Munkustrap is a Jellicle cat from T. S. Eliot's 1939 poem "

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 ''Logan' ...

". He is a principal character and the main narrator in

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

's 1981

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...

'', which is based on Eliot's poems. Munkustrap is the storyteller and guardian of his tribe. The role was originated by

Jeff Shankley Jeffrey Richard Shankley (born 17 November 1947) is a British actor, singer and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company who has had a long career as a television and stage actor particularly in the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber for whom ...

in the West End in 1981, and by Harry Groener 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 Stree ...

in 1982. Then, in the 1998 video production, Munkustrap was performed by Michael Gruber.

Robbie Fairchild Robert Fairchild (born June 9, 1987) is an American dancer and actor. He is best known for originating the role Jerry Mulligan in the musical '' An American in Paris'', and as Munkustrap in the 2019 film ''Cats''. He was a principal dancer at th ...

portrayed the role in the 2019 film adaptation.

Character description

Munkustrap is the protector of the Jellicle tribe; he is brave, level-headed and dependable. As the tribe's second-in-command after

Old Deuteronomy Old Deuteronomy is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 '' Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' and its 1981 musical adaptation, ''Cats''. He is a wise and beloved elderly cat, further serving as the Jellicle patriarch in the musical. The role of O ...

, he oversees the Jellicle Ball and ensures that everything runs smoothly. He functions as the show's main narrator, singing several songs and introducing many of the other cats. When

Macavity Macavity the Mystery Cat, also called the Hidden Paw, is a fictional character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. He also appears in the Andrew Lloyd Webber 1981 musical ''Cats'', which is based on Elio ...

attacks the tribe, it is Munkustrap who fights him off. Munkustrap's relationship with the other characters is depicted in the musical: he reveres Old Deuteronomy, watches out for the reckless younger members of his tribe. . He is usually depicted onstage as a tall, grey

tabby cat A tabby is any domestic cat (''Felis catus'') with a distinctive 'M'-shaped marking on its forehead; stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, and around its legs and tail; and (differing by tabby type), characteristic striped, d ...

with a commanding presence. The role is meant to be played by a

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

Notable casting

The role of Munkustrap was originated by

on the West End in 1981, and by Harry Groener on

in 1982. Other notable performers include Gary Martin, Bryan Batt,

John Partridge John Partridge may refer to: * John Partridge (artist) (1789–1872), British portrait painter *John Partridge (astrologer) (1644–1710s), English astrologer *John Partridge (actor) John Partridge (born 24 July 1971) is an English actor, dancer ...

Rob Marshall Robert Doyle Marshall Jr.http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/s/1410/images/editor_documents/alumnirelations/getinvolved/alumniawards/all_honorees_2018june1.pdf (born October 17, 1960) is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. ...

, and

Jeffry Denman Jeffry Denman is an American actor, director, choreographer and author. Early life Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major. Career He made his Broadway debut in ...

. In the German-speaking world premiere of ''Cats'',

Steve Barton ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

played the role of Munkustrap/Dance Captain in the

Theater an der Wien The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prima ...

. In the 2011 German tour, Matthew Goodgame played the role of Munkustrap. The character was played by Callum Train in the 2014 West End revival, and by Andy Huntington Jones in the 2016 Broadway revival. On screen, Michael Gruber portrayed Munkustrap in the 1998 ''Cats'' film adaptation.

portrayed the role in the 2019 film adaptation.

References

Print sources

General references

*''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'', T. S. Eliot, Harcourt, 1982, *''A Cat's Diary: How the Broadway Production of Cats was born'', Stephen Hanan, Smith & Kraus, 2002, Characters in Cats (musical) {{fict-char-stub