To the dismay of many fans and members of the Broadway community, Cats: The Jellicle Ball closed on Saturday (August 8), five months earlier than originally planned.
Controversially, despite critical acclaim, audience praise, and an impressive three Tony Awards, the expensive production wasn’t raking in enough money to keep going.
The bold reworking of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s famed musical reimagined the action on New York’s ballroom scene. It featured many Black and queer characters and cast members.
One audience favorite was Sydney Harcourt, who played the role of Rum Tum Tugger. He drew particular admiration for strutting around the stage in a jockstrap.
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Harcourt said on Saturday that he would be marking the end of Cats: The Jellicle Ball by heading straight to the New York Eagle bar to dance the night away.
“That’s where I’ll be celebrating closing. Find me on the dance floor. Wear a jock. 
”
Michelle Visage was among those to comment, quipping, “EXCUSE ME SIR!”
Sadly, we don’t have any photos of Harcourt shaking his tush on the Eagle dance floor, so we don’t know if he wore the iconic thong-jock that featured in the show.
“The hardest challenge I’ve ever faced”
On Sunday, Harcourt posted a more serious reflection about his time in Cats.
“I woke up today to a new reality, and a lot of emotions – but most of all I’m feeling pride. Pride in having completed the hardest challenge I’ve ever faced … for representing so many that have felt erased from the stories Broadway chooses to tell … for the joy I’ve given to my community 8 shows a week, at a time when it is so needed.
“Tugger is a lover and a protector,” Harcourt continued. “He wants you to laugh, get slutty when you feel like it, and encourages you to live in your authenticity without fear or favor. Now Tugger wants to know what this show has meant to you, so leave a comment. The stories from the Jellicle fans have always been what has kept me going thru injuries, exhaustion, and disappointments. Theater for the people is what I do; it IS the reason. Nothing makes me feel more purposeful: not even a 3 way. 
Tugger”
Many who had enjoyed the show shared their recollections.
“I brought my 79-year-old mom to see it… she saw the OG at the Winter Garden in 1986, but it was important to me that she saw this version,” said one. “I literally held her hand through most of the show, and when the exit music ended she looked at me with tears in her eyes and told me I’d made a believer out of her. She loved the show, loved the experience, loved YOU, and I think she left the theatre understanding me and my life as a queer man a little bit better. Extraordinarily thankful to have shared that experience with her.”
The rise and fall of Cats: The Jellicle Ball
Cats: The Jellicle Ball opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7, with previews from March 18.
Responding to the show’s closure, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber said in a statement online, that he was “gutted” it was closing early, but that he was “immensely proud to have been a part of an incredibly daring production whose cast and creative team broke new ground on Broadway and gave 17 actors their Broadway debut. Maybe the show’s closing just might be remembered as the moment that caused everyone involved with Broadway to come to their senses and address the unsustainable cost of producing and running any new show now on The Great White Way, let alone daring new work.”
According to Variety, Cats: The Jellicle Ball, after opening, was earning a healthy $900,000 to $1 million a week. However, those numbers dropped sharply after it lost the Best Revival of a Musical Tony Award to Ragtime. There are estimates that it cost at least $800,000 a week to stage.
There has been speculation that, despite nearly full houses, many tickets in recent weeks were sold at a discount.
Lloyd Webber’s statement met with some criticism online. Rosie O’Donnell voiced the feelings of many when she asked why he couldn’t have dug into his own pocket to save it.
However, others argued that it was not Lloyd Webber’s responsibility to subsidize the production.
If it’s any consolation to fans, Atlantic Records will release a Broadway cast recording this winter. There also remains some hope for a touring production.
Check out a Queerty interview with Sydney Harcourt talking about his participation in Cats: The Jellicle Ball, below.
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