#cats 2003

So, because I take notes on literally everything, I kept track of who said what line in Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer in several different productions, and I found an interesting thing.

I watched the video of the OLC performing the first version of the number in 1981 and counted how many lines Jerrie sung by himself, vs. how many lines Teazer sung by herself. I didn’t count the parts where they just said their names. Here’s the tally:

Jerrie: 10

Teazer: 13

They’re very close, with Teazer having just a bit more.

Then, I checked the official score from 2003 that I have lying around, which uses the second version of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. I didn’t use the 1998 version because 1. they didn’t include all the verses and 2. there are slight differences between the 1998 and 2003 versions, with the latter being what’s normally used in modern productions. There are other productions of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer that use the second version and divide the lines differently, but this is what’s sort of considered “standard” in the present day.

Jerrie: 18

Teazer: 8

The number of lines sung as solos is different in the different versions. But, the most noticeable thing is, not only does Jerrie now have more lines than Teazer, but A LOT more. 1981 Teazer has 3 more lines than Jerrie. 2003 Jerrie and 10 more lines than Teazer.

This changes a few things about how the characters are perceived, depending on which version of the number is used. 

In the first version, Teazer stands out a bit more than Jerrie, but they feel like their on an equal footing. The song is passed back and forth, like they’re finishing each other’s sentences. The second has long stretches where Jerrie is singing alone, but really only one occasion where Teazer sings by herself for a longer time. This puts emphasis on Jerrie, and the order the lines go in always have Jerrie start. The general pattern is that they go back and forth for the first half of a verse, and then Jerrie sings most of the second half himself, and they come together for the last line.

The first patter section (cut from 1998) is a good example of this pattern. The full verse is:

1. If the area window is found ajar

2. And the basement looks like a field of war

3. If a tile or two comes loose on the roof

4. Which presently fails to be waterproof

5. If the drawers are pulled out from the bedroom chest

6. And you can’t find one of your winter vests

7. Or after supper, one of the girls

8. Suddenly misses her Woolworth pearls

In 1981, the pattern is Teazer, Jerrie, Jerrie, Teazer, Together, Together, Teazer, Teazer

In 2003, the pattern is Jerrie, Jerrie, Teazer, Teazer, Jerrie, Jerrie, Jerrie, Jerrie

Jerrie takes the entire second half for himself. 

The fact that 2003 Teazer never starts a verse and Jerrie tends to take large portions of verses gives off the vibe that Jerrie is the instigator. Teazer follows Jerrie and Jerrie will go on by himself. 

This is the way they work as a crime duo. 1981 Macavity mentioned by Jerrie and Teazer being agents for Macavity. They are always working together. 

By 2003, only Jerrie is mention in Macavity, so he becomes the leader of the pair who will do crimes by himself or with cats other than Teazer. Teazer likes to make trouble, but she mostly follows Jerrie’s lead and doesn’t do much by herself.

The pacing of the very last line:

1981: “It was Mungojerrie AND Rumpleteazer”

2003: “It was Mungojerrie!”

...

Macavity, Solo evilness || 😼

My sister is the music major of my family, not me, so there’s not a whole lot I can say. I did in school in 5th and 6th grade, and choir in 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 10th grade, so I can read sheet music. I can play single melodies on the piano and can rarely ever do chords, because what even are fine motor skills.

But, I can recognize patterns, I think.

So, in the 2003 score, the one made for the 2003 UK Tour that’s been used in nearly every replica production since, the Gumbie Trio’s part looks like this:

Demeter’s part, in the middle, is the closest thing to a melody. Most of what you hear as the melody is a three part harmony, a combination of notes being sung by three different people. Your brain meets somewhere in the middle and you hear a melody.

Interestingly, the Cats wiki shows a different version of the score that looks like this:

It states that Jellylorum has the melody, giving her the middle part, and Demeter the high part. It makes more sense to have Jelly on the high part, as she’s the only soprano of the trio, but apparently this moved around a lot.

I listened to the 1998 version to hear who was singing what part, but I couldn’t focus on an individual voice in the group, so I couldn’t tell. If someone reading this has a better ear than me, I’d love to know who was singing what line here.

But, there’s yet another score lying around. This one has a copyright of 1981, meaning that it’s the original. It doesn’t include harmonies, so it was probably not something the performers actually worked off of, but rather something sold commercially to people who wanted to learn the songs on piano. If it doesn’t include harmonies, how does the trio section work? Like this:

You can tell it’s 1981, because it includes the second verse, which was cut from every other production, though part of it showed up in the Broadway Revival.

Now, if you compare the musical notes with the other versions, you mostly see the middle part of the trio, but at the end, it becomes something completely different, going lower than the low part of the trio. When being sung solo, a different melody is created for it. This is the melody Rebel Wilson sang in 2019. Those really low notes at the end stand out.

Tldr:

1. Jellylorum and Demeter sometimes switch their parts in the Gumbie Trio and I’d like to know who was singing what in 1998, but I suck and can’t hear it, even though Susan Jane Tanner has a very distinct voice that should be easy to single out.