i’ve been seeing a lot about cats vs cats the jellicle ball and every time I look at people praising ctjb (as they should) it’s always also about putting down the original version as “nonsense” or “pointless” or “silly” and how ctjb “finally makes the show make sense” it just hurts my heart because cats has always been about finding a community and welcoming outcasts and coming together and celebrating differences, and so many actors in replica/non-replicas productions have portrayed their cats as LGBTQIA+ and there have been so many amazing poc and LGBTQIA+ actors in the history of the show, and ctjb is just another amazing version of the show that expands on the themes that have always been part of cats the musical.
i love cats the jellicle ball so much, and it makes me incredibly happy that it is introducing this show to a new group of fans, and i think it’s one of the most beautiful non-reps of cats to exist, and please do NOT take this post as me hating on ctjb because i am ABSOLUTELY not, but i’m begging people not to pass on the original version of the show and put it down.