A pinch of sugar— and spice— and everything nice— and that’s how you get— whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. Is this cooking class or Cats? I think we got ourselves a little mixed up on account of this cat’s particular, more dignified name!
Thank you kindly for sitting with us this morning and giving us a few moments of your time. Would you tell us who you are and who you play in this production of Cats?
Caitlyn McLaughlin: I’m Caitlyn McLaughlin—
Ooh. Any relation to Sarah McLaughlin?
Caitlyn: I do have an Aunt Sarah, but no relation. Haha! And I’m in the ensemble and my cat’s name is Saffron.
I love that name. Tell me a little bit about Saffron.
Caitlyn: She’s very sassy. She can have a little bit of a mean streak but most of the time she’s kind of just hanging around with the other cats. In my mind I picture her to be orangish-yellowy. Kind of like the color of saffron.
She sounds delightful. Why did you want to come out and audition to be a part of Cats?
Caitlyn: I love to dance. And I love the show. It was one of the first shows I saw on Broadway.
Is this your first show working with Bambi? And what has that been like so far?
Caitlyn: It is and it has been so great! Everyone in the cast has such a nice feeling of camaraderie and she nurtures that. Bambi’s been really great and obviously she’s done the show before so the cat details that she knows and brings to us— it’s super cool to get to see that from someone who knows the show so well.
You said you like to dance, do you consider yourself to be a dancer?
Caitlyn: I grew up dancing. And then I got more into musical theatre in high school. That’s where I found my niche.
What does it mean to you to be a Jellicle Cat?
Caitlyn: I think it’s a very magical thing. I think it also means being part of a family and having your people who are always there for you. It’s a magical family.
That sounds pretty accurate! Do you have any cats?
Caitlyn: So I don’t have cats but Austin (Austin Barnes, playing Mungojerrie) who is my boyfriend, he has cats. I’m actually allergic to cats.
Ooh. I’m also allergic to cats. But I have six. I take an allergy pill. Now, I vaguely remember Austin having two cats two years ago when he played Rum Tum Tugger in the 2022 production of Cats with Tidewater Players under Bambi’s direction and choreography…are these the same cats? Weasley and something or other?
Caitlyn: Yeah! Weasley and Enola!
And do you get along with Weasley and Enola?
Caitlyn: Oh yeah! They’re the first cats that I’ve ever gotten to interact with. I was kind of scared of cats, I think because I knew I was allergic, but I’ve gotten to know those two and they’re great.
That’s really lovely and I’m glad you get along with them. 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 Saffron?
Caitlyn: Something that’s not as good as Saffron, obviously. She knows that she’s Saffron but those humans are calling her something like Clara. And she totally hates it. Stupid humans.
What has been your big personal takeaway from this experience so far?
Caitlyn: I’ve definitely gotten back into technical ballet movement, which I haven’t done in a while. It’s really reminded me of how much I love to dance so it’s been a really cool experience.
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?
Caitlyn: Dynamic!
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.
Follow along in the “Return to the Jellicle Ball” Series here:
