i've always seen Grizabella as Rum's mom, so for me that scene was a son who felt abandonned making a point of not greeting his mom, since she's no longer welcome
The part where she dances absolutely breaks my heart. She’s trying to fit in, to show that she’s still lively. But it physically and emotionally hurts her. She’s not who she used to be, not glamorous anymore. She becomes frustrated, knowing she can’t keep this up. Old Deuteronomy looks on with pity
The first time I watched this show, I was probably around 7, and I was convinced that Grizabella was a mouse, and that's why the rest of the tribe rejected her lol. Them round ears were confusing
I laughed. But Munkustrap's strutting and posturing is meant to mimic a feral cat colony's 'lead' tomcat, behaving as a protector of the rest of the colony. So he stands tall with arms spread, puffs his chest, challenges the outsider (Grizabella) until Deuteronomy (the only cat he defers to) calls him off, so then he struts away.
I think it was a good idea to have a shiny and fancy black dress underneath her tattered coat, it kind of shows grizzabella’s beauty within that the others don’t see
It looks like a flapper dress (also from her moves). Her fur also resembles a fur coat that is worn out and dirty. I love how in this production her costume tells a lot about her backstory
Old Deuteronomy does this because, unlike the other cats, he understands Grizzabella's sorrow. Grizzabella was once a beautiful and well loved cat in the glory days of her youth. But time has changed her; she is no longer the young, beautiful, graceful, and accepted cat she was before. Such is the torture of growing old.
What I really like about this is that some of adult cats are kind of sympathetic but they still have to follow rules while others are aggressively following the rule and not at all hiding their distain for Grizzabelle. You can tell by how the cats get between the kittens and Grizzabelle. Example, some cats will just gently back the kittens away and just shake their heads like 'no, don't do that' while others are hissing and scratching and pulling for the kittens to get back and away from Grizzabelle. Nice details, I love Grizzabelle.
People are wondering and commenting on why the other cats are rejecting her and what's wrong with her movements... I won't comment on back story because everyone has their own theory, but at surface level she is an old and worn cat who left her tribe... I've always thought that she might have mange, so the cats avoid touching her because there is risk in doing that (contagious, even to humans, and also very painful). She's reminiscing about her past when she could easily dance like the other young cats, and it can also be taken as her trying to impress the cats or show them that she can still be like them. But ultimately, she is an old, possibly diseased, cat who is in so much pain; not just emotionally but also physically.
If this helps to give it a bit of a less sad component for you, (though if you prefer the extra sad then by all means! Sometimes that's just whatcha need), in cat psychology shunning is a real thing! If cats are in a social group and one has done something that the others dislike or something harmful/offensive I guess you could say, they actually shun that cat for a while. As cats are a highly social species, it has an immediate impact! It's even a reccomended training tool to shun a cat for perhaps 10 minutes if they play too hard and hurt you. It's a naturally understood way for cats to realize something was done that was wrong. In this case, they're shunning Grizzabella because they feel wronged by her leaving the tribe. They view her as not one of their own anymore, and thus, they refuse to acknowledge her--and for cats, that includes touching, since touch is how they mark their loved ones with their scent.
I had heard that they rejected her because she wasn’t familiar to them. She had been away too long. She had left to find fame and fortune, which she had. She returned to see if her tribe was still there. And the dance moves was her trying to remember the things she had forgot. Being away for as long as she was. Makes ‘memories’ even more poignant.
I heard she used to be a house cat but got hit by a car. Her owners didn't want to touch her because her coat was so messed up and abandoned her. The other cats didnt like her because she used to be a house cat.
Her dance breaks my heart. She’s trying so hard to show that she’s still lively, still like the others. But it hurts. She doesn’t know what she’s doing. She isn’t who she used to be. She’s just making a fool of herself, she thinks. Some glamour cat, she thinks.
Griz made a lot of bad choices in her youth, alienating those who loved her via her self-indulgent, self-destructive ways as she reveled in success her beauty and body gave her. Then she was injured, deformed, and the world fell apart, moving on to the next 'it girl'. When she returned to her old world, she was met with hostility, scorn, and rejection, and thus became jaded, broken, and lonely. She dances to feel that spark the others felt at the ball, but can't really help but feel like the old fool she is. She can no longer believe she could be worthy of redemption, which is why she runs from Deuteronomy
I always use to ball my eyes out to this as a kid. I found it so sad how she’d try and dance and be like the others but they wouldn’t accept her. I was so sensitive bless me
Even though this musical is light on plot and has been accused of being little more than I variety show, I found it to have some very heavy themes. The themes of old age and death are there throughout, as represented by Grizzabella and Gus and the desire to go to the Heaviside Layer. The younger, athletic cats like Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger, and Mr. Mistoffelees are so full of life and vigor, but then there is the somber reminder that everything diminishes and has its end. I found the show to be such a spectacular whirl of emotions and I'm so glad I finally discovered it.
2:50 is just so haunting, with the shot and the music, the emptiness and hopelessness. At the end of it all, she's just got nothing left to give, she's tired and you can see she just can't take it anymore. So heartbreaking!
The way she dances towards the end. She’s trying to relive her youth but she knows it’s gone. She’s doing what she can to impress the others, to show that she’s like them. You can see the pain in her eyes. It hurts her to move but she’s trying her best just to do something that will make them want to be around her again
The interesting part is that Skimbleshanks & Munkustrap r more gentle w/ the kittens than Jellylorum & Jennyanydots. Skimble & Munkustrap would just gently sweep 1 of the kittens' arm away while Jellylorum & Jennyanydots would just grab 1 of the kittens by the arm & pull them away, or they would swing their arm @ them. Take a look @ 0:23, 1:05, & 1:22 2 c what I mean.
Probably upset at how close the two came to touching her/keep trying even after being told not to. And the toms are gentler because, well, toms are stronger by default so they need to be careful.
Awh skimbleshanks isnt as mean as the others. He just puts arm in the way of jemima. While jelly and other motherly cats are yanking them into another dimension.
There's a theory that Demeter was grizabellas daughter or related to her in some sort. Victoria and Jemima are kittens and don't know much about her backstory
Okay a bottle of red wine and revisiting this scene don’t mix well, I’m telling you. Someone do a drunk reaction to this clip please, I’m too weak to do this sh*t drunk or sober.
Not enough people mention that several of the dance moves Grizabella does here are moves the Jellicles do during the Jellicle Ball. She's not just reliving her glamorous youth, she's reliving her time with the tribe.
It's just heartbreaking to see her dance alone like that... 1:57 You can see that she's in pain yet no one wants to help with exceptions of the kittens and Old Deut but the others always discourage them from doing so, that's the problem with the world today
The costume and makeup here tho, IMPECCABLE. I love how Grizzabella wore a shiny flapper-style dress complete with a worn out garter underneath her fur here. Also her fur somehow resembles a dirty torn out coat. The costume tells about her so much. That's one amazing costume choice right there
I think that Grizabella was a mate to Deuteronomy and they had Tugger, Macavity, and Munkustrap. She was the most beautiful cat of all and was popular among the group. Somehow she ended up with mange, and it damaged her coat. She was no longer a beautiful cat, but she was still loved by the group. She walked out on them all, including her three sons because she thought she was nothing without her beauty. This is why she is hated. Many other issues are ignored by the group and you can hear the things other accepted cats have done in the songs. She left Deuteronomy, breaking his heart and abandoned her sons. Since he is the leader you could tell why the other cats would despise her for it. Macavity probably turned evil from the trauma of this event, Tugger always has to prove that he is great and needed by others (hence his hypersexual nature), and Munkustrap set out to be a good example and protect those who could not protect themselves as a way of being better than his mother after abandonment. Now, the catch here is Demeter. Why would Demeter hate her if this were the case? I think Demeter and Macavity were mates and at the time like his song says he was a handsome ginger cat (presumably good?) and when Grizabella left he turned into a monster that took advantage of Demeter making her suffer through trauma. I’m sure the kittens aren’t allowed to touch her because of her mange and the leftover prejudice of the group’s adults from the event.
I cry every time I see this part of the show. Grizabella represents the saddest part of life. Life has been cruel to her. Life is not always fair to people.
👉1:08 Love the *sweet wide eyed* Jemima (aka Sillabub in some productions). She exudes innocence & pure curiosity. Sarah Brightman originated the role!!!! A beautiful kitten who later encourages Graizabella to sing her life story! 💛💗
It always breaks my heart especially when the younger cats like Victoria and Jemima are approaching her but get pulled away by the others. It's like how children are curious and innocent but adults are more mean and judgemental
The thing that drives me crazy about all the Grizzabella scenes is Munkustrap- Munkustrap is a caring and nurturing individual by nature, and his priority is to protect the tribe but there's a part of him that wishes that he could accept and reassure Grizzabella, he's always so hesitant to shun her. The first time she shows up he actually kinda reaches out towards her as she walks away, and here, he looks like he's about to get close and then at the last second turns away and walks off calmly, maybe even a bit disheartened. I think I remember at the end that when they finally accept her he looks very relieved to finally be able to reassure her and not have to keep the others away... While he gets frustrated sometimes with all the others and their chaos, and is especially short with Rum Tum Tugger (they have a brotherly dynamic, so what could you expect)-- at nature he's compassionate and hates to leave anyone behind. Some of the others seem to have very personal reasons or strong feelings towards their rejection of Grizzabella, but Munkustrap's rejection seems like nothing more to him than a necessary evil, a duty he must adhere to. He doesn't want to do it, but protecting the tribe and keeping everyone else in line is his priority. It's such a major part of his character to me.
Not really relevant but can we take a moment for the actor and actress playing Coricopat and Tantomile? The amount of practice it must've took to be completely in-sync without looking at each other?
The musical never says why Grizabella is shunned, but my interpretation isn't that she did something wrong, but just that the others are cruel because she was young and beautiful, and became old and ragged. Maybe they were jealous when she was the Glamour Cat, and now they see an opportunity to take it out on her all these years later. When they accept her at the end of the play it's not redemption for Grizabella, but redemption for the rest of the clan, who have learned empathy.
In my opinion, the saddest part is when the other cat come from across the stage. You can see she looks back at them because she think they'll dance with her or touch her or something to that degree. When they bump her away, you can see that she isn't angry, she's genuinely hurt.
Explanation of the scene after Rum Tum Tugger flips her off, but before she attempts her solo dance. Jemima reaches out to her, stopped by Skimbleshanks. Pouncival pretends to accept her before shoving her. Demeter attempts to see if she's okay after the shove, stopped by Bombalurina who looks at Munkustrap. Old Deuteronomy appeals to Munkustrap to accept her, he turns away. Jellylorum(who shows the most care towards the other elder cats) begins to sing Grizzabella's song to mock her and prevents Victoria from reaching out to her. Jemima attempts to reach out to her again while singing the next part of her theme without mocking, stopped by Jennyanydots. The important part for this scene and how it connects to the second part of Memory is that despite Old Deuteronomy wanting to reach out and accept her, he can't defy the general will of the group, and the older cats stop the younger ones from associating with her.
mad love for tugger's gesture of pulling up his collar- it is both relatable in a human-like sense, as well as the gesture of puffing up his fur as a cat to intimidate
I find it so interesting with Demeter and Grizabella the more time I rewatch the musical. Each time Grizabella comes on she actively reaches forward. She's not a kitten, evident with her friendship with Bombalurina, so she probably knows what Grizabella did, heck she starts the song "Grizzabella the Glamour Cat" about Griz's past and Demeter's own past relationship with Macavity but compared to the young kittens who are curious about touching Grizabella because they don't really know. She is one of the few older cats who she tries, almost like deep down she still wants to accept her but hesitates and can't bring herself to do it. Bomba and Munk stop her and remind her. The other older cats just hiss or turn away. And this happens both times she appears. It's just fascinating there's always something new to pick up each time you rewatch the show.
Her makeup and the sad dancing and general character of a former star reminds me of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. Anyway this makes me way too sad and I want to go find a cat now and cuddle it.
Cats touch each other a lot. She wants to be accepted back and for that the other cats needs to touch her. So she'll be acknowledged in the tribe again.She even sings that into her song " touch me and you'll know what happiness is". She's on her last days and wants to redeem herself of whatever she did and be back with the others but they are all ignoring her. The kitties don't see anything wrong with her appearance or her at all and are the ones who want to touch her but are always stopped by the older ones
@@skullsoul19 you have to look at their faces to tell, Jemima is the kitten/younger looking one, while Demeter is the adult/older looking one. There’s a theory that Jemima is Demeter and Munkustrap’s daughter
At the beginning Demeter wants to touch Grizabella and comes very close but Bombalurina intercepts her. Munkustrap also wants to touch her but doesn't in the end. Among the older cats, these are the closest who nearly touch her. So do the kittens Jemima and Victoria. I have always wondered why Dryer and Munkustrap nearly touch her but don't. In Demeter's case, perhaps it was her past association with MaCavity and her return to the tribe (I've also heard that she escaped from him just before the Ball). Earlier, Demeter turns on Grizabella in the song "Grizabella the Glamour Cat" in a mocking refrain taken up by Bombalurina and then others.
Maybe Grizabella is the mother of Munkstrap, Bombalurina, and Demeter. She left them when they were young so they were primarily raised by the rest of the group. I get some serious mother-son vibes from her and Munkstrap both in this song and Grizabella the Glamour Cat. Demeter is nervous about everything because of her past but is able to approach Grizzabella. She obviously harbors resentment toward her mother but still wants to love her even though she can't show it. Bombalurina couldn't care less right now and ushers Demeter away, sort of like she's saying "Remember what she did to us?". That's just my theory. Feel free to dispute it or add on to it.
It’s so sad, she just wants to join in with them and wants to show them that she can dance and sing with them but they want nothing to do with her... it’s makes me so sad looking back at this scene... (Also I had a really old cat named Grizabella once)
I think Demeter, Bombalurina, and Munkstrap are her kids, since they'rethe last three she's left with like a "This is a family issue." to the other cats; and Munkstrap is telling his sisters he can handle it. Also I agree Demeter who isn't a naive kitten does consider touching her.
Whos the girl cat that wanted to make sure she was okay, the first one to accept her at the end, whats her name ? She has thr spiky collar, because i saw somewhere that it’s her daughter or something
Demeter, Bombalarina and Munkustrap were the ones behind her. The first one to accept her, however, was either jemima (who is said to maybe be Grizzabella's grandaughter) or victoria.
Jemima was always trying to be nice to Grizabella. Her concerned face was in a closeup after Grizabella left after her first appearance, right before Bustopher Jones showed up. Jemima was the first cat to join her in song before the shunned cat was finally accepted in the clan again. She’s an angel in voice and heart.
Mcavity has literally killed a man. I believe he tried to take over the tribe at one point. Grizzabella (they say) went to peruse her dream. Maybe, maybe not. But I do know that she has mange (mange is deadly, makes you hurt a lot. It’s highly contagious) no one can touch her.
Its interesting. The cats reject her, but I notice when Munkustrap approaches, we see Old Deuteronomy raise his hand....almost as if telling him to leave her be. After this, he backs off.
You ever notice how the elders only stop the kittens when they're JUST about to to touch her. The elders are purposely torturing her with the hope of being accepted.
This scene breaks my heart. She's trying so hard to be a part of the tribe again but none of the other cats (old deut notwithstanding) will forgive and accept her for the choices that led her away from them before this. Watching it makes me cry.
