You’ve heard of several kinds of cats. And my opinion now is that— you should need no interpreter… to guess which fluffy ball of fur…is next!
Thank you for joining here at the Jellicle Ball! Or what will become the Jellicle Ball by the time folks read this interview and get their tickets to Cats! Why don’t you tell us who you are and who you are playing?
Shannon Lloyd-Ragan: I’m Shannon Lloyd-Ragan and I play Bill Bailey.
Oooh! Tell us a little bit about Bill Bailey!
Shannon: I think in the original production he’s a kitten. And actually it just came about because Nathan (Musical Director Nathan Scavilla) gave me Bill Bailey’s lines to sing and say. Then when they asked us to come up with our cat names in the ensemble, I said, “you know what? I’m a girl named Bill.” I figure I’m a pampered house cat, just out for the night trying to see what all this Jellicle Ball stuff is about. Her owners originally thought she was a boy, they called her Bill, and she just went with it.
I feel you. We have an unknown feral who lives in my house— we call him Herbert and we’re like 75% sure he’s a boy cat? He’s got a tipped ear— he just moved in one day, we’ve never been able to touch him but he does let us get close enough to put food down, and he sleeps in plain sight and just lives here and has for about three years. So we could have a girl called Herbert just like you’re playing a girl called Bill. Now how are you and Bill Bailey similar and different?
Shannon: Let’s see…I feel like we’re actually very similar. I am myself a pampered house cat. We have seven and a house rabbit.
That’s one more than in my household and we don’t even have a house rabbit. Now do the cats leave the house rabbit alone?
Shannon: Oh yeah. She rules the roost. They’re all terrified of her. The only one who is not afraid of her is the baby and they’re besties. They play together and stuff. But as far as being similar to Bill, I’m definitely an indoor girl. I’m recovering from breast cancer. Bambi is awesome. I’ve known Bambi since I was 18. It’s been really fun getting back together with her and having her take a chance on me for this show.
Oh wow. Congratulations on your recovery. You’ve known Bambi for a while so this is not your first Bambi show, right?
Shannon: Correct. I did Harford Dance Theatre with her for years— Nutcracker and I costumed for her for Harriet’s (Harriet’s Happiest Halloween) and then she was my choreographer for a couple of PFT (Phoenix Festival Theatre) shows— Lil Abner and State Fair and Eyvo (husband to the director) I’ve known Eyvo since I was 16! Eyvo and I did Brigadoon together years and years ago. It’s been a lot of fun getting to work with her again. I’m enjoying getting to be my little house-cat self, sunning myself on a windowsill and watching all this craziness going on all around me. I love it.
That sounds incredible. Why did you want to come out and audition to be a part of Cats?
Shannon: It’s a bucket list show. It’s a show that I’ve loved since forever— I think I was first introduced to it when I was in fifth grade. I always thought it was really cool that there was a show about cats, and then when I learned more about Broadway and stuff, I thought, “well, that’s a show a bigger girl like me could never be in.” because you always see the “ideal girl” the real skinny girls getting cast in shows like this. And Bambi took a chance on me. I love Bambi. She is amazing. I’ve loved Bambi for years. And Evyo is just as awesome. It’s been a lot of fun to come back and be around this amazing group. Bambi is just so positive and so open and she’s all love. She is all heart and all love.
She truly is. I have never met a real human being who didn’t love Bambi. Now, Shannon, do you consider yourself to be a dancer?
Shannon: Ha. Haha! NO. I have never really taken a formal dance class. I dabbled in college— I took a couple classes when I was just out of high school. I took a class called ‘Dance Movement’ at HCC (Harford Community College) which just kind of touched on a few basics. I always wanted to dance I just never had the opportunity as a kid. It’s definitely been a ‘learn-as-I-go’ experience. I know just enough to be dangerous! I know a lot of ‘stage dancing’ you know, grape-vines, box-step, all that. So this has been a challenge, which has really been good for me, because it’s gotten me out of the house, and it’s gotten me moving again after chemo and radiation. It’s been a lot of fun.
I am truly glad to hear that you are well enough to be able to do all of this.
Shannon: Me too! I had to drop out of Hello, Dolly! at Suburban (St. Demetrios’ Suburban Players; February 2024) I still did costumes for it, but I was still going through chemo at the time so I couldn’t perform.
That is so wonderful that you are in a better place and able to perform again. What does it mean to you to be a Jellicle Cat?
Shannon: Jellicle Cats are queens of the night, obviously. It’s definitely embracing the moment and enjoying yourself while you have the stage.
Beautiful. You did say earlier something about seven cats. Can you tell me a little bit about them?
Shannon: Oh yes! My brother and I moved back in together when I was diagnosed with cancer because I couldn’t work; I had to have surgery. He had two cats—Oliver and Binx. They are bonded. They are best, best, best friends. Binx is all black and Oliver is orange. And then my five… I have two girls— Kiki and Molly. Then I have Leo, Lucifer, and Pascal. They’re mostly Disney names. And they get along. Mostly. I mean we’ve had some territory issues. It’s actually really funny because the baby cat—Lucifer— he wants to be in charge, even though he’s the baby. He lives up to his name, he’s a long-haired black cat. He was my oops. I literally found him in the trash. Somebody had dumped him. And I was like “I’ll take you in until I find you a home.”
Well you found him a home. Yours.
Shannon: Yeah…that’s why he’s my oops. He literally rules the roost, right alongside the rabbit. And he is very protective of mommy. That’s me.
We know that cats have three names. The name that the humans call them or their daily use name, their more dignified name, and their third, secret name that we can never know. What do you think the humans are calling Bill Bailey?
Shannon: Bill. The more dignified name is of course Bill Bailey. And then my secret name…hmm. Let’s see…I think her secret name would probably be…Artemis. But shh. I didn’t tell you that.
I can keep a secret. Now what has been your big personal takeaway from this whole Cats experience at this point in your life?
Shannon: That I can still surprise myself with things that I can do. In my mid-40’s.
If you had to sum up your experience here at Cockpit in Court with Bambi and Cats using just one word, which word would you use?
Shannon: Welcoming.
Cats plays July 19th 2024 through August 3rd 2024 in the F. Scott Black Theatre of The Robert and Eleanor Romadka College Center at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard, Essex MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2787 or purchase them online.
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