The Drama Desk Awards nominations came out, and Cats: The Jellicle Ball landed seven of them.
Outstanding Revival of a Musical. Outstanding Direction. Outstanding Choreography. Outstanding Costume Design. Outstanding Lighting Design. Outstanding Wig and Hair. And a Featured Performance nomination for André De Shields.
Seven nominations across seven different departments.
I’ve been in this business 26 years. I’ve played shows that nobody noticed and shows that everybody talked about. The nominations don’t always come. When they do, you feel it differently from inside the building.
Nobody in that pit is playing for a trophy. But when the work gets recognized — the direction, the choreography, the design, the performance — it means the whole thing landed. The room felt it. The industry felt it.
That’s the show I’m sitting inside eight times a week.
People ask me what it’s like to play Broadway. This is part of the answer. You’re not just a drummer in a chair. You’re part of something that either reaches people or it doesn’t. When it does, the whole building gets acknowledged — not just the names above the title.
Seven departments. Seven nominations.
That’s the Jellicle Ball.