Jellicle songs for Jellicle cats…the hypnotic poem of T.S. Eliot blended with the mesmerizing music of Andrew Lloyd Webber…coming very, very soon to a stage near you! Tidewater Players is tackling the monumental challenge of staging the iconic, second-longest-running Broadway musical Cats this fall— featuring an all-star cast and renowned veteran director Bambi Johnson. In a TheatreBloom exclusive series you’ll get to meet all 27 cats— MEE-OOW! Instead of using traditional actor headshots to identify each performer, we’ve taken ‘real self’ photos during live rehearsals, which ties into the notion that the Jellicle cats of Cats are being their true selves when on stage. And who knows, some of the cast members might even share pictures of their own feline friends!

We’ll get things started with an area theatre icon, known for both his performances on stage and his photographic work behind the scenes— Austin Barnes in the role of Rum Tum Tugger.

Thank you for giving us a few moments of your time! So excited to talk with you about this production! Tell us who you are and who you’re playing!

Austin Barnes: My name is Austin Barnes and I’m playing Rum Tum Tugger.

Why did you want to be a part of Cats?

Austin: I remember seeing Cats when I was like seven or eight, and I remember falling in love with both ‘Tugger and Mistoffelees. But I definitely pranced all around my room at age seven to that Rum Tum Tugger song.

We learn that all cats have three names. Rum Tum Tugger is your cats ‘more dignified name’ and while we can never know the ‘secret name’ that he calls himself, what do you think his ‘family daily use’ name is? What are the humans calling him every day?

Austin: In the naming of the cats, in the show, they actually call him James. And that’s so boring. I think that’s how we get the alter-ego of Rum Tum Tugger that comes out. But I do think that it’s James, not just because it says so in the script. It is a plain old boring name for this cat though.

What does it mean to you to be a ‘Jellicle Cat’?

Austin: To be a part of the big family. I know ‘Tugger is kind of the sex appeal of the show, and he gets blamed for a lot of the chaos, apart from Macavity. He gets blamed for the fun chaos. At the deep root, he loves the family. He loves being around everybody. The way that we’re playing it is, me and Andrew (actor Andrew Worthington), who plays Munkustrap, we’re playing the big-brother/little-brother duo. I’ll come out on stage while he’s singing and mess up whatever story he’s telling. But it’s all a part of that big family so it’s okay.

Do you have cats?

Austin: I do. I have two!

Tell me about your cats!

Austin: Like Whitney (Dance Captain Whitney Russell), I have an orange Tabby named Weasley. He cuddles when he wants to. But he’s got an attitude problem. And we also just got a kitten. She’s gray and white and her name is Enola. She’s four months old. Like Enola Holmes. And she’s a cuddle monster. She’s adorable.

What has been your main takeaway from being a part of this show?

Austin: It’s been a good challenge. I had to choose between doing this and Grease (concurrently running at Phoenix Festival Theatre) and for me this was the bigger challenge, especially when considering the technical-ballet aspect of the show. I have four years of modern dance and most of my dance experience and exposure comes from musical theatre. It’s been kind of cool to just focus my body and learn things— like what is fifth position. They’re throwing out all of these new terms and I’m like “what do these mean!?” Learning all of that has been a great challenge and I’ve lost about 30 pounds while doing it.

If you could describe the cats experience in just one word, what’s your word?

Austin: Exhilarating.

Cats plays September 16^th 2022 through September 25^th 2022 with Tidewater Players, in residence at the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online.