Etcetera (cat)
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Etcetera is a character in the musical play Cats, based primarily on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Primarily a dancer, she is one of the chorus kittens in the tribe of the Jellicle cats.
[edit] Character
Etcetera is cute, bouncy/energetic, girlish, eccentric and very kitten-like in general. She is often seen as the least mature of the tribe, but adored for her innocence and energy. She, along with the other Kittens, is a huge fan of The Rum Tum Tugger, though she is much too young for him. She is good friends with the other female kittens, Victoria , Electra , and Jemima. Of all of the kittens, she looks most similar to Electra, although Electra tends to be quieter and less eccentric. Her main moment in the spotlight is at the end of Rum Tum Tugger's song, she is so overexcited by his charisma that she can not stop squealing until he physically quiets her, often by stuffing her mouth with his tail.
[edit] Role Development
Her role developed from an unnamed chorus kitten in the original production, soon given a name and definite character. However as a minor character, unnecessary to the plot, she is often cut from smaller productions. When Etcetera is cut, squealing duties are usually given to Rumpleteazer instead. In the original Broadway production, Etcetera was included and she played the role of Rumpleteazer in a puppet show put on to entertain Bustopher Jones. However when the production was brought into line with other productions worldwide, Etcetera became Rumpleteazer full-time, and the role of Etcetera was cut.
In the 1998 video, Etcetera is played by Jo Bingham. In the final (2001) London cast, Etcetera was played by Sarah Jane Honeywell who was remarkably acrobatic, stealing the limelight during the Jellicle Ball by performing acrobatics throughout the auditorium. She was injured during the run up to the closing night, however returned to the stage for the final performance, stunning the audience by performing remarkable acrobatics while injured. During this period the role of Etcetera was often played by Summer Strallen, wearing her own swing cat costume.
