RETURN TO THE JELLICLE BALL: MEETING THE NEWEST 2024 ADDITIONS TO THE CLOWDER OF COCKPIT IN COURT’S CATS: Grizabella

Glamourous. Or fallen from Grace? Memory…

With only one cat remaining, I think it’s pretty clear who you’re playing, but just in case people haven’t been following along, tell us who you are and who you are playing!

Lisa Pastella: I am Lisa Pastella and I play Grizabella.

Lisa Pastella as Grizabella in Cats at Cockpit in Court

Tell us all about Grizabella.

Lisa: I feel like I am Grizabella, where coming back into theatre after five years…after Covid…after Covid and of course having the baby…I am surrounded by lots of younger people that are incredibly talented. I feel like this is kind of easing myself back into theatre. Griz is just trying to fit back in with the group. She had a great life and now she’s just kind of at the end of her road and looking for acceptance and compassion.

That was a perfect snowball into the next question, which is how are you and Grizabella the same and or different?

Lisa: Well those are the similarities. But different? I was not a street cat in real life. I’ve never been homeless. I’m obviously not a cat. People touch me, they don’t normally shun me. I’m typically a positive person. And I think that Grizabella isn’t ‘not positive’ she’s just been beaten down. She’s a little discouraged. But she gains her confidence back and Big Old D helps with that. Big D being Old Deuteronomy.

Okay! I was beginning to wonder! Now, why did you want to come out and audition to be a part of Cats?

Lisa: Cats is something I grew up listening to. I think at one point I had a figure-skating routine planned to “Memory.” I figure-skated when I was younger, I wasn’t great but it was fun. I also live really close to Cockpit, and with my daughter I also didn’t want to take on a role that would mean every single night out of the house at rehearsal. With this role, my rehearsal process is minimal so that was just a great way to come back into the theatre. And I’ve been fortunate to be able to bring her with me to some of the rehearsals.

Miss Aria (left) with Lisa Pastella at Cats rehearsal.

Our fabulous readers cannot hear little Miss Aria, but she’s here with us right now as well. Now how old is your daughter?

Lisa: She turned two in March.

And did you name her after the little Aria kitten in this show?

Lisa: No…I wanted her name to be something music related and something unique but not too ridiculous. Also, I watched Pretty Little Liars and the main character was Aria and that just fit and I love it and here she is!

That’s adorable. Now, this is not your first Bambi show, is it? And what has working with her for Cats been like?

Lisa: No it’s not. I’ve worked with her before. I did Gypsy with her a while ago and Urinetown, all pre-pandemic. Working with her has been wonderful. She’s great because she knows so much about this show. It’s really easy to bounce ideas off of her and get some different insight into the show that I didn’t realize.

Do you consider yourself to be a dancer?

Lisa: No. I can move.

That’s fine. Bambi can turn all movers into dancers. What does it mean to you to be a Jellicle Cat?

Lisa: A Jellicle Cat…aren’t all cats Jellicle Cats? I don’t know. I think it’s part of a group. They’re black and white…they’re everything the song says they are!

Perfect. Now do you have cats at home?

Lisa: No. I have a child. And a dog. Penny. Part asshole. Part husky. She was abandoned at my school, so we adopted her. Now I did have a cat at one point in my life, his name was Geoffrey but he went with the ex-husband.

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 Grizabella?

Lisa: Probably just Griz. Or when she’s being bad probably G-rizzle. Or some street name. Like with Penny, our dog, we call her Pen or Penpen to shorten her name. So she’d be G-rizzle or ‘Riz.

What has been your big personal takeaway from this experience?

Lisa: It is just so nice to be back around like-minded people. And to see this young talent is just incredible.

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?

Lisa: Fun! It’s a great, easy transition back into theatre for me. Everyone here has been so supportive, it’s been truly wonderful.

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: