Grizabella the Glamour Cat | Cats the Musical 

She was throwing Mom stares at Munkustrap right from the get go. When she sings “remark the cat who hesitates toward you”, Munkustrap reacts and straightens up immediately.

I like how Grizabella kind of acknowledged the kittens but then she looked at the adults because they are the ones who are judging her. While the kittens are curious about her. And when she sings "Memory" at the end you notice that it's a kitten that joins in, and it's also a kitten Victoria who touches her paw.

The way she walks with that limp makes me think she's not only old but hurt. It makes her rejection look more tragic.

The acting in this is just so fantastic.. the side-eye from Munkustrap is just perfect.

My personal headcanon here is that when Grizabella started to grow older and was loosing popularity of being "The Glamour Cat" she attacked whoever the new uprising pretty young thing, causing the other cats to turn away from her and even fear her. That is why she is alone and why the other cats are so protective of the kittens being near her.

In a show full of "I am" songs, Grizzabella gets an "I was" song.

I didn't notice this before, but I like how when Etcetera and Victoria approach Grizabella at 0:25, even though she's hurting and justifiably angry at everyone else, she never sings in anger to/at them. She acknowledges them for a moment, a glance here and there, but she reserves her full fury for the rest of the adults/elders. She has every right to be angry at everyone else, but she doesn't take it out on those that don't deserve it. It's just a nice little character choice in the song I didn't pick up on until now!

I love how, when Demeter starts singing, Grizabella is walking away like, "Yeah bitch, that's who I am. What are you gonna do about it?" But then when Grizabella stick out her paw behind her and Demeter sings, "And who would ever suppose that that was Grizabella the Glamor Cat," Grizabella realizes Demeter's not complimenting her and no one's going to accept her. Grizabella continues walking away, but less confidently, as more of the others join in, still insulting her.

2:24 - 2:32 Get chills everytime I hear the whole cast slowly join in and build up to that first long note they sing together..

The mystery behind Grizabella is so fascinating to me precisely because we never get an answer as to what her "crime" actually was. The entire musical seems almost centered around disproving various theories: - Grizabella is old and disheveled, and possibly near death, but so is Gus and he is lovingly cared for by the other cats. - She probably wasn't exiled for being a troublemaker or criminal, because Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer proudly proclaim themselves to be "cat burglar cats" and they're still part of the tribe. - It's possible that she had something going on with Macavity, but so did Demeter and no one holds it against her. - If Grizabella left the tribe to see the world ... well, how come everyone is so excited to see Skimbleshanks who spends his entire life on trains? - It can't be because she wasn't a stray at the time - neither are Rumple and Jerrie, Jennyanydots, and possibly various others. - In fact, it wasn't because she had it better than them and maybe even bragged about it - Bustopher Jones is a lot fancier and more well-fed than the other cats, and they admire him for it. - There are some references to sex work in Grizabella's songs ("Rhapsody on a windy night", the poem most of her lines are based on, is very clearly about a sex worker), but 1) the Jellicles are very open wrt sexuality (Tugger and Bomba in particular spend the entire show being horny on main, and let's not forget about the cat orgy), I highly doubt they'd draw the line at having sex for compensation, and 2) what would the feline equivalent to sex work even BE? Did Griz let random toms mount her for a hit of catnip? Whatever she did, it must have been pretty bad for the others to treat her with such vitriol, but in the end? It doesn't matter. She is eventually forgiven and offered a second chance at life, because mercy and compassion are ultimately more powerful than hate. (It goes well with the Christian themes of the musical, I suppose, although personally, I prefer a more secular take on that narrative. I mean, they're CATS. Their spirituality might just as well be a metaphor for their innate "catness" - the divinity of their unashamed felinity, so to speak. Cats are marvelous, mysterious, fiercely individualistic and utterly captivating creatures. There's a reason they've been associated with the supernatural and, at times, literally venerated by humans.) Is it the most sophisticated moral ever written? Of course not. However, it's one we all need to hear from time to time. Sometimes, you just have to will yourself to leave your cynicism behind and dare to believe in people who seem undeserving of that trust. It's something that we instinctively do while we still have a certain childlike innocence (represented in the play by the kittens, especially Jemima) and rediscover in our old age, as we learn to move past the bad experiences that have hardened us, and towards greater wisdom (represented by Old Deuteronomy). Anyway, that's why I don't think this musical is anywhere near as random as most people think. Grizabella really ties it all together.

2:08: Damn. The total disdain in her voice, the way she says "cat". Its like she thinks Grizabella barely qualifies as a real cat anymore. EDIT: To be clear, I actually meant the second "cat", but yeah, their both pretty scornful.

The idea of Grizabella being the mother of Munk, Tugg, and Macavity seems a bit truthful. Munkustrap straightens himself when she has that motherly tone and seems to keep the other cat (I think Cassandra, who seemed pretty hissy with her) away with a look. There are also moments where he seems to watch out for when a cat may touch her like Demeter. Tugger is a little cold but he is the youngest and does, albeit a bit sarcastically, let her pass him by. And it's pretty obvious by now that Deuteronomy, in this life at least, fathered the boys and has reached out to her with tears down his face. He openly wants her back in the clan and the moment she is, gives her the greatest honor and gift of getting a new life. I think as well the song isn't totally spiteful. It seems like they claim "Who would've thought it was her who would do it" both honestly and soon in anger. She left the clan, her sons and Deuteronomy- who could've thought it and how dare she have done it? God I love Cats, it's like a big old puzzle with such a deeper story in it!!

I always say that I like to believe that Bombalurina and Demeter are the daughters of Grizabella. I feel like it adds more impacting to them basically insulting her.

That last "THAAAAAAAAT!!" shows the entire group's utter contempt for Grizabella. Like she's just a disgusting thing that's been discarded. So powerful!

I know Memory is the iconic Cats song, but I enjoy this song way better.

⚠ *WARNING: very, very long* ⚠ From the start of the song, it's very noticeable to me that Munkus's demeanor towards Grizabella changes from hostile to somewhat cautious (not shown in the video but it's super obvious in the full film) as soon as she starts singing, then as Demeter sings about Griza, Munkus is still frowning but it's because the gears in his head are slowly turning, like he knows she's familiar but can't quite place it. Then, as Deme calls Griza by her name and Bomba joins in the singing, it's like the realization hits Munkus and it hits *hard*. Once Griza leaves, he and Deme seem to want to call her back but are too hesitant to go through with it, like they have this great baggage concerning her that they haven't really resolved by then. It can also be noted that Munkus's change in attitude as Griza sang was also affected by the presences of Victoria and Electra, since I suppose he didn't really want them to see him the way he was when he (most likely) shoved Quaxo/Misto away from Griza as if it was instinct and glowering at her like an enemy, but the fact that he didn't recognize her at all was probably why unlike Tugger who angrily left upon seeing her (and possibly mouthing "f__k you" as he puffed out his fluffy mane, but that's just me influenced by a subbed tumblr gif, or is it?? 🤔 ). While I am a firm believer of the "Griza is Munkus, Tugger, and Mac's mom" theory, I also think that Griza was very close to Deme and Bomba (especially Deme) before she left, and that's why the two queens reacted very differently when they saw her again: Bomba with disdain and disgust like Tugger, and Deme with hurt and pity like Munkus eventually showed. Man, this musical is damn nuts. I love it.

2:09 that line delivery is perfect

0:45: I love the way Cassandra gets that look on her face, like "Oh, what fun! I'm going to mess with this mangy old cat!". But then Munkustrap stares her down, like "Don't make trouble or I'll have to stop you" and she slinks away.

My cousin and I always called her the "Witch Cat" not fully understanding what was happening. Reading through and learning she left the clan when she was young, became a prostitute, contracted mange and was rejected by the family she left is much deeper than "she's a witch so they don't like her." What a beautiful story of redemption and second chances by Old Deuteronomy.

The music and lyrics by default are extremely haunting and emotional - but the incredible, intense capacity of the whole cast to output and show the motion of the scene, with just subtle movements, eyes, the singing, it's seriously FANTASTIC. It just adds up to an incredible haunting song by default and raises the bar.

The voice of Grizabella and Demeter are soooo beautiful in this song!

1:43 i like alonzo with his arm around cassandra. is he like, holding her back from being any more sassy, or

It hurts my heart to watch Jemima during the intro to this song. She starts off innocent, wanting to meet Grizabella, but you can see her face drop as the other cats shun her. Then when Pouncival reaches out, Jemima looks so excited, but of course he just scratches at her instead :(

The harmony from 2:21 to the end wow THE POWER THAT THIS CAST HAS

i love that her coat is literally what a severely matted ungroomed cats fur would look like.. it’s so realistic and that is the most severe type of matting a cat can get

I wish they could show the scene where she arrives because I found a gif of Mistoffelees going to her and looking at her curiously, but then Munkustrap pushes him away from her

1:54 in the back, alonzo and cassandra are together, his arm around her waist. They act like a couple through the entire show. I love them two together.

I kind of like how at the line "she ougt to be dead," Munkus' kind of snaps towards Demeter and she looks away sharply. I think that was his way of basically telling her that she was starting to overstep.

Macavity , Munkustrap and tugger are Grizabellas kittens I reckon. Old doot is their dad

1:08 Demeter - She haunted many a low resort, near the grimy road of Tottenham Court; She flitted about the No Man's Land, from "The Rising Sun" to "The Friend at Hand". And the postman sighed as he scratched his head: "You really had thought she ought to be dead. And who'd had ever suppose that. That was Grizabella, the Glamour Cat."

That moment when she tries to keep her head up, telling us everything about her character and previous pride, only for her attempt to completely collapse. How to capture the core flaw of a character and a story arch in just a few seconds of acting ^^ Also, a big narrative trick: She is one of the only cats to start her own song and talk about herself, only to then get completely torn down by the other cats that sing the majority of her song, as opposed to getting introduced by someone else and praised by the others. So structurally its also opposite to the other songs :D

That vibration at 2:27 from all of them singing “suppose at that” line sends chills down the spine if you close your eyes, deeply listen and Feel it! Damn 👏👏 So very clean!

_demeter starts singing_ _grizabella: yeahh~ yup that's me!_

0:39 Grizabella, being a sad old lady: Cassandra: *lmao time for my dance solo*

Remark the cat who hesitates toward you In the light of the door which opens on her like a grin You see the border of her coat is torn and stained with sand And you see the corner of her eye twist like a crooked pin She haunted many a low resort Near the grimy road of Tottenham Court She flitted about the No Man's Land From "The Rising Sun" to "The Friend at Hand" And the postman sighed as he scratched his head "You'd really had thought she ought to be dead" And who would ever suppose that That was Grizabella, the glamor cat Grizabella, the glamor cat, Grizabella, the glamor cat And who would ever suppose that That was Grizabella, the glamor cat

The weird thing about the end of this song is that you can see Demeter lurch towards her, as if to apologise for the tribe’s cruelty, but the next cut scene shows Bombalurina being the one to run forward, as if she’s making sure she’s gone for good. The differing attitude between the two is so odd

I absolutely adore the use of actual cat body language with the cats' behavior, especially with Munkustrap doing the Side Eye thing, cats actually do that as a sign of aggression/warning, so him doing it to call off Cassandra, and to tell Demeter to tone it down (with which she averts eye contact, another cat thing to diffuse a situation/show submission), AUGH it's so good i love this musical

Okay, so what if Bombalurina and Demeter are Grizabellas daughters and that’s why Grizabella smiles when Demeter hits the high note because she is so proud of her singing. And that’s why she is like sad when the two call her Grizabella The Glamour Cat because she did something that made them dismissive of calling her “mom” anymore. Like maybe they are embarrassed to call her mom. And then bomba joins Demeter and also calls her Grizabella and it becomes like too much for her when all the cats calls her that

She must have strong lungs and love the singing this is the best

I feel like this is one of the only songs in the show that works as a metaphor as well as literally. One thing I only noticed when reading the original poems was that many of them sound less like they’re describing anthropomorphic characters and more like exaggerations of the kinds of cats people meet in real life. Rum Tum Tugger is the cat that’s fun and energetic but completely irrational, Mister Mistofelees is the cat that moves stuff around when you’re not looking, Skimbleshanks is the stray that’s so independent they like to pretend he’s a person, and Grizabella is the stray that used to get pampered and shown off by people who were only using her for attention.

mukustrap is looking at her saying " You look familiar mom , but you cannot come back " she wants to come back and repent of her ways , but they won't let her

That intense moment with Grizzabella and Munkustrap though😭

grizabella has such a beautiful voice

Every time I watch this scene, I always forget how powerful and dramatic that crescendo is towards the end with the ensemble. Wow!! 😐

I was pretty young and naive the first time I saw "Cats" and I couldn't understand why all the other cats were so hard on Grizzabella. Now that I get it, I still think they're being cruel.

The song is sad as it is, but to add even more context and heartbreak-Tottenham Court (mentioned around 1:21) was a street in London known for sex work from the late nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries

Still watched like it’s my first time, best Broadway production ever

Me and my dad listen to this song I finally understand the song and what it means. Thank you to the people that created this piece of art.

Her voice will always be iconic 😍

Interesting translation in french about the postman's part, that's what is said in french, it makes you think a little bit (just google translate it, if you want a word for word traslation but mine is that): "En la voyant le facteur se dit.... Qu'elle aurai mieux fait de perdre la vie !" "When looking at her, the postman thought, that she sould have lost her life" It makes you think on HOW MUCH she was actually rejected.

👉 Love how slinky Cassandra shows off in front of Munkustrap! 0:48

God, this number is something else in comparison to the whole score. It's so unsettling to see all these familiar and otherwise fun characters go ice cold. It's such a sudden 180 in everyone's tone and behavior, it really sends this feeling of almost dread down my spine every time I get to it during a watch. As if this clan is deliberately concealing something truly dark and harsh from the audience. Actually there's this running theme of little incidents in Cats that almost seem designed to make the audience feel uneasy, like you've stumbled into a friendly cult. And then they do something...weird and unsettling. And you almost wonder how safe you really are with them.

Even after all these years we still love this musical 😊😊❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

In my town, I’ve been kinda shunned by people my age and a few adults who see me as a disgrace. I live in a town that covers up its issues with a fake smile. Anyway, People saw me as inferior because of my mental illness. I left school, and whenever I’d go outside I’d be pointed at and laughed at. I saw this musical, and immediately felt like I could relate to Grizabella. Like her, I want to be accepted and loved by my peers. Thanks for reading! Enjoy the musical

2:05 you can tell she completely breaks with that “glamour cat” line. Elaine Page is the fucking MVP.

I would love to have seen this cast in person

Everyone knows and remembers Memory, but this here for me was the absolute wow of the entire show.

Trivia: the Friend at Hand and the Rising Sun are real pubs. The former is near Russell Square Station (and the Hotel Russell) and the latter is on Tottenham court road

man they treat her like garbage , both she and macavity were banned from the jellicle ball , and i don't know what was his issue with Old Deuteronomy and why do they hate Grizabella and Macavity for no reason

So... it seems like the original arrangements of the songs and performances were a lot better than the disastrous 2019 movie. In the movie the soundtrack sounded incredibly boring and these are a lot more catchy

I wish I had a cat like Griz. I’d give her love and acceptance.

*Don't you just love Bombalurina's voice*

Tbh: I really feel bad for Grizzabella The Glamour Cat. She just wanna be apart of her family again and them being mad at her for experiencing life. I mean damn!!! The Jellicles are starting to sound like a Cult.

This just gives me complete goosebumps and tears flow in my eyes for Isabella the glamour cat. If anyone knew i was in Love with musicals in general as a heavy metal fan... I don't think I'd hear the end of it... I love Cats the musical so much!!! Only time i get to cry in my own with joy and sadness.

I love singing this one

0:43 cassandra's like "okay i'll just sneak out of here and... SHIT she saw me!"

I like her, she’s has goth witch energy and I respect that

0:01-0:15 but why is that me trying to change the radio when my mom is listening to her dang Country music

Anyone else feel like Jennifer Hudson was too young to play this role?????

My head cannon is that Grizabella was Old Deuteronomy's lover, Munkustrap and Tugger are their children and she left Deuteronomy to explore the world and be with other cats, leaving Deuteronomy devastated, and that's why the jellicles hate her.

Cassandra at 0:47 omg

1:52 Munk starts looking concerned but doesn’t help. Also... 0:21 He isn’t looking at the kits (and Jenny is also trying to keep them back from her place on the other side of the stage).

Okay I'm gonna add on to the theory that grizabella is the mother of bombalurina and Demeter. Grizabella left them all alone and bombalurina is the older sibling. Demeter is really upset with her mother and is mad at her for leaving. Bombalurina is just like "we don't need you, I don't care that you're here, I don't even know you"

0:30 "Try not to get goosebumps"

cassandra 0:47 😍❤😻

I think Grizabella is Munkustraps mom or old mate from before she was kicked out of the tribe

Demeter was always my favorite

My eyes can’t be open during this because Elaines eyes stair into my soul

Uh😆 this gives me chills every time!!

never fails to give me goosebumps...

I wish this version was on spotify

This makes me so sad She didn’t deserve this

Why is all of the pressure on Munkustrap, every cat was waiting for him to do something about Grizabella.

I love Elaine Paige, Linda Mae Brewer, (Aeva May) and Rosemarie Ford.

idk if anyone has said this before, but my personal headcanon is that her crime is that she mated with Macavity, and that Demeter is her daughter and product of that affair. She's canonically coded as a sex worker, which in itself isn't a crime amongst the jellicle cats, because they have nothing against open sexual promiscuity. And just being associated with Macavity, or committing crimes like Macavity, isnt worthy of exile because Mungojerrie, Rumpelteazer, and Grittlebone are still welcomed by the Jellicles. However, I think mating with Macavity would be worthy of exile in the eyes of the jellicles, because its a sacred thing being performed with their sworn enemy and a criminal guilty of literally EVERYTHING. This theory would also explain why Demeter is so afraid of Macavity, more so than any other Jellicle, and is also the most visibly torn over Grizabella's disheveled, broken state. in this number, Demeter approaches to touch her but then bails with a pained expression, and then is the first to go after Grizabella as she exits offstage at the end. And in Grizabella's Rejection she reaches out to catch Grizabella from falling over on instinct. The theory also explains why Macavity practically singles Demeter out in the fight number, grabbing her and trying to get away. She's HIS daughter, and in his eyes his property.

Love this part yesss honey 2:15

There are parts of this show that are so gorgeous and parts that are silly. This is song is so gorgeous like several others. I don't think the movie will capture this using a young woman as Grizabella.

The vagueness of Grizabella's backstory and the mentions of her "flitting about" in strange places reminds me of the real-world phenomenon of Feline Non-Recognition Aggression. FNRA happens when you, the person with a multi-cat household, takes only one cat to the vet or the groomer, and when you return the other cat(s) act like they've never seen that cat before in their life, and get extremely hostile towards the "stranger." It's because cats recognize family by smell, much like dogs, and now the other cat smells like the vet's office, other animals, fear and stress pheromones, etc. It varies by animal, but FNRA can be mild or intense; and it can last hours, days, months, maybe for a lifetime. One of my cats (Mina) didn't recognize her sister (Lita) for over a year; their relationship is only just starting to repair now bc I took them both to the vet a few weeks ago. Mina's FNRA is so bad that even when I take *her* to the vet, she won't recognize and accept me after we get home until I change clothes. With Grizabella off flitting around strange places, she probably picked up intimidating scents that made her seem like a threat. Maybe she also had a personality change along the way because of her experiences that further alienated her from the group. And I do like the theory that she's Munk's and RumTumTugger's mother, because some cats truly are terrible moms...when I was young I had a cat, Tasha, who was just *awful* to her son for most of her life; pulling him out of windows, hissing and swatting at him when he wanted to cuddle; just generally being a grump. Funnily enough, Tasha could also be considered a "glamour" cat...she was a longhaired Persian with pure white fur except for one gray stripe on her forehead, and blue eyes. *And* Tasha, like Grizabella, became more social as she got older...she was less grumpy and more willing to snuggle after she turned 10. I'll never forget walking into the living room to see her cuddling peacefully with Sebastian (her son) and letting him groom her!! I never thought that would ever happen in my whole life. So...my Grand Unified Theory of Grizabella is that they all hate her because she was a shitty absentee mom who smelled bad.

wish this clip had the intro, it really throws you right into it

Grizabella really feels hurt by all the other cats who were once her friends.

2:21 - 2:32 The Cats: Who'd had ever supposed that. That was Grizabella, the Glamour Cat.

It really shows how much the adult cats don’t like Grizz and care for the kittens when they try to stop them from approaching her

2:22 Whoa! You can feel the desdain and pure hate when they raise their voices. Makes you nervous

I've no idea if this is canon, but what if Victoria became pregnant after her first mating & Grizabella literally became reborn to the one who reached out and accepted her?

This is so powerful

I Hated This Scene & Still Do. When I First Saw CATS On Stage & They Way They Treated Grizabella It Made me So Angry & Sad. How They Made Her Feel So Lost, Lonely & Rejected....I Cried During MEMORY.....The Ending Though Was Worth It...She Found Her Happiness After all ..I Love Grizabella.

Wait..... WOAH is Demeter actually telling us how she got to be how she is? I started to carefully listen to the lyrics and it seems like either she ran away and regretted it, or she formed some sort of addiction or something. Maybe I'm wrong it's just so interesting to theorize

This makes so sad rewatching I had a bengal cat who was “different” she wasn’t the brightest but she was so sweet, all the other cats bullied her like they knew she was the odd one out, one of our cats adored her though, when he was a kitten he got lost in the spare room twice and both times she had to rescue him, they had such a special bond, he was her only friend out of all the animals, so this makes me cry

I like how Webber used a deleted poem for her lyrics, perfect for how she was thrown away from the other Jellicles.

Elaine was the Grizabella I grew up with.