Jellicles Can And Jellicles Do: Meet Mr. Mistoffelees

Oh well I never! Was there ever a cat so clever? You might even call this cat…Meow-gical! Hehe. MEOW!

Sammi Flickinger at a rehearsal for Cats.

Thank you for giving us a few moments of your time! Please tell me who you are and who you play?

Sammi Flickinger: My name is Sammi Flickinger and I play Mr. Mistoffelees.

What is it like getting to play Mr. Mistoffeles?

Sammi: It’s really fun! I don’t usually get chances like this; to develop a character as well known as Mistoffelees is, and to show off a little as a dancer! It’s really an honor too because I know the last time Bambi directed Cats, Eyvo played my part. And it makes me feel very honored that she would trust me with this part the second time around.

Did you do Cats the last time?

Sammi: No, but I wanted to. I was in competition dance at that point in time so I didn’t have time to be a part of it. I was very sad. So when it came around again, I was like, “I am not missing it this time!”

What does it mean to you to be a Jellicle Cat?

Sammi: A Jellicle Cat to me is a cat that is literally just truly all themselves. They don’t really practice hiding. They are comfortable with having several different names and having all of those names be a part of who they are. It’s just a cat who is unashamedly themselves.

We learn that all cats have three names. Mr. Mistoffelees is your cat’s ‘more dignified name’ and while we can never know the ‘secret name’ that he calls himself, what do you think his ‘family daily use’ name is? What are the humans calling him every day?

Sammi: I really don’t know! There are so many names going through my brain. But the more I think about it, I think Mistoffelees’ human name would probably be Peter. He’s young, playful, and a little bit magical. Kind of like Peter Pan!

Do you have cats?

Sammi: I do! They are Austin (Rum Tum Tugger, Austin Barnes) and I’s cats. Their names are Weasley and Enola. And Enola is our newer one, but she’s grown so much already. She was a baby when we got her and now she’s long. She is so cute. Honestly? They are kind of polar opposites, which is hilarious to me. Weasley is always very chill and very laid back. Unless Enola starts trying to mess with him. Then he’ll put her in her place. Enola is nothing but a constant ball of energy. Unless she wants to snuggle.

What has been your biggest challenge with this show?

Sammi: Honestly, it probably has been getting back into that heavy, technical dance. I was in Tarzan previously. And that was sort of technical. It was a lot more modern, more hip-hop, a lot looser in terms of dance moves. This is super, super technical and I haven’t done that in years. Getting back into all the technical stuff— like making sure my feet stay pointed— has been a huge challenge.

If you had to sum up the Cats experience in just one word, what would be the word that you would use?

Sammi: Fantastic!

Cats plays September 16^th 2022 through September 25^th 2022 with Tidewater Players, in residence at the Cultural Center at The Havre de Grace Opera House— 121 N. Union Street in historic downtown Havre de Grace, MD. For tickets call the box office at 667-225-8433 or purchase them online.

Meet Rum Tum Tugger

Meet Carbucketty

Meet Jellylorum

Meet Coricopat

Meet Tantomile

Meet Griddlebone/Sillabub

Meet Cassandra

Meet Euterpeco

Meet Victoria

Meet Munkustrap

Meet Demeter

Meet Alonzo