I’ve noticed that a lot of you have been posting funny cat videos on social media. Cool! They seem fun. I have a cat, and people are always asking me why I haven’t done one. They say, “When are you going to make a video with Greywhiskers?”
That’s a good question—thanks for asking. It means you recognize that Greywhiskers has a commanding presence, which I knew from the moment I adopted him. But the thing is, Greywhiskers will never be the star of a cat video, because he prefers the stage to the screen.
That’s nothing against any of you guys, many of whom have been taking videos of your cats and posting them online for years. And they’re very amusing. I mean it when I say that a lot of your cats have the potential to be big, big cat stars—especially if they create their own material.
But Greywhiskers has different priorities. He loves the thrill of live performance: the adrenaline rush, the camaraderie of the ensemble, and playing off the energy of the audience and feeling their immediate reaction. It doesn’t mean that he’s better—just different, I guess.
Cat acting can be subtle, and that’s why it’s probably easier for most cats to shine on camera than on the stage I’ve constructed out of reclaimed barn wood and a piece of an old crushed velvet blanket that I fashioned into a curtain. If you do a close-up of a cat’s face, of course you’re going to see expressions and emotive nuances that are harder to detect from across the living room where I’ve set up 15 folding chairs that I bought especially opposite the cat stage.
But if there’s anything Greywhiskers knows how to do, it’s project. That cat has a set of lungs and an arresting physicality that infuses his performances with an unmistakable magnetism. It’s electric. Some cats just act all the way to the tips of their claws. Once you’ve seen his Hamlet, you will never be the same.
It’s true, the money isn’t as good in the theater, but can you really put a price on those opening night jitters or taking a bow to roaring applause at the end of the final scene? Methinks not. Greywiskers thinks not.
So hey, I’m happy to watch whatever cat videos you guys want to send my way. Greywhiskers might watch them with me, or he might not (he doesn’t like to let other cats’ performances influence his own). But now that I’ve watched dozens—nay, hundreds—of your cat videos, it’d be great if you guys would maybe consider coming to one of Greywhiskers’ shows at our house.
The fall season starts in a few weeks, and we’d be so psyched if you would consider supporting the cat arts with a subscription to the full season of Greywhiskers Theater Co. We’re doing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof through November (I know!), and then we go straight into A Christmas Carol. Greywhiskers plays all the roles, so each performance is about five hours long, with intermissions for grooming. So you will definitely be getting your money’s worth (just $225 for the whole season)!
Oh, and, of course you’re welcome to bring your own cats. And—I wish I didn’t have to say this, but—If you could refrain from making videos of your cats during the live performance(s), that would be great. Greywhiskers is really taken out of things when he spots a cellphone in the audience. Other than that, you and your cats should feel free to enjoy the art however you choose.
See you at the theater!
