Bloomberg Podcasts · 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball' Co-Directors Bill Rauch & Zhailon Levingston | Bloomberg Businessweek

1. 1. Co-director Bill Rauch initially envisioned Cats in a gay context, evolving Grizabella into a trans woman.
2. 2. Co-director Zhailon Levingston separately imagined a "Cats" where performers were humans, not literal cats.
3. 3. The musical's non-linear structure and themes of competition perfectly align with ballroom culture.
4. 4. Adapting "The Jellicle Ball" from an immersive off-Broadway space to Broadway was a key challenge.
5. 5. Andrew Lloyd Webber "loved the joy" of this adaptation, which received nine Tony nominations.