The latest reimagining of the classic Broadway musical Cats feels like a bold reclamation rooted in ballroom and queer culture.
For actress Kya Azeen, being part of Cats: The Jellicle Ball is a full-circle moment, and a reflection of how much the culture has had a hand in her success today.
“Ballroom is how I became who I am today,” Azeen told MadameNoire just ahead of one of her showday rehearsals. “It was, in many ways, because I didn’t get to attend college, and when I joined ballroom, I was like 19, so it was kind of like my college years of me finding myself and understanding who I was as a trans woman, and just as a Black queer person.”
She added, “So to be in this space right now, for one, my background within dance and within performing, and to also see it in a space where its theater mixed with ballroom, is really bewildering for me, but also just speaks to the young kid that’s like able to just do everything that I was training for so long and then also to incorporate a culture that influence me so deeply.”
While it would seem that there would be a lot of pressure that comes with creating a space where some Black queer audiences may see themselves reflected for the first time, Azeen recounts how Cats: The Jellicle Ball takes that energy and grounds it in authenticity.
“It’s so innate in me to be a Black trans woman who’s from ballroom,” said Azeen. “It’s just natural, and what I add to the show is already a culture that I’ve already come from, so it does feel natural, necessarily. I do hope that other queer youth are looking at this and definitely seeing themselves, because I think for a long time, and it’s so wild, because I have a friend who, years ago, I thought I would never dance again, and she always told me, like, ‘Girl, you can do this. You can do this,’ and tried to push me forward. But it was a different time when I was 19, and just looking back, I really hope that these queer individuals are seeing themselves and saying, ‘I can exist as myself and still perform and execute things within theater,’ because I just didn’t see it at the time. I think because I didn’t see it, I didn’t think it was possible.”
As a Pose alum, a move made early in her career, Azeen reflected on not necessarily realizing how much of an impact the show would have on the culture, especially as it pertained to the LGBTQIA-centered series and productions that would follow in its footsteps.
“It’s a joke, but her character in Cats: The Jellicle Ball feels strikingly close to Blanca from Pose.
“So, the character I play is Etcetera,” Azeen remembered. “I had substantial support shaping this role with N’yomi Stewart, who is a mother within ballroom circles, and our associate director. She helped me piece together who Etcetera is and what she aims to do. She hailed from the House of Macavity, Macavity’s daughter, but left to pursue forming her own house.”
“Across the show, I’m roaming around, weighing ideas of who I could ally with to craft my own imprint? Definitely a Blanca-like energy from Pose, honestly,” she added. “What’s been amazing is how familiar this culture feels to me. It truly feels like home. So the work to embody Etcetera hasn’t required extraordinary study. The one notable difference is that sometimes, when I arrive, I might let Kya be a bit wild in my thoughts. For the show, I must appear utterly fearless, which is facilitated by our incredible costume designer, Qween Jean, who outfits me in a striking cheetah leotard and skirt. It lets me step beyond myself as Kya and become this ultimate diva—bold and fearless—throughout the production.”
Azeen closes the chat by describing why this refreshed take on the Broadway classic Cats is particularly timely.
“It carries a lot of meaning,” she explained. “As Black people, we need community now more than ever,” she stated. “Community has always been essential, and I believe that’s the path we must follow to weather both the rough patches and the victories etched into history. It matters to me to be part of a production that honors and uplifts one another every night. We recognize each other, and there are moments in the show when I get emotional thinking about it—especially when Chasity [Moore] steps out and belts ‘Memory.’ Many of us feel astonished, because someone from ballroom, a Black trans woman, is standing center stage in a spectacular production, performing a legendary musical theater piece like ‘Memory,’ and owning it completely.”
“It means a lot to see us represented in all our splendor and radiance, shining as we are,” Azeen concluded. “Given everything happening in the world, silencing this moment would be a mistake; this production feels more essential than ever, not only for audiences but for us as well.”
Click here for upcoming showtimes for Cats: The Jellicle Ball now on Broadway.
