Sweet Jellicle Dreams
By Tigress Part 1
"Jellicles can and Jellicles do. Jellicles can sing Jellicle songs Jellicles can and Jellicle do. Ta da ta da da da, da da da ta da da da da.."
Kelly Ann Swartz was having a hard time falling asleep. She kept half singing and half humming The Jellicle Song. Then she would start singing, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'm seeing CATS tomorrow!" She wanted to get up and dance around the house but knew she couldn't. New thoughts exploded in her mind every second. She went over her item list of everything she wanted to take with her. She imagined what it would be like to see the show live. She wondered if she would be able to meet the cast. Her mind was racing as she tossed and turned unable to shut down her thoughts long enough to be able to sleep. Then she froze. There was a shadowy figure in the hallway and she cried out, "MACAVITY!" and pulled her sheet up around her neck and started to breath very heavily.
The hall light clicked on and her mother Mary stood in the doorway. "Sorry to disappoint you sweetie but it's just me."
Kelly Ann heaved a sigh of relief as she withdrew the covers. "Oh, hi mom."
"And just why aren't you asleep young lady?" she questioned knowing full well what the answer would be.
"I'm to excited to sleep." "I know honey but you've got to. You don't want to fall asleep during the show do you?" Mary knew her daughter would never even think about falling asleep during a performance of CATS but she couldn't help but teaser her. Kelly didn't answer her mother but instead they just looked at each other and burst into laughter. Mary sat on her daughter's bed as they continued to talk.
Mary Swartz and her daughter Kelly Ann lived alone in their medium sized three-bedroom house. Kelly's father had left them when she was just a baby. Mary hadn't worked since she had married to her now ex-husband. She slowly got back into the work force by doing odd jobs. She cleaned housed, sewed, and baby-sat and catered at times. But her best attributes were cooking and sewing. She baked and sold wedding and birthday cakes all year long. Then in the fall she would start making Halloween costumes for her neighbors and friends. As the years went by her daughter Kelly Ann began to work side by side with her mother. Mary and Kelly became an excellent working team and in time were able to buy the house they currently lived in.
Kelly Ann was now sixteen and full of life, she loved working with her mother and the fact that she earned her own money was on and added bonus. And the one thing she loved to spend her money on was going to stage or theater plays. She was about 5'6" and just a tiny bit chunky, not fat but more of a 'filled out' look. She was friendly and out going but just a little on the shy side. She loved helping out the theater department at school. She would help with painting scenery and typing up property lists. What ever needed to be done she was there with a helping hand. But what she really loved was helping with the makeup and costumes. This was her area of expertise; and she was almost always the stage manager for whatever show the school did.
Kelly's love for the theater stemmed from her mother Mary who had started taking her daughter to the theater when she was very young. And livening in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma most definitely had its advantages. Since it is a suburb of Tulsa all of the big time Broadway show tours were always on tour there and the two of them had season tickets for almost all of the shows that passed threw. Then when they heard that a new CATS tour would be starting in January of the following year both mother and daughter began to diligently search the newspapers for new as to when they would be in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Kelly Ann had been a CATS fan since the first time she had seen them on the PBS channel in 1998. From the very first moment the cats appeared in the oversized junkyard she was mesmerized by the costumes and makeup. Not to mention the incredible dancing and singing, and the music and lighting and the set. Everything about these incredible images fascinated her.
And her mother Mary wasn't immune to the lure of CATS either. She was just as fascinated by the show as her daughter was. The day after the PBS airing they went out and bought the video. Then for the next several months the duo watched the movie at least once, if not more, times a day.
Then the day finally came when the bought their first computer and since Kelly had been learning about computers in school she jumped on and immediately typed CATS in the search box. In a flash tons of sites came up and Kelly spend most of that afternoon checking out all of the websites she had found.
She almost couldn't contain her excitement as she learned more and more about the tribe of cats called the Jellicles. The first thing she learned was all of their names, and who was related to whom. She learned all of the names and words to the songs and all of the opening and closing dates of each of the different productions; there was no doubt about it, she was in hooked.
She wanted to find a way to celebrate her newfound love so she decided that she would start a CATS scrapbook. In her free time after she had finished her homework and the work she and her mother had to do she would hop on the computer and begin printing pictures and bios of all of the different cast members, cast lists, the history of CATS and bits about Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Elliot.
As her collection grew she decided that she should organize this bogged mess of papers before she drove herself crazy so little by little she began organizing her scrapbook. She even started a second book just for costumes and since her and her mother were seamstresses they became skilled costumers very quickly.
But now it was five years later since they had first seen the video and now on the eve of the big night of seeing the show for the first time and neither of them could sleep.
"Do you realize that it's 1:30 in the morning?" questioned Mary in a teasing manner. "We really need to get some sleep."
"But why, it only takes fifteen minutes to drive into Tulsa."
"Well I figured that you might like to get to the theater early so that we can find the stage door and wonder around for a while."
"OH MOM CAN WE???" squealed Kelly Ann.
Mary just laughed, "We can if we get some sleep."
"Okay I'm asleep," laughed Kelly Ann as she plopped down on her pillow and pretended to be asleep and let out a big snore.
They both laughed and hugged each other. Then Mary kissed her daughter's forehead, "Goodnight my princess, may you have sweet Jellicle dreams."
"Good night Mama, I love you."
"I love you too."
Part 2
Kelly Ann struggled to fall asleep, she was way to happy and excited to sleep but she closed her eyes anyway. She was still humming softly as a smile continued to stay on her face. Her mother's words floated threw her mind as she finally drifted into a sweet sleep.
When she woke up she was inside a cardboard box, but the really strange thing was that she was in her CATS costume. It was an original cast she called Moonbeam Dancer.
The costume consisted of a high neck unitard that she dyed the color of the night blue sky. Then she used black and dark blue markers to create a crosshatching pattern. There were small bits of white in her wig to simulate the stars as well as a bit of yellow, which represented the moon, and her makeup matched her wig.
As she woke up she gave her body a nice long stretch and yawned.
"Hey Dancer, you asleep in there?" Kevin Allen the current Skimbleshanks called out.
"Yea I guess so, how long have I been in there?" questioned Kelly Ann as she came crawling out of the box.
"Only about ten minutes or so," said Kimberly Truso, the current Jemima.
Kelly Ann didn't answer but instead yawned and stretched again.
"You've really been working hard Kelly, why don't you take a break." David Murray's role as Munkustrap was starting to rub off on him. Much like the male version of Jennyanydots. "I'll tell you what, why don't we all take a break," he suggested.
"Oh that's a good idea, lets all get something to eat." Came Angela DeLombray's voice as she kicked off Grizabella's high-heeled shoes and took off the heavy coat.
Then Karl Anderson, Julie Walters and Sarah Clark, Pouncival, Etcetera and Victoria, started a "Pizza, pizza, pizza," chant that didn't go unanswered. They called a local pizza parlor & ordered thirty pizzas. One thing about it, this cast could eat!
Part 3
After lunch the cast resumed their dress rehearsal. Kelly Ann's character Moonbeam Dancer was a new chorus kitty that got to go around annoying the adults and she loved every minute of it. Her cohorts were Etcetera, Jemima, Victoria and the rest of the young queens. But, she was just cheeky enough to be able to hang out with the young toms of the tribe as well.
For the rest of the afternoon the cast continued with their dress rehearsal. Kelly Ann worked hard; this was her first time with a real professional cast. This was nothing like her high school plays, this was the real thing. It had been her life long dream to be in CATS and it was finally coming true.
Opening night came and went and Kelly Ann got threw her first performance. That night she was having trouble sleeping. She thought back to the first time she had seen CATS live and how much trouble she had sleeping that night as well. But eventually she drifted off to sleep and she was soon in dreamland.
Part 4
The alarm clock buzzed several times before Kelly realized that it was going off. Her mom called in to her. "Hey sleeping beauty it's time to get up." Sleepily Kelly reached one hand out from under her thin blanket and stopped the alarm. As she began to stir she realized that she had been dreaming the whole wonderful experience of being in CATS. ' Who knows,' she thought as she got dressed and a big smile crossed her already happy face.
As she and Mary sat at the kitchen table she told her mother all about her dream. After breakfast they put their dishes into the dishwasher and made their beds. And then.
Walking into the spare bedroom Kelly went right to where her and her mother's costumes were. As she flipped threw the costumes she thought about her wonderful dream. Then as she gathered the costumes and their accessories Mary sat at the two seated makeshift vanity and started getting out all if the makeup. Then Kelly sat beside her mother and the two of them began to transform themselves into Grizabella and Moonbeam Dancer.
As they did their makeup they talked and laughed, they loved spending time together and CATS was just one more way they got to do just that. Kelly told her mother all about her other CATS dreams that she had while they finished getting ready. Then they gathered their cameras, autograph books and two large bottles of water from the frig and off they went.
Part 5
When they got to the theater they quickly found a parking place then hurried up to the theater building. The first thing they did before they went into the theater was to find the stage door.
When they got there they found some of the actors outside getting a breath of fresh air before the show started.
"Hey look at this, a couple of out cast members got away from us." Laughed Kevin Allen, the current tour Skimbleshanks.
Kelly blushed and Mary laughed, but they didn't say anything. They didn't have the chance too because Kevin was walking around them slowly checking out their costumes. "Lets see now, you're a pretty good double for Grizabella," he said as she looked at Mary. "But you must be new to the tribe. I'm Skimbleshanks. What's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Moonbeam Dancer," said Kelly.
Then Karl Anderson jumped in, "I'm Pouncival and this is my sister Jemima, her friend Victoria and this is my brother Tumblebrutus."
Everyone greeted Mary and Kelly Ann. They were all talking and laughing and then Kevin asked them is they wanted to have a back stage tour.
"Well alright then, come on." Said Kevin and with that the small group of cats walked into the theater.
Part 6
Kelly couldn't believe that she was actually back stage at CATS! 'Skimbleshanks' and 'Pouncival' gave mother and daughter the grand tour and they were both in awe. And even thought cameras were forbidden in the theater the cast never complained when Kelly pulled it out and started taking pictures of everyone and everything. But the best part was when she got to take step-by-step pictures of some of the cast members applying their makeup!
Then she got to go out on to the stage and actually experience the junkyard for all it was worth. A few moments later her mother made her way onto the stage and as the two of them examined the stage props Kevin spoke quietly to David (Munkustrap.)
"So Dave, what ya think? Think if we let the girl on stage anyone would notice?" questioned Kevin.
David returned Kevin's question with two of his own. "Are you out of your mind? How do you think you're going to get her past Mike*?" *(Mike Warner, the stage manager)*
"Mike was throwing up this morning so he's not going to be here." Grinned Kevin.
"Your crazy," laughed David.
Kevin just raised his eyebrows and lowered them again very quickly, like a flinch. "I know," he said with a big grin. And with that he was off to talk to Kelly Ann.
David could only shake his head as he watched his young friend bounce off. At eighteen Kevin had an incredible instinct about people an their abilities. If he thought this girl was good enough to be in the show then you could bet your money that he was right.
Part 7
Kevin walked up very quietly behind Kelly Ann who was practicing her cattish moves on stage while her mother was taking her picture. He didn't say a word but copied her moves as he watched her. As she caught a glimpse of him she blushed and smiled, she wanted to stop but he encouraged her to continue. Some of the other cast members had noticed them and ran to join in the fun. Kelly was on top of the world as she danced with her fellow CATS; all of them humming the music to "The Jellicle Ball". Then at the end of the dance the cast all crowded around Kelly Ann and hugged her. They all told her what a great dancer she was. And even threw the makeup you could tell that she was blushing.
Then tears began to well up in her eyes as she told the cast how this was her first time to see the show live and about how she had watched the video everyday since it had come out. She was doing her best to wrap her mind around the fact that she was standing on the CATS stage surrounded by the cast, and she couldn't help but cry.
Then Jandie Carleton, Etcetera, hugged Kelly Ann and gave her a warm smile. "And we are so honored to be the first cast you get to see. Now stop crying love or you'll ruin your make up." Kelly didn't say anything but only smiled.
"Well now," started Kevin, "I'll tell you what we're guna do. I've talked this over with your mother, and she said it was okay with her, so." Then he paused for dramatic effect. "How would you like to be in the show tonight?"
Kelly Ann's eyes widened as she heard the words come out of Kevin's mouth. Her words began to tumble out of her mouth in what sounded, to her, like a jumbled mess. " What? W-w-wait a minute, d-d-did you just ask ME to be in the show?" Then she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"Yes I did," he said with a big smile. "So whata say?"
She swayed softly but the cast held on to her as they congratulated her. Then reality began to hit her as a huge smile let up her face. "You want ME to dance with you? On stage? Really? Then she caught her breath and began to scream and jump up and down. "I'M GOING TO BE IN CATS!!! OH MY GOSH!!! I'M GUNA DANCE IN CATS!!! She said as she continued screaming and hugging her mother who had, by this time, made her way over to her daughter.
"I know, Kevin talked to me about it a little while ago." Mary said as she hugged her daughter.
Kelly Ann was beyond words by this time* (she couldn't even talk)* and all she could do was scream and try to catch her breath.
"Alright Kelly Ann, we've got twenty minutes till the show starts. This is Maggie Anderson (Aunt Maggie), Stacy O'Neal (Jellylourum) and Peggy Sue (Jennyanydonts). They'll show you what to do. You'll be a chorus kitten so it'll be easy for you to slip in and out."
"Okay," said Kelly Ann as she took a deep breath. Then she was off to hug her Mother and get into place.
Part 8
Opening night came and went and Kelly Ann was on top of the world. Not only was she able to see CATS but she got to be IN the show. That night after the show she and her mother Mary went out and had supper with the cast. They all had a wonderful time. And the cast even gave them front row seats for the rest of the shows while they were in town.
For two weeks Mary and Kelly Ann attended the shows and went out to dinner with the cast. Then the day came when the show had to move on to the next city and it was a sad day for everyone.
Kelly couldn't stop crying as she hugged the cast good bye. She and her mother had made an enormous cake for the cast. They presented it to them on the last night of the show. The cake was a replica of the junkyard complete with Old Deuteronomy's tire.
They all exchanged addresses and phone numbers, as well as e-mail addresses with the whole cast; but with Kevin it was a bit different.
"Hey Kelly Ann, would you like to take a walk with me?" Kevin asked nervously.
Kelly looked over at her mom, "Would it be okay?" she asked.
"Sure," she said with a nod, "Just don't wonder off to far."
"We won't," they said and off they went.
As they began to walk down the street Kevin took a hold of Kelly's hand and she blushed. They had become very good friends in the short time that they had known each other. They talked about anything and everything all the time, they were inseparable. But something about this last night was different from the other nights they'd been together. Perhaps it was because it was the last night and Kelly knew he and the rest of the cast would be leaving very soon.
"I'm really going to miss you Kelly Ann." He said as they walked.
"I'm going to mess you too. These last two weeks have been a dream come true for me. How can I ever thank you? She asked.
Kevin had a gleam in his eye as he answered her, "Oh, I may have an idea about that." He said.
They hadn't gone very far when they came to a quaint little coffee house with out door tables. It was a warn summer's night with a gentle breeze carrying the scent of coffee threw the air. As they sat down a waiter took their order. "So what's your idea?" asked Kelly after the waiter left.
"I'm sorry?" Questioned Kevin. He was caught up in his own thoughts of Kelly and how much he was going to miss her.
Kelly wasn't upset with Kevin but instead let out a sweet laugh and raised both of her eyebrows in a matter of fact matter. "Your idea, you said you had an idea on how I could thank you."
"Oh! Yea, duh." Now it was Kevin's turn to blush a bit and they both laughed Then he continued, "Well, I was wondering," he paused as the waiter brought their order, then he continued. "If I gave you my home and cell phone numbers would you call me sometimes? I'd really love it if we could stay in touch while I'm on the road."
"Oh Kevin I'd love to stay in touch with you after you leave!" Then she hugged him and they both smiled. "In fact," she said as she pulled out a pen and some paper, "here is my address and phone number as well."
After they had exchanged addresses and phone numbers Kevin leaned over and kissed Kelly on her check. She blushed and turned away for a moment then she turned back and thy hugged again.
"I hope that was okay," Kevin said in a half question like manner.
Kelly was still blushing a bit but smiled and said, "Yes, it was alright."
They stayed and talked for about fifteen minutes then went back to the restaurant and joined the rest of the cast. By that time the party was beginning to break up since it was getting so late and they cast needed to get some sleep. They all hugged Marry and Kelly Ann and double-checked to make sure they all had each other's addresses and phone numbers. Then the cast bored the buss to head back to the hotel.
Kevin pulled Kelly aside and they said their final tearful good byes. Then they kissed each other on the cheeks and hugged each other tightly. "I'll miss you so much." He said.
"I'll miss you too." She said threw her tears.
"I promise to write, and I'll call when I get a chance."
"I will too," she said.
"Hey Kevin," called David from the other side of the bus, "we've gota get going."
"Be right there," called Kevin. "May I kiss you?" he asked Kelly as he looked into her eyes.
"Yes," she whispered as their lips met in a gentle kiss. "You should go before I start crying again." She whispered softly. Kevin nodded his head and bored the bus.
As Mary hugged her daughter they both cried as the bus pulled out of the parking lot on it's way to the hotel. Then they got into their car and drove off.
"Would you like to stop and get a coffee?" asked Mary as they drove down the street.
"Kelly Ann smiled threw her tears. "Coffee would nice." Mary smiled and they pulled into a coffee shop parking lot. Once inside they ordered their coffee and began to talk about all that had happened over the past two weeks. They talked for a long time before they finally went home.
Since Kelly had been keeping a diary of her whole CATS experience she and her mom started their own CATS website. They posted all of their pictures and their trip reports. Then came all of their costume and makeup how-to's.
They had a wonderful time meeting new friends on line and writing fan fics and posting pictures of their CATS projects that had come about since they had seen the show. And they had a wonderful time keeping in touch with the cast and posting their updates on their websites.
Kelly and Kevin continued to keep in touch calling and writing each other every day. Then one day the phone rang and Kelly answered it. "Hello?"
"Guess what?" came the voice. "I've got some time off and I'm in town."
Take one guess who that voice belonged too.
To be continued.. Who knows?
The End
By Tigress Part 1
"Jellicles can and Jellicles do. Jellicles can sing Jellicle songs Jellicles can and Jellicle do. Ta da ta da da da, da da da ta da da da da.."
Kelly Ann Swartz was having a hard time falling asleep. She kept half singing and half humming The Jellicle Song. Then she would start singing, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'm seeing CATS tomorrow!" She wanted to get up and dance around the house but knew she couldn't. New thoughts exploded in her mind every second. She went over her item list of everything she wanted to take with her. She imagined what it would be like to see the show live. She wondered if she would be able to meet the cast. Her mind was racing as she tossed and turned unable to shut down her thoughts long enough to be able to sleep. Then she froze. There was a shadowy figure in the hallway and she cried out, "MACAVITY!" and pulled her sheet up around her neck and started to breath very heavily.
The hall light clicked on and her mother Mary stood in the doorway. "Sorry to disappoint you sweetie but it's just me."
Kelly Ann heaved a sigh of relief as she withdrew the covers. "Oh, hi mom."
"And just why aren't you asleep young lady?" she questioned knowing full well what the answer would be.
"I'm to excited to sleep." "I know honey but you've got to. You don't want to fall asleep during the show do you?" Mary knew her daughter would never even think about falling asleep during a performance of CATS but she couldn't help but teaser her. Kelly didn't answer her mother but instead they just looked at each other and burst into laughter. Mary sat on her daughter's bed as they continued to talk.
Mary Swartz and her daughter Kelly Ann lived alone in their medium sized three-bedroom house. Kelly's father had left them when she was just a baby. Mary hadn't worked since she had married to her now ex-husband. She slowly got back into the work force by doing odd jobs. She cleaned housed, sewed, and baby-sat and catered at times. But her best attributes were cooking and sewing. She baked and sold wedding and birthday cakes all year long. Then in the fall she would start making Halloween costumes for her neighbors and friends. As the years went by her daughter Kelly Ann began to work side by side with her mother. Mary and Kelly became an excellent working team and in time were able to buy the house they currently lived in.
Kelly Ann was now sixteen and full of life, she loved working with her mother and the fact that she earned her own money was on and added bonus. And the one thing she loved to spend her money on was going to stage or theater plays. She was about 5'6" and just a tiny bit chunky, not fat but more of a 'filled out' look. She was friendly and out going but just a little on the shy side. She loved helping out the theater department at school. She would help with painting scenery and typing up property lists. What ever needed to be done she was there with a helping hand. But what she really loved was helping with the makeup and costumes. This was her area of expertise; and she was almost always the stage manager for whatever show the school did.
Kelly's love for the theater stemmed from her mother Mary who had started taking her daughter to the theater when she was very young. And livening in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma most definitely had its advantages. Since it is a suburb of Tulsa all of the big time Broadway show tours were always on tour there and the two of them had season tickets for almost all of the shows that passed threw. Then when they heard that a new CATS tour would be starting in January of the following year both mother and daughter began to diligently search the newspapers for new as to when they would be in Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Kelly Ann had been a CATS fan since the first time she had seen them on the PBS channel in 1998. From the very first moment the cats appeared in the oversized junkyard she was mesmerized by the costumes and makeup. Not to mention the incredible dancing and singing, and the music and lighting and the set. Everything about these incredible images fascinated her.
And her mother Mary wasn't immune to the lure of CATS either. She was just as fascinated by the show as her daughter was. The day after the PBS airing they went out and bought the video. Then for the next several months the duo watched the movie at least once, if not more, times a day.
Then the day finally came when the bought their first computer and since Kelly had been learning about computers in school she jumped on and immediately typed CATS in the search box. In a flash tons of sites came up and Kelly spend most of that afternoon checking out all of the websites she had found.
She almost couldn't contain her excitement as she learned more and more about the tribe of cats called the Jellicles. The first thing she learned was all of their names, and who was related to whom. She learned all of the names and words to the songs and all of the opening and closing dates of each of the different productions; there was no doubt about it, she was in hooked.
She wanted to find a way to celebrate her newfound love so she decided that she would start a CATS scrapbook. In her free time after she had finished her homework and the work she and her mother had to do she would hop on the computer and begin printing pictures and bios of all of the different cast members, cast lists, the history of CATS and bits about Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Elliot.
As her collection grew she decided that she should organize this bogged mess of papers before she drove herself crazy so little by little she began organizing her scrapbook. She even started a second book just for costumes and since her and her mother were seamstresses they became skilled costumers very quickly.
But now it was five years later since they had first seen the video and now on the eve of the big night of seeing the show for the first time and neither of them could sleep.
"Do you realize that it's 1:30 in the morning?" questioned Mary in a teasing manner. "We really need to get some sleep."
"But why, it only takes fifteen minutes to drive into Tulsa."
"Well I figured that you might like to get to the theater early so that we can find the stage door and wonder around for a while."
"OH MOM CAN WE???" squealed Kelly Ann.
Mary just laughed, "We can if we get some sleep."
"Okay I'm asleep," laughed Kelly Ann as she plopped down on her pillow and pretended to be asleep and let out a big snore.
They both laughed and hugged each other. Then Mary kissed her daughter's forehead, "Goodnight my princess, may you have sweet Jellicle dreams."
"Good night Mama, I love you."
"I love you too."
Part 2
Kelly Ann struggled to fall asleep, she was way to happy and excited to sleep but she closed her eyes anyway. She was still humming softly as a smile continued to stay on her face. Her mother's words floated threw her mind as she finally drifted into a sweet sleep.
When she woke up she was inside a cardboard box, but the really strange thing was that she was in her CATS costume. It was an original cast she called Moonbeam Dancer.
The costume consisted of a high neck unitard that she dyed the color of the night blue sky. Then she used black and dark blue markers to create a crosshatching pattern. There were small bits of white in her wig to simulate the stars as well as a bit of yellow, which represented the moon, and her makeup matched her wig.
As she woke up she gave her body a nice long stretch and yawned.
"Hey Dancer, you asleep in there?" Kevin Allen the current Skimbleshanks called out.
"Yea I guess so, how long have I been in there?" questioned Kelly Ann as she came crawling out of the box.
"Only about ten minutes or so," said Kimberly Truso, the current Jemima.
Kelly Ann didn't answer but instead yawned and stretched again.
"You've really been working hard Kelly, why don't you take a break." David Murray's role as Munkustrap was starting to rub off on him. Much like the male version of Jennyanydots. "I'll tell you what, why don't we all take a break," he suggested.
"Oh that's a good idea, lets all get something to eat." Came Angela DeLombray's voice as she kicked off Grizabella's high-heeled shoes and took off the heavy coat.
Then Karl Anderson, Julie Walters and Sarah Clark, Pouncival, Etcetera and Victoria, started a "Pizza, pizza, pizza," chant that didn't go unanswered. They called a local pizza parlor & ordered thirty pizzas. One thing about it, this cast could eat!
Part 3
After lunch the cast resumed their dress rehearsal. Kelly Ann's character Moonbeam Dancer was a new chorus kitty that got to go around annoying the adults and she loved every minute of it. Her cohorts were Etcetera, Jemima, Victoria and the rest of the young queens. But, she was just cheeky enough to be able to hang out with the young toms of the tribe as well.
For the rest of the afternoon the cast continued with their dress rehearsal. Kelly Ann worked hard; this was her first time with a real professional cast. This was nothing like her high school plays, this was the real thing. It had been her life long dream to be in CATS and it was finally coming true.
Opening night came and went and Kelly Ann got threw her first performance. That night she was having trouble sleeping. She thought back to the first time she had seen CATS live and how much trouble she had sleeping that night as well. But eventually she drifted off to sleep and she was soon in dreamland.
Part 4
The alarm clock buzzed several times before Kelly realized that it was going off. Her mom called in to her. "Hey sleeping beauty it's time to get up." Sleepily Kelly reached one hand out from under her thin blanket and stopped the alarm. As she began to stir she realized that she had been dreaming the whole wonderful experience of being in CATS. ' Who knows,' she thought as she got dressed and a big smile crossed her already happy face.
As she and Mary sat at the kitchen table she told her mother all about her dream. After breakfast they put their dishes into the dishwasher and made their beds. And then.
Walking into the spare bedroom Kelly went right to where her and her mother's costumes were. As she flipped threw the costumes she thought about her wonderful dream. Then as she gathered the costumes and their accessories Mary sat at the two seated makeshift vanity and started getting out all if the makeup. Then Kelly sat beside her mother and the two of them began to transform themselves into Grizabella and Moonbeam Dancer.
As they did their makeup they talked and laughed, they loved spending time together and CATS was just one more way they got to do just that. Kelly told her mother all about her other CATS dreams that she had while they finished getting ready. Then they gathered their cameras, autograph books and two large bottles of water from the frig and off they went.
Part 5
When they got to the theater they quickly found a parking place then hurried up to the theater building. The first thing they did before they went into the theater was to find the stage door.
When they got there they found some of the actors outside getting a breath of fresh air before the show started.
"Hey look at this, a couple of out cast members got away from us." Laughed Kevin Allen, the current tour Skimbleshanks.
Kelly blushed and Mary laughed, but they didn't say anything. They didn't have the chance too because Kevin was walking around them slowly checking out their costumes. "Lets see now, you're a pretty good double for Grizabella," he said as she looked at Mary. "But you must be new to the tribe. I'm Skimbleshanks. What's your name?" he asked.
"I'm Moonbeam Dancer," said Kelly.
Then Karl Anderson jumped in, "I'm Pouncival and this is my sister Jemima, her friend Victoria and this is my brother Tumblebrutus."
Everyone greeted Mary and Kelly Ann. They were all talking and laughing and then Kevin asked them is they wanted to have a back stage tour.
"Well alright then, come on." Said Kevin and with that the small group of cats walked into the theater.
Part 6
Kelly couldn't believe that she was actually back stage at CATS! 'Skimbleshanks' and 'Pouncival' gave mother and daughter the grand tour and they were both in awe. And even thought cameras were forbidden in the theater the cast never complained when Kelly pulled it out and started taking pictures of everyone and everything. But the best part was when she got to take step-by-step pictures of some of the cast members applying their makeup!
Then she got to go out on to the stage and actually experience the junkyard for all it was worth. A few moments later her mother made her way onto the stage and as the two of them examined the stage props Kevin spoke quietly to David (Munkustrap.)
"So Dave, what ya think? Think if we let the girl on stage anyone would notice?" questioned Kevin.
David returned Kevin's question with two of his own. "Are you out of your mind? How do you think you're going to get her past Mike*?" *(Mike Warner, the stage manager)*
"Mike was throwing up this morning so he's not going to be here." Grinned Kevin.
"Your crazy," laughed David.
Kevin just raised his eyebrows and lowered them again very quickly, like a flinch. "I know," he said with a big grin. And with that he was off to talk to Kelly Ann.
David could only shake his head as he watched his young friend bounce off. At eighteen Kevin had an incredible instinct about people an their abilities. If he thought this girl was good enough to be in the show then you could bet your money that he was right.
Part 7
Kevin walked up very quietly behind Kelly Ann who was practicing her cattish moves on stage while her mother was taking her picture. He didn't say a word but copied her moves as he watched her. As she caught a glimpse of him she blushed and smiled, she wanted to stop but he encouraged her to continue. Some of the other cast members had noticed them and ran to join in the fun. Kelly was on top of the world as she danced with her fellow CATS; all of them humming the music to "The Jellicle Ball". Then at the end of the dance the cast all crowded around Kelly Ann and hugged her. They all told her what a great dancer she was. And even threw the makeup you could tell that she was blushing.
Then tears began to well up in her eyes as she told the cast how this was her first time to see the show live and about how she had watched the video everyday since it had come out. She was doing her best to wrap her mind around the fact that she was standing on the CATS stage surrounded by the cast, and she couldn't help but cry.
Then Jandie Carleton, Etcetera, hugged Kelly Ann and gave her a warm smile. "And we are so honored to be the first cast you get to see. Now stop crying love or you'll ruin your make up." Kelly didn't say anything but only smiled.
"Well now," started Kevin, "I'll tell you what we're guna do. I've talked this over with your mother, and she said it was okay with her, so." Then he paused for dramatic effect. "How would you like to be in the show tonight?"
Kelly Ann's eyes widened as she heard the words come out of Kevin's mouth. Her words began to tumble out of her mouth in what sounded, to her, like a jumbled mess. " What? W-w-wait a minute, d-d-did you just ask ME to be in the show?" Then she pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"Yes I did," he said with a big smile. "So whata say?"
She swayed softly but the cast held on to her as they congratulated her. Then reality began to hit her as a huge smile let up her face. "You want ME to dance with you? On stage? Really? Then she caught her breath and began to scream and jump up and down. "I'M GOING TO BE IN CATS!!! OH MY GOSH!!! I'M GUNA DANCE IN CATS!!! She said as she continued screaming and hugging her mother who had, by this time, made her way over to her daughter.
"I know, Kevin talked to me about it a little while ago." Mary said as she hugged her daughter.
Kelly Ann was beyond words by this time* (she couldn't even talk)* and all she could do was scream and try to catch her breath.
"Alright Kelly Ann, we've got twenty minutes till the show starts. This is Maggie Anderson (Aunt Maggie), Stacy O'Neal (Jellylourum) and Peggy Sue (Jennyanydonts). They'll show you what to do. You'll be a chorus kitten so it'll be easy for you to slip in and out."
"Okay," said Kelly Ann as she took a deep breath. Then she was off to hug her Mother and get into place.
Part 8
Opening night came and went and Kelly Ann was on top of the world. Not only was she able to see CATS but she got to be IN the show. That night after the show she and her mother Mary went out and had supper with the cast. They all had a wonderful time. And the cast even gave them front row seats for the rest of the shows while they were in town.
For two weeks Mary and Kelly Ann attended the shows and went out to dinner with the cast. Then the day came when the show had to move on to the next city and it was a sad day for everyone.
Kelly couldn't stop crying as she hugged the cast good bye. She and her mother had made an enormous cake for the cast. They presented it to them on the last night of the show. The cake was a replica of the junkyard complete with Old Deuteronomy's tire.
They all exchanged addresses and phone numbers, as well as e-mail addresses with the whole cast; but with Kevin it was a bit different.
"Hey Kelly Ann, would you like to take a walk with me?" Kevin asked nervously.
Kelly looked over at her mom, "Would it be okay?" she asked.
"Sure," she said with a nod, "Just don't wonder off to far."
"We won't," they said and off they went.
As they began to walk down the street Kevin took a hold of Kelly's hand and she blushed. They had become very good friends in the short time that they had known each other. They talked about anything and everything all the time, they were inseparable. But something about this last night was different from the other nights they'd been together. Perhaps it was because it was the last night and Kelly knew he and the rest of the cast would be leaving very soon.
"I'm really going to miss you Kelly Ann." He said as they walked.
"I'm going to mess you too. These last two weeks have been a dream come true for me. How can I ever thank you? She asked.
Kevin had a gleam in his eye as he answered her, "Oh, I may have an idea about that." He said.
They hadn't gone very far when they came to a quaint little coffee house with out door tables. It was a warn summer's night with a gentle breeze carrying the scent of coffee threw the air. As they sat down a waiter took their order. "So what's your idea?" asked Kelly after the waiter left.
"I'm sorry?" Questioned Kevin. He was caught up in his own thoughts of Kelly and how much he was going to miss her.
Kelly wasn't upset with Kevin but instead let out a sweet laugh and raised both of her eyebrows in a matter of fact matter. "Your idea, you said you had an idea on how I could thank you."
"Oh! Yea, duh." Now it was Kevin's turn to blush a bit and they both laughed Then he continued, "Well, I was wondering," he paused as the waiter brought their order, then he continued. "If I gave you my home and cell phone numbers would you call me sometimes? I'd really love it if we could stay in touch while I'm on the road."
"Oh Kevin I'd love to stay in touch with you after you leave!" Then she hugged him and they both smiled. "In fact," she said as she pulled out a pen and some paper, "here is my address and phone number as well."
After they had exchanged addresses and phone numbers Kevin leaned over and kissed Kelly on her check. She blushed and turned away for a moment then she turned back and thy hugged again.
"I hope that was okay," Kevin said in a half question like manner.
Kelly was still blushing a bit but smiled and said, "Yes, it was alright."
They stayed and talked for about fifteen minutes then went back to the restaurant and joined the rest of the cast. By that time the party was beginning to break up since it was getting so late and they cast needed to get some sleep. They all hugged Marry and Kelly Ann and double-checked to make sure they all had each other's addresses and phone numbers. Then the cast bored the buss to head back to the hotel.
Kevin pulled Kelly aside and they said their final tearful good byes. Then they kissed each other on the cheeks and hugged each other tightly. "I'll miss you so much." He said.
"I'll miss you too." She said threw her tears.
"I promise to write, and I'll call when I get a chance."
"I will too," she said.
"Hey Kevin," called David from the other side of the bus, "we've gota get going."
"Be right there," called Kevin. "May I kiss you?" he asked Kelly as he looked into her eyes.
"Yes," she whispered as their lips met in a gentle kiss. "You should go before I start crying again." She whispered softly. Kevin nodded his head and bored the bus.
As Mary hugged her daughter they both cried as the bus pulled out of the parking lot on it's way to the hotel. Then they got into their car and drove off.
"Would you like to stop and get a coffee?" asked Mary as they drove down the street.
"Kelly Ann smiled threw her tears. "Coffee would nice." Mary smiled and they pulled into a coffee shop parking lot. Once inside they ordered their coffee and began to talk about all that had happened over the past two weeks. They talked for a long time before they finally went home.
Since Kelly had been keeping a diary of her whole CATS experience she and her mom started their own CATS website. They posted all of their pictures and their trip reports. Then came all of their costume and makeup how-to's.
They had a wonderful time meeting new friends on line and writing fan fics and posting pictures of their CATS projects that had come about since they had seen the show. And they had a wonderful time keeping in touch with the cast and posting their updates on their websites.
Kelly and Kevin continued to keep in touch calling and writing each other every day. Then one day the phone rang and Kelly answered it. "Hello?"
"Guess what?" came the voice. "I've got some time off and I'm in town."
Take one guess who that voice belonged too.
To be continued.. Who knows?
The End