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

For he’s a fiend in feline shape! A monster of depravity… you guessed it! It’s time to meet— *GASP* where’d he go?

Kapone Washington as Macavity in Cats with Cockpit in Court

Thank you so much for joining us! Please tell us who you are and who you’re playing in this production of Cats!

Kapone Washington: I’m Kapone Washington. And I play Macavity. And I’m also Tumbulbrutus.

That’s awesome. Can you tell me a little bit about Macavity?

Kapone: He’s a mysterious cat. And he’s a villain in the show.

How are you and Macavity similar and how are you and he different?

Kapone: We’re really different but the same because he’s quiet and in here at rehearsal I’m quiet. This is a different environment for me because I’m just getting into acting and theatre. We’re definitely different because outside of here, I’m not quiet. I’m the opposite, I’m loud outside.

This is pretty wild. Why did you want to come out and be a part of Cats?

Kapone: It’s across the street from where I live. I want to be in movies and I thought this might be a good start.

I love it. Now you said you also play Tumblebrutus as well, tell me a little bit about what he’s like.

Kapone: He’s a regular cat that flips. And that’s what I do. I flip.

So you do acrobatics and stuff?

Kapone: Oh yeah.

That’s really very cool. Are you a dancer as well?

Kapone: I don’t do this kind of dance. I mean I’ve never tried to do ballet or anything like that. But I do dance. I do hip-hop. But I like to try new things.

Oscar, a cat on loan from Mandy Gunther.

I love that you’re getting to try new things. So this is your first time working with Bambi, what has that been like?

Kapone: It’s cool. She’s a really nice person. I remember when I came here for the auditions, with the singing part…I don’t really sing but Bambi said they were still looking for a flipper, and I was really happy about that. If she hadn’t taken a chance on me and called me back I would probably never have been in a play, so it’s been really cool to be a part of this.

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

Kapone: To be a cat that has good posture. To be a sharp cat. To be real cool. There is nothing uncool about a Jellicle Cat.

Now do you have cats at home?

Kapone: No. My grandmother has one. I look at it a lot. I think about her cat a lot— Mr. Belvedere— because now I’m playing in Cats and I’m being a cat so I think about that cat a lot. He behaves like a dog a little bit sometimes too.

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 Macavity?

Kapone: I think that they call him George. I think that’s like his regular name but it’s cool that they have three names. I don’t know that third name though, but it’s cool.

I also like that they have three names! What have you learned about yourself by getting to be a part of Cats? What has been your big personal takeaway from this experience?

Kapone: It’s okay to be different. I’m learning to adapt to a new environment and a new situation and it’s been a little tricky, but I’m getting through it, and 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?

Kapone: Exciting!

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: