Ep274 - Mark van Beelen, Mungojerrie on 2006 Dutch Tour

“Gillian Lynne’’s version of CATS is very much a ballet. So if you really pay attention to her choreography, you see so many connections of why different cats respond differently to each other.” This episode features Mark van Beelen, who played Mungojerrie and covered Munkustrap in the 2006 Dutch tour of CATS. Mark recalls seeing CATS at age 10 at Amsterdam’s Royal Theatre Carré in an immersive, in-the-round setup that sparked his musical-theater passion, then traces his training at Fontys Dance Academy and learning Cats choreography from original Dutch cast creatives. He shares a standout audition story where he was nearly forgotten for final callbacks, then impressed the team by adapting to a revised Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer song version. The conversation explores CATS’’ evolving choreography, music revisions, and modern licensing that encourages new concepts, including opinions on the 2016 Broadway revival and anticipation for a museum-themed Netherlands production.

00:49 Seeing CATS As A Kid

10:04 Audition Chaos and Callback

14:20 Song Variations

21:23 Why CATS Gets Reimagined

33:22 Building Characters in Rehearsal

39:36 Macavity Scare Story

41:00 Tradition vs New Versions

45:28 Rapid Fire

Check out Mark on Instagram: @badass.vegan.unicorn

Produced by:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alan Seales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Broadway Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠