Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
The thing about being inCatsis that you are a cat.
Vulture talked with three former cats from the 2016 Broadway revival to find whether or not its worth it.
(Spoiler: Yes, obviously.
How many cats do you have to play inCats?
Jonalyn Saxer: Im a musical-theater dancer, but I never thought I would be hired to dance inCats.
I was hired very quickly, because another swing had gotten injured.
So they needed somebody to take over her track as swinging, while she was on her medical leave.
I found out I got the job the day after my audition.
Originally, I was hired to cover three roles, the taller cats, really.
Bombalurina, Demeter, and Cassandra.
Tanner Wilson: I made my Broadway debut withCatswhen I was 24.
They asked me to be Carbucketty to fill in for somebody who was having back surgery.
I was so thrilled that afterwards they wanted me to stay on and be a swing.
I was there for a year and a half total.
We were just working on choreography and creating material for the show.
Then I had about a six- or eight-week audition process.
I went in eight or nine times.
It is definitely the most intense audition process Ive had.
I was in it the whole time that it ran.
I also understudied Victoria and Sillabub, who sings a little of Memory.
Saxer: The roles inCats, its not like a typical ensemble.
Every cat is very individual and has their own track, and their own different costume.
Its more like understudying than swinging, really, when you think about it.
Wilson: I was a swing for Mr. Mistoffelees.
I covered Mungojerrie, which was my favorite.
He got to sing a whole song and do cartwheels with Rumpelteazer.
And then I covered Alonzo, who was one of the older cats and a little bit snooty.
He has some really fun moments.
I covered Coricopat who, as you know, is a psychic cat with my twin sister, Tantomile.
Then I was Pouncival and Tumblebrutus and Carbucketty again.
I covered Carbucketty after I left the role.
Or a giant trash can, or an oven, or a bra, or a Coke bottle.
How much training does it take to become a cat?
Tate: For the first four days of rehearsal, actually, we did not learn any choreography.
We were working with Trevor Nunn and with Chrissie Cartwright.
You just heard a loud sound over there, and how do you react?
Like true acting class of cats.
What doesCatsdo to your body?
Tate: It was very taxing on my body.
We did five-show weekends, and theres no show harder to do five show weekends, I think.
We had a lot of injuries in the cast.
Tate: It was like an inch per foot, so thats a pretty steep rake.
Its hard mentally, its hard physically.
How do you deal with the makeup?
Saxer: We had an incredible makeup supervisor named Victoria Tinsman.
There were some cats, like Tantomile, who had a very complicated makeup plot.
The first time I went on for her, man, that looked terrible.
Tate: It took me about an hour and 15 minutes at the beginning to do my makeup.
Because I havent ever done anything other than everyday makeup.
But then by the end I got it down to about 45 minutes.
My Tantomile makeup slab had more steps than some of the cats.
So some of them were doing it in half an hour or so.
But I dont think anybody was doing it in less than half an hour.
It was quite a process every day.
Wilson: You actually cant leave the theater if you have your cat face on.
We were like absolute monsters.
Were all just thinking,geez, nobody has black cat noses.We all had to have them.
To us, it looks very strange, because cats have little black noses.
We were like, Where are their noses?
Tate: There were 13 girls in one dressing room.
All the ensemble girls.
It definitely took a solid 15 minutes for everyone to cycle through the sinks.
Wed rub our face in coconut oil and everyones faces would just become this gray black mush.
Do the unitards smell?
Tate: They washed them every show.
I think it was a petri dish for people getting sick.
Wilson: On a scale of one to ten, the answer is ten.
You get incredibly sweaty.
Its something you just have to accept.
You learn to love your unitard.
You get used to dancing in it.
Im not going to lie, post-cat life was a little weird, not having full body tights on.
The next time I danced I was like, Oh, I miss my little cozy little unitard.
Its a love-hate relationship.
So is it all worth it?
IsCatsa good Broadway gig?
To know that alone made it such a special show to be in.
As a dancer, you really dont get to dance like that on Broadway in a modern musical.
So we always remembered that, and it made getting through the physical obstacle of the show possible.
I hope that another big dance musical comes and that there is that opportunity.
But most Broadway shows are not crazy heavy dancing.
It has such a history.
Tate: It is a hard job.
It definitely takes some work ethic and resilience and stamina.
Thats why some people stayed for six months and then went and did another show.
But that was why I stayed the whole time.
I loved that I got to dance so hard every day, as hard as it was.
Saxer: Its also one of the most challenging shows thats out there.
Its like, Well, I didCats, so I can really do anything.
Especially as dancers, were normally in ensemble, and we dont always get that kind of moment.
I felt so ridiculous, but I would be like, Im at the peak of my professional career.
Everybody wants to be in this show.
