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

I am glad you have a cat but I do not believe it so remarkable a cat as my cat…there never was such a Lilliecat…and its name is…

Sara Ulrich as Jellylorum in Cats at Cockpit in Court

Tell us who you are and who you’re playing, and thank you, of course, for joining us!

Sara Ulrich: I’m Sara Ulrich and I’m playing Jellylorum.

Tell me a little bit about Jellylorum.

Sara: Jellylorum is like the Mama Bear of the kittens. She’s always with them, trying to show them what to do, and make the best decisions for the little kittens. She wants to guide them in the right way.

How are you and Jellylorum similar or different?

Sara: I’m a teacher, I teach little guys, so I think it’s just so fun to be able to present that in this show. I’m a big people person. I love that I can teach these kittens in the show and then that I’m also a teacher outside of the show. I just love it.

Why did you want to come out and audition to be a part of Cats?

Sara: Originally I didn’t like the show. I did not like it, but I’ve always wanted to do a show with Bambi, I’ve heard amazing things about Bambi. And when my husband Nathan (Musical Director Nathan Scavilla) was asked to music-direct, I thought, okay, I’ll go audition. It is such an iconic show, I do like to go out and audition for the ‘big hits’ shows. And I wanted to test my dancing abilities. I am not the best dancer. I feel like I handle my vocals much better than I do dancing. I’ve always wanted to work with Bambi, I think that really was the driving factor, so I auditioned for her, and she thought I was a good fit for the role and here we are! I’ve been branching out recently to other theatres, this is my first time doing a show at Cockpit (Cockpit in Court.)

Congratulations on your first Bambi show! What has that experience been like?

Sara: My first dance rehearsal, everything hurt afterwords. But I love that she’s holding me to the same standard as everybody else. I love that she has confidence that I can do all the things that everybody else is doing.

You said you’re not really a dancer, so why roll into a dance-heavy show?

Sara: I want to push myself. This is my first ‘lead’ in a show and I’ve done a lot of musical theatre shows. I want to push myself and challenge myself. If you show it to me, if you teach me, I’m going to try it until I can do it. I’m learning all the terms of ballet moves and it’s helping me grow.

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

Sara: Unique. I feel like every single cat is so unique. I love that Bambi has shared her passion for this show. She had us all go back and listen to the poems that were written about it. When I first heard the show, like so many people, I asked “what’s the storyline for this?” But when you hear the poems and you find that each cat has their own uniqueness to them, you find you’re not looking for the plot. That’s what I love about it. Every single person is able to show their own unique thing when they’re on the stage in this production and I absolutely love that.

Hanks, the Bustopher Jones doppelganger, belonging to Sara Ulrich

Do you have any cats at home?

Sara: I do! I have Hanks, named after Tom Hanks. And then I had another cat, Harley, who sadly passed away at a very young age, but I never thought I would love a cat. I got one because I moved and thought, “I need a companion.” And cats are the coolest things. They are amazing. Now, if you know Bustopher Jones, Hanks is basically Bustopher.

Oh my goodness. I love that so much. 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 Jellylorum?

Sara: Jay? J? Let’s go with that.

Absolutely, why not? Now what has been your big personal takeaway getting to be a part of this production here at Cockpit in Court?

Sara: My personal takeaway is that I’m capable of doing more than I think I am. I was very nervous going out for a lead role. I feel like everybody has their own moment of ‘lead role’ in this show, but to have as much stage time— like my own song with Gus and stuff like that— I’m so excited about it. It’s helped me to be more confident in my vocals and also my dancing, because like I said, not the strongest dancer. But I feel a lot stronger now that I’ve done the rehearsals with Bambi!

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?

Sara: Energy!

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: