Munkustrap is a

Jellicle cat Jellicle cats are a fictional type of feline from T. S. Eliot's 1939 light poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''. Jellicle cats were first mentioned in Eliot's 1933 poem "Five-Finger Exercises" and later developed in ''Old Possu ...

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 musica ...

's 1981

musical Musical is the adjective of music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...

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 of ...

'', 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 who ...

in the

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

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 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 Old ...

, 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 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, ...

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

Notable casting

The role of Munkustrap was originated by

on the

in 1981, and by Harry Groener on

in 1982. Other notable performers include Gary Martin,

Bryan Batt Bryan Batt (born March 1, 1963) is an American actor best known for his role in the AMC series ''Mad Men'' as Salvatore Romano, an art director for the Sterling Cooper agency. Primarily a theater actor, he has had a number of starring roles in m ...

, John Partridge,

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 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 pri ...

. In the 2011 German tour,

Matthew Goodgame Matthew Goodgame (born c.1980) is a professional actor, singer and dancer from Kent. He made his professional and West End debut in November 2004 playing Billy Flynn in ''Chicago'' at the Adelphi Theatre, after winning the Channel 4 series ''Mu ...

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. Robbie Fairchild 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