Jellylorum is a principal character in the musical ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

''. One of the Jellicle cats, she is usually portrayed as a motherly caretaker and is principally a vocalist. The musical is based on the 1939 collection of poems by

T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

from ''

Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' (1939) is a collection of whimsical Light poetry, light poems by T. S. Eliot about Cat, feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It serves as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 ...

'', and Jellylorum is named after the poet's own cat. The role of Jellylorum originated with Susan Jane Tanner in the West End in 1981, and with Bonnie Simmons on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in 1982. Freya Rowley played Jellylorum in the 2019 film adaptation.

Origins

Jellylorum was originally the subject of a

poem entitled "

The Naming of Cats The Naming of Cats is a poem in T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. It was adapted into a musical number in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical ''Cats'', and has also been quoted in other films, notably '' Log ...

". The character's name is believed to mean "lillie cat", "wisdom" or "tradition".,but traduced to Spanish is "Agiolorum", "

Character

Jellylorum is a practical and motherly older cat. She is one of the adult characters who initially protects the kittens from

Grizabella Grizabella the Glamour Cat is a main character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Cats''. Lonely and decrepit, Grizabella seeks acceptance from the other Jellicle cats but is initially ostracised. She sings the most famous song from the music ...

, whom she later comes to accept. Jellylorum serves as a caretaker for the elderly Gus: The Theatre Cat, and the two sing a duet in the second act of the musical. Jellylorum is also frequently shown as being close friends with Jennyanydots and

Skimbleshanks Skimbleshanks is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 book of poetry ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' and in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical ''Cats'', which is based on Eliot's book. The character is portrayed as a bright and energetic or ...

. On stage, Jellylorum is usually depicted as a predominantly yellow

calico Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...

tabby cat A tabby cat, or simply tabby, is any domestic cat (''Felis catus'') with a Cat_coat_genetics#Tabbies , coat pattern distinguished by an M-shaped marking on its forehead, stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, around its leg ...

. The character's age varies according to the production; many productions have Jellylorum near the age of

Bombalurina Bombalurina is a principal character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Cats''. The musical is an adaptation of T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'', and the character's name is given in the poem "The Naming of ...

and

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...

, but others portray the character as slightly older. In the 1998 filmed version, Jellylorum is closer in age to Jennyanydots.

Songs

In ''

'', Jellylorum has four main singing parts: * In "The Old Gumbie Cat" Jellylorum is part of the female chorus often called the "Gumbie Trio". * In "Bustopher Jones: the Cat About Town" Jellylorum is one of three female soloists. * In "Gus: the Theatre Cat" Jellylorum sings a duet with Gus. * In "Growltiger's Last Stand" Jellylorum performs the part of

Griddlebone ''Cats'' is a sung-through musical theater, musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is based on the 1939 poetry collection ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' by T. S. Eliot. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Je ...

in most productions. The role of Jellylorum is principally a vocalist part and is played by a

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

who is able to hit high C.

Notable casting

The role of Jellylorum was originated by Susan Jane Tanner in the original West End production in 1981, and by Bonnie Simmons in the original

production in 1982. Other notable performers to have played the character include:

Iselin Alme Iselin Alme (born 10 July 1957) is a Norwegian singer and stage actress. Alme was born in Oslo, but moved to Stavanger at an early age. She performed in variety shows before getting the role as Maria in West Side Story at ''Det Norske Teatret'' ...

(

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, original cast); Susana Zabaleta (

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

, original cast); Sara Jean Ford (2016 Broadway revival, original cast). On screen, Tanner reprised the role in the 1998 filmed version. Freya Rowley played the role in the 2019 film adaptation.The role has also been played by Robyn Chambers. Shereen Pimentel originated the role for the 2024 Off-Broadway production.

References

{{Cats navbox Characters in Cats (musical) Fictional cats Literary characters introduced in 1981