A Day in Missy Mode at Cats: The Jellicle Ball

By Missy

Hi again, readers!

I recently had the pleasure of spending an entire day in “Missy mode” when I had the chance to attend Cats: The Jellicle Ball on Broadway with close friends and their daughters.

If you are unfamiliar with the musical, it is a revival of the classic Cats, reimagined within the world of 1980s New York City LGBTQ+ ballroom culture. The songs and characters are the same as the original, but the new setting, apropos costuming and choreography — including runway strutting, voguing and other ballroom-style “competitions” — shift the storyline in a fresh and exciting direction.

You can find details at: https://catsthejellicleball.com/. It is also worth mentioning that Cats: The Jellicle Ball deservedly won Tony Awards for Best Costume Design, Choreography and Directing.

Now for my backstory.

Back in the spring, I decided to treat my friends to a performance of Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical in New Haven. Unfortunately, a family emergency prevented me from attending, so they ended up using the tickets themselves. They are big theatergoers and enjoyed the show, but they said they still wanted to attend a musical with Missy. To make it up to me, they invited me to Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Once I researched what the musical was about, I wholeheartedly agreed.

As Femulate readers might remember from Stana’s posting of my 2026 prom experience this past June, these good friends have also acted as my fashion consultants. In fact, they had already picked out what I should wear to Broadway for this show.

Who was I to argue?

The dress did indeed fit the vibe of the show. A couple of days before our trip, my wife helped me pick out the appropriate jewelry: dangling earrings, a small choker necklace and a few gold and green rings, later supplemented by a cute rhinestone-studded cat pin from my friends. We also settled on shoes — gold 4.5-inch Calvin Klein sandals I found dirt cheap at Savers — and a neutral/gold makeup palette. Plus, with some patience that morning, I was even able to get false eyelashes to attach properly, which is something that usually gives me trouble!

I tried to coerce my wife into attending, but she is neither a big-city gal nor a musical-lover, so it was a hard pass. Thus, I would be attending with my friends and their three teenage daughters, who had already spent time with me as Missy once before.

In my experience, most teenagers tend to be pretty open-minded and accepting, and these three barely batted a false eyelash at my presentation. They were very complimentary, and the whole family’s ability to see nothing unusual whatsoever made for a very comfortable day.

Although she did not want to attend the show, my wife made a delicious brunch for all of us before we left, and I am so grateful for her continued support. After we departed, she texted pictures of me with our guests to our children, who are also supportive. The responses — “YAAAAAAAAS! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️” from our eldest daughter and “Your fit is the cat’s meow” from our son — were just what I had hoped for.

I was told that the theater district of New York is among the most diverse and accepting areas in the country, and upon arrival, that certainly seemed to be the case. As we made our way to the show, we received plenty of compliments — mostly because my friend’s fabulous pink suit and glittery boots garnered even more attention than my dress — and I honestly did not mind having some of the attention diverted.

After waiting outside for a bit, we entered the Broadhurst Theatre, where the stage was set up like a drag runway. It is a somewhat intimate venue, but the perfect size for this musical.

Before the show began, we decided to take care of the restroom. I admit that one initial fear I had was using the restroom without any issue. My friend eased my mind ahead of time by letting me know that every theater in the city has a sign posted that reads, “Gender diversity is welcome here. Please use the restroom that best fits your gender identity or expression.”

Amazing! Why can’t the whole country get on board?

For the record, I used the gents’ room, and he was right: nobody said a word. So my fear that the experience was going to be something like that scene from the film Bachelor Party — if you know, you know — was completely unwarranted.

The show itself was a spectacle from start to finish. The costumes were fanciful, the choreography and runway work were phenomenal, the scenes were sexy and suggestive at times, poignant and heartfelt at others, and there was so much going on that it was hard to know exactly where to look. My head was basically on a swivel the whole afternoon.

Moreover, the crowd was fully into it, which elevated the show even more. All in all, it was probably the best performance of any sort I have ever attended. If you are in the New York City area, you should treat yourself to the show while it is still running.

After the show, we grabbed dinner and gelato in a different part of the city. Even though we were no longer in the theater district, I was still met only with acceptance from everyone I encountered, from strangers on the street to other customers to servers and workers.

Is it possible that the hate-mongering toward crossdressers and members of our community is blown out of proportion? I tend to think so. I also tend to think that those who stir up trouble are in the minority.

I understand that attitudes vary widely by location, but I was mentally buoyed by this outing. Spending the entire day en femme was a first for me, and hopefully not the last. As I have said before, I know I do not pass, but I did my best to be confident, open and friendly, and simply be myself.

The experience was both affirming and joyful.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read another piece of my ongoing story. I will report back to Stana with any new happenings in the coming months.

Wearing Boston Proper

A crossdressing party in the 1961 French film Callaghan remet ça (Callaghan is back).
Click here to view this film on YouTube.