Rumpus Cat
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The Great Rumpus Cat is a fictional character from T.S. Eliot's 1939 book ''
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' (1939) is a collection of whimsical light poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It serves as the basis for Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical ''Cats'' ...
'' and in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical, '' Cats''. The Great Rumpus Cat appears in the poem " Of the Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles." The poem describes a contentious encounter between a Peke and a Pollicle dog which eventually leads to the participation of other dogs and a great deal of barking, heard throughout the park. The Great Rumpuscat nonchalantly intervenes and scatters the dogs merely by his threatening appearance and a single great leap. The Great Rumpuscat is described as having blazing eyes, great jaws, and a fierce and hairy presence. Of the dogs in the poem, the Pollicle is referring to many types of dogs, whereas the Pekes, Poms, and
Pug The Pug is a breed of dog originally from China, with physically distinctive features of a wrinkly, short-muzzled face and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colors, most often light brown (Fawn (colour) ...
s all correspond to actual breeds. The Pollicle is a dog who is a stray and wilder than pets. In ''Cats'', the Jellicles put on a small play when their leader,
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 ...
, arrives. The story is about how Rumpus Cat stopped two neighboring
dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
clans, the Pekes and Pollicles, from fighting. Steven Wayne played the part in the original
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
West End production, doubling as George, and Kenneth Ard, doubling as
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 ...
created the part 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 ...
. It appears, as his costume in the film version suggests, that he is considered a type of superhero in the Jellicle society. In the film version, Rumpus Cat is played by Frank Thompson who also plays Admetus. In the 2016 Broadway Revival The Rumpus Cat is played by Christopher Gurr who also plays Bustopher Jones and Gus the Theater Cat. The rumpus cat is a replacement to Growltiger in this revival.


References

Characters in Cats (musical) Literary characters introduced in 1939 Fictional cats {{lit-char-stub it:Cats (musical)#I Gatti