Assistant Professor of Music Theatre Jacob Brent is reconnecting with the musical that launched his Broadway career.
Decades after his debut in “Cats,” he is returning to the whimsical world as a member of the producing team for its newest revival, “CATS: The Jellicle Ball,” opening on Broadway April 7.
“Cats” is a musical written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on T.S. Eliot’s “Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats,” telling the story of a tribe of fictional Jellicle cats gathering for their annual ball to choose one cat to be reborn. The musical opened on Broadway in 1982, to mixed reviews, according to Brent.
“It’s very misunderstood. A lot of people either love it or they despise it,” Brent said.
Originally from the town of Elon, Brent said he moved to New York the second he graduated from high school. According to Brent, he had been in New York for two days before booking his first role on Broadway, an ensemble track in “Cats.”
“It was such a quick turnaround, it’s crazy,” Brent said. “This was not normal.”
Brent said he performed in the show for 10 years, moving from his ensemble role to playing a lead, Mr. Mistoffelees. When the Broadway production closed, he said he was invited to reprise the role in London’s West End, where he performed for the next two years. In 1998, Brent said he was asked to be on a recording of the show playing Mr. Mistoffelees, another milestone in his long history with the show.
“I really grew up through ‘Cats,’” Brent said. “I went from a nobody then to making the film, to having my picture on the front of the theater and people coming dressed as me to see the show and having signs with my name on it.”
Brent said because of his deep history with “Cats,” he was originally skeptical about the revival, “CATS: The Jellicle Ball,” when it was first announced. When he went to see the show last year off-Broadway, Brent said he walked into the theater with his “arms crossed,” waiting to be disappointed. But after the opening number, he said he felt so relaxed and had the best time.
According to Brent, “CATS: The Jellicle Ball” is very similar to the original musical, but instead of being literal cats competing to be reborn, they are people who are competing in a New York City ballroom competition. Brent said the show emphasizes ballroom culture, a style of dance party that developed in New York’s underground LGBTQ+ scene between the 1960s and 1980s.
Brent said the biggest difference he noticed from the original “Cats” to the revival was the audience reaction. According to Brent, “CATS: The Jellicle Ball” encourages the audience to react and pushes against the stereotype of what theater can be.
“When I saw it, I was like, this is the most exciting audience I've been in in a long time,” Brent said. “People were hollering, and fan clacking and rooting for people in the show. It was just this release of excitement.”
Brent said he was impressed by how well the revival understood the main theme of a community coming together to celebrate each other. According to Brent, that message is true onstage as well as offstage.
After seeing the show off-Broadway, Brent said the co-director saw him and recognized him as Mr. Mistoffelees and told him the 1998 film version of “Cats” inspired him to create the revival.
“The passing of the torch is so important,” Brent said. “You need to understand where everything comes from. He literally told me, ‘We're here because of what you did,’ and that was so beautiful.”
According to Brent, another way he is passing down his legacy is by being a part of the producing team for “CATS: The Jellicle Ball.” He said a lead producer of the show reached out to former “Cats” cast members and asked if they wanted to be involved, and Brent jumped at the opportunity.
“There is something cool about the lineage of us being part of that original production, and now ushering in this new production,” Brent said.
Brent said being on the producing team has involved jumping on Zoom meetings and learning about the business side of theater. He said he hopes to bring his newfound knowledge back to his students because producing will always be relevant in the industry.
“It's cool to be really in it and have hands-on, experimental learning,” Brent said. “We tell our students to go study abroad and immerse themselves all the time. And I feel like this is my version of immersive learning.”
Brent said this is his first time serving on a producing team, and at this stage, his role primarily involves contributing financially. But Brent said he is hopeful to move up as he gets more producing opportunities.
“My producing experience is sort of mirroring my performing experience,” Brent said. “I'm joining up at the baseline level of producer, and as I go, I'll get more say in what happens in shows. It’s very full circle.”