APPLETON, Wis. — Another award-winning Broadway musical is dancing into Wisconsin this week.
“Cats” follows a tribe of cats, known as the “Jellicles.” Once a year, the clan of kitties makes the “Jellicle choice,” deeming one cat to be reborn and have a new life. Old Deuteronomy is the well-respected, elder cat who makes the ultimate selection.
Sammy Fossum is making his national tour debut as Alonzo in “Cats.” We caught up with him before the show:
Spectrum News 1: What sparked your interest in “Cats?”
Fossum: I first saw “Cats” in 2017 on Broadway on a trip with my high school. We actually had a grad from my high school in the show… We saw the show and the next day we got a master class from [the alum]… It was an amazing experience and I was so captivated by the dancing in the show. I had never seen anything like it.
Spectrum News 1: You’re still in college, studying dance at Shenandoah Conservatory. How is the balance between your education and your career?
Fossum: I auditioned my junior year, and when I got the job I talked to a lot of my professors and we made the decision that this would be great for me and my professional development. So, right now, I’m on a one-year hiatus from school. I’m returning in the fall as a senior and then graduating in the winter.
It was kind of a scary conversation to have because I was missing about a week of classes just for the audition in New York… All the professors are very supportive of us getting out into the real world and not waiting until we graduate to do so. I did receive a lot of support from my professors, from the admins and my peers. Missing school for a week is stressful, but I had so much support and encouragement to pursue this.
One of our jazz professors, Shylo Martinez, toured with the show when she was 16. She has always been a mentor for me throughout my time at Shenandoah. I had been talking to her throughout the whole process about contracts, auditions, just “Cats” in general.
Spectrum News 1: Jumping over a little bit, “Cats” is such a visually stunning show. I’d love to hear about your routine on tour.
Fossum: At first, the makeup took me like an hour and a half to do every night but thankfully it’s gotten a little shorter since then.
I’ll usually show up at the venue around two hours early. That’s when I’ll get started on my makeup; I’ll do my wig prep, put on my wig cap and then I will start my makeup. Now it’s usually around 30 to 40 minutes. I’ve actually grown to enjoy it a lot… It’s almost meditative.
After that I’ll start a physical warm up, technique exercises, some cardio and strength work. Then I’ll prep my two water bottles I have on either side of the stage. We have lift call… After that we might do a mic check if we’re moving into the theater for the first time but if not I’ll start getting in costume. Wig call is 10 minutes to curtain, so when there’s 10 minutes left before the show starts, I’ll go to the wig team, get my wig on… Do any finishing touches on my makeup, do some vocal warm ups and then I’m pretty much ready for the show.
Spectrum News 1: Tell us about the character you portray in “Cats.”
Fossum: Alonzo is one of the elder members of the tribe. He’s kind of higher up in terms of authority and leadership.
Each cat has been assigned three different words to describe them. Alonzo’s are vain, uncertain and brava. The funny thing with those words is that “vain” and “uncertain” are kind of contradictory, so it’s been a cool journey to go on, exploring those different adjectives, what they mean to me and how they show up in Alonzo’s actions… It’s kind of an authoritative position Alonzo has, but he’s also kind of timid and unsure of himself… He goes on a pretty cool personal journey.
Spectrum News 1: What’s your favorite part of the show?
Fossum: The jellicle ball, which is the big, long, dance celebration that we do at the very end of Act I. It’s grueling. It is long and it’s difficult but the choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, the athleticism and the beauty that is encapsulated within the whole piece is so much fun to perform every night and so rewarding.
Spectrum News 1: What do you hope audiences take away from the show?
Fossum: There’s a big theme of acceptance and growth that comes with “Cats” but I think a lot of the attraction that “Cats” has just comes from the iconic choreography and music.
“Cats” runs at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center from March 24 to 26. For more information, click here.
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