More than half the cast’s new this year— but the crowd still cheers— opera! They’ve cut out old Growltiger, but dear Griddlebone is pleasantly still here! Had to borrow some other ALW lyrics there…sort of, as we are just thrillified to welcome yet another ‘Tidewater Cat’ to the ‘Return to the Jellicle Ball’ series this year!

Thank you for sitting with us! Remind us who you are, please?

Anne Acerno: I’m Anne Acerno.

And who are you playing this time around?

Anne: Still playing Griddlebone. Last time I doubled up roles— we called her “Griddlebub” because she was a hybrid of Sillabub and Griddlebone. But now it’s just Griddlebone in this production.

And tell me a little bit about Griddlebone!

Anne: Well last time, Griddlebone was part of the whole “Growltiger Sequence” which has been cut from this licensed version of the show. So you don’t really get a lot of backstory on her, but she’s actually a bad guy. In the first version of the show that we did at Tidewater, she was part of the whole Growltiger Sequence, she was his girlfriend, and she deserted him when she was in trouble, basically.

What a scoundrel!

Anne: I know! But you don’t know anything about that in this production other than they still mention her name in “Macavity” as a villain. And she is!

So how are you and Griddlebone similar and different? I fee like there might be some stretches there…

Anne: A little bit! The way I’m playing Griddlebone this time around is that she is a retired thief. She was a very suspicious cat back in the day and very nefarious. But now she’s gotten a little bit older and she’s found the clowder, she really loves them, and she’s kind of mellowed in her retirement. And in my mind— and I don’t know if they agree— but I think Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are my kids. And I have passed on my thieving ways to them. So she and I are not that similar in real life. But I’m definitely a family girl.

Are you sure, Anne? If we go looking into your pre-familial life are we going to discover that you were like a notorious train robber?

Anne: Oh goodness. No, no, I’m boring.

You are absolutely not boring!! I really love this whole new backstory approach to Griddlebone. That’s a great way to keep the character alive even if most of her musical stuff has been cut. Now, what made you want to come out and audition again to be a part of Cats?

Anne: Honestly? Bambi made me fall in love with the show last time. It was not a show that I cared about or cared for at all and Bambi just made me fall in love with it. So any chance I get to sing this score, I want to do it. Any Bambi show, really, I want to be a part of Bambi-Magic, like everybody else. To know her is to love her and to work with her is even better. And then I get the added bonus of getting to have some stage time with my oldest daughter and that’s really nice too.

That’s so lovely to hear. Are you dancing this time around?

Anne: No, not really dancing. I’m definitely not a dancer, I’m a mover at best and I usually put the word mover in quotes. But everyone in a Bambi show does a little bit of dancing so I’m thrown in there every once in a while in the background, a little thing here or there, but it’s mostly the real dancers being seen up front. I’m here for vocal support, mostly, if anything else.

What does it mean to you this time around to be a Jellicle Cat?

Anne: I think it means the same thing as it meant last time but with a little bit of a deeper meaning. Jellicle Cats are magical and they’re mysterious but they’re very much a family or as we say, a clowder. I think that’s the deeper end for me personally and for my character. She’s finally found her clowder, whereas the other cats kind of shun Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer just a little bit, when anyone’s paying attention— because of their thieving ways, I’m quite proud of them! Which is why I get to sing their song. At least in my mind, that’s why I’m doing it. I’m singing about all their thieving ways because I think they’re the coolest. Having that little proud mamma moment.

Now you don’t have cats, right?

Anne: I don’t. I do love cats, any fluffy thing I love, but I am very, very allergic. I do have three dogs at home. Three dogs, no kitty cats. And it’s Mickey…Jasmine…and Winnie! They’ve all gotten just a little bit older from the last time we spoke about the dogs and the cats.

 That’s lovely I’m so glad to hear they’re all still with you. Now, 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 Griddlebone?

Anne: I think they’re calling her Fluffy. Because she’s a fluffy white cat. But she thinks the humans are absolutely ridiculous for calling her that. Fluffy is such a lame name as far as Griddlebone is concerned. But she’ll still answer to it because they feed her.

What has been your big personal takeaway this time around?

Anne: Just to sit back and really enjoy it. I love getting to sing the score, I love getting to be with and work with Bambi. But getting to know all these new cast members and how slight changes in the script and major changes in the cast can completely change how you perceive things and how it all works out on stage, I think that’s a really beautiful thing to see. It’s the same work but a completely different spin and a totally different feel. I’m really excited today (7/1/24) because we’re getting on the set for the first time, because the set is a little bit different than what you’ve seen before with Cats and we’re really excited to play.

And this is your like what— dozenth Bambi show?

Anne: Actually no, only my third Bambi show!

WOW. What’s it like this time around? Because you’ve done one Cats, one Oliver! and now this Cats, so what is it like?

Anne: It’s wonderful as always. I always feel like I have something to learn from Bambi. She always brings the humanity— even to the cats. We all are encouraged to find these deep backstories for our cats and to really ground what we’re doing in the choices that we’re making so that not just up there with this mentality of “oh, I’m a cat when you’re looking at me” or just sitting around waiting for our turn. We are really embodying— or as Bambi would say— “become.” She just says “become your cat.” So we know that we really have to truly embody these cats. That’s what I’m learning!

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?

Anne: What else can I say but magical?   

Cats plays July 19^th 2024 through August 4^th 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.

Follow along in the “Return to the Jellicle Ball” Series here:

Sillabub

Carbucketty

Plato

Bill Bailey

Electra

Saffron

Aria

Pouncival

Coricopat

Tantomile

Etcetera