Bennett 8 times a week (and they did), the issue isn't what dancers can do, but whether the choreographer is designing dances for that sort of performance schedule."

Remind me which scene in Oklahoma required contortion into a full spinning dip down to the floor with force?"

Tell me you didn't understand my comment without telling me you didn't understand my comment."

100%

joevitus said: "iluvtheatertrash said: "I think it's you, Joevitus,failing to understand QuizKing..."

Hardly. John Adams already said it, but the point of my comment was that if these dances are impossible to do regularly without risking injury, isn't because dancers can't be expected to do demanding choregography 8 shows a week but because this specificchoreography hasn't been designedin a way that it is possible to execute regularly without riskinginjury.

I meannnnnn Cats was notorious for injuries in its original run as well. Caveat of the show being cheaper to run back then allowing for more coverage within the cast without needing 1 person to run like 7 different roles as Kendall Stroud does here (MACAVITY, JENNYANYDOTS, VICTORIA, CASSANDRA, MUNGOJERRIE, RUMPLETEAZER, SKIMBLESHANKS, MAGICAL MISTER MISTOFFELEES, ETCETERA, POLICE OFFICER).

The problem with the show isn't so much the choreo itself as much trying to keep yourself in the show with a small problem that can take care of itself in a day or two if you can take it off versus it becoming a larger issue because you kept performing on it and now you're out for an extended period putting worsening constraints on coverage.

Any high dance show is going to come with a BEVY of injuries and call outs because of it. It's all about if you have the money to cover that with enough cast.

Updated On: 7/17/26 at 07:36 PM

The hilarious part about this endless discussion is that ColortheHours048 made the point in the first paragraph of their original post, then made a different point in their third paragraph, and joevitus decided to object to the third paragraph...by repeating what ColortheHours048 said in their first paragraph. And the thread has been spinning in circles ever since.

ColortheHours048: "The difference is the construction of the choreography. Fosse choreographed for the theatre. He understood the rigors of dancing 8x/week, and twice on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The choreography for The Jellicle Ball, while constructed for a theatrical setting, is crafted by and for performers who generally don’t work in a theatrical setting. And certainly not in the repetitive schedule Broadway commands." And also, "the 8x week model is unsustainable for certain types of dance."

joevitus: Well, ACTUALLY, "if this show wasn't choreographed in such a way that the dances were impossible to do on a regular performance schedule, that's on that choreographer"

Yeah, that's what they said. "Tell me you didn't understand my comment without telling me you didn't understand my comment." We understood your comment when ColortheHours048 made it first (and you objected to it...by repeating it).

GottaGetAGimmick420 said: "I wonder if those Cats producers are regretting spending money on that Le Bernardin Tony voter luncheon right about now…"

Why would they? They won 3 well deserved Tony Awards and the show will go down in history for being innovative and barrier breaking. Every show campaigned for the Tonys. I’m missing your point or did it get lost in your attempt at shade?