{"id":186417,"date":"2026-04-05T15:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T15:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/186417\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T15:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T15:59:12","slug":"stars-including-whoopi-zendaya-flocking-to-cats-jellicle-ball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/186417\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars including Whoopi, Zendaya flocking to Cats Jellicle Ball"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whoopi Goldberg<\/a> played one of the judges at \u201cCats: The Jellicle Ball<\/a>\u201d at the Broadhurst Theatre on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe View\u201d star was seen singing and dancing throughout the revamped Andrew Lloyd Webber classic that is set in the queer ballroom culture of Harlem of the \u201970s and \u201980s where vogueing was invented. Madonna appropriated the dance style and made it popular in the \u201990s.<\/p>\n

After the performance, Whoopi stayed on to meet the performers, including Sydney James Harcourt<\/a> who plays Rum Tum Tugger, the show\u2019s sexy male lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe moment she saw me, she lit up and said, \u2018There\u2019s my guy,\u2019\u201d Harcourt said.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe cast of “Cats: The Jellicle Ball.” (Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)<\/p>\n

Whoopi went on to speak passionately about how \u201cimpactful\u201d the show is, and described the show \u201cas a revolution that is going to fundamentally shift what kinds of stories get told on Broadway moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harcourt, an original cast member of \u201cHamilton,\u201d is already receiving Tony buzz for his performance in the show. He said Whoopi remembered he had performed \u201cWait for It\u201d from \u201cHamilton\u201d at a benefit for We\u2019ve Got Friends, a charity for children with autism.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Also at \u201cCats,\u201d a long line of stars including Zendaya<\/a>, Nicole Scherzinger and Jesse Tyler Ferguson have been dancing in the aisles in the last week of previews.<\/p>\n

The show stars Tony winner Andr\u00e9 de Shields<\/a> and vogueing legends Junior Labeija, Dava Huesca, Baby Byrne and Leiomy.<\/p>\n

\"ZendayaZendaya and Nicole Scherzinger. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Busy Philipps<\/a> attended a recent matinee with a group of friends to celebrate the birthday of \u201cQueer Eye\u201d star, Jonathan Van Ness<\/a>, who was a celebrity judge that day.<\/p>\n

During the show, Philipps jumped up from her seat when Harcourt took her hand and the two vogued to the show\u2019s opening number, \u201cJellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair strutted up and down the \u201ccatwalk\u201d through the aisles as the crowd went wild, whipping out their yellow and black fans to cheer the duo on.<\/p>\n

The next day, Busy took to Instagram and said, \u201cI went to see \u2018Cats: The Jellicle Ball\u2019 today \u2026 It\u2019s like a joy bomb. It\u2019s just what we need in this moment. We need queer joy, out loud, so loud, so fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show opens April 7.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Some people felt pretty \u201cfoolish\u201d on April Fools\u2019 Day as they read a press release from sState Sen. Erik Bottcher<\/a> unveiling a new law mandating toilet waste composting.<\/p>\n

\"NYNY State Senator Erik Bottcher. (Santiago Felipe\/Getty Images for MTV)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first-in-the-nation program will transform human bio-waste into nourishment for neighborhood street trees,\u201d the release said.<\/p>\n

Constituents would have to collect their feces in a bucket to be distributed on sidewalk trees. The release had realistic photos, graphs and bullet points.<\/p>\n

But about halfway through, readers knew they\u2019d been had.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo promote optimal tree growth in the spring, residents will be encouraged to modify their diets beginning in January to include foods rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, such as walnuts \u2026 Residents will receive monthly dietary guidance aligned with neighborhood planting schedules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes the best solution is the one you\u2019ve been sitting on all along,\u201d Bottcher was quoted. \u201cThe street trees will know where the nutrients came from, and they will be deeply grateful. Heck, they\u2019re probably wondering what took us so long to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Lisa Kudrow is \u201cThe Comeback\u201d kid<\/a>. Her third season of the TV show, which launched 20 years ago, comes 16 years after Season 2.<\/p>\n

\"LisaLisa Kudrow in “The Comback.” (Erin Simkin\/HBO)<\/p>\n

She is getting help again from TV wunderkind Michael Patrick King. And, by the way, it\u2019s shot on a little set where they did something called \u201cFriends.\u201d So no pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe entire thing is filmed at Warner Brothers, which is the history of Hollywood right there. It\u2019s a risk,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But Kudrow feels it\u2019s different because this season is about shooting the show like a documentary. \u201cThat makes it easy because you don\u2019t know when the cameras on,\u201d she said. \u201cSo you\u2019ve got to just be listening and talking and ever-present even if the camera is not on you, which I do anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

The results are Sunday nights at 10:30 on HBO.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Architect Beverly Willis, known for her work on the Manhattan Village Academy<\/a>, was a pioneering force.<\/p>\n

During Women\u2019s History Month, the Southampton Arts Center hosted a screening honoring her legacy and women in architecture. The program featured \u201cUnknown New York: The City That Women Built,\u201d a documentary directed by Willis, showcasing 234 Manhattan projects designed by women.<\/p>\n

The film celebrates the overlooked role women have played in shaping New York\u2019s complex urban fabric.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

\"JonJon Hamm attends Apple TV’s “Your Friends & Neighbors” Season 2 premiere at New York Historical on Monday in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Jon Hamm was on the New Heights podcast<\/a> Wednesday where the Kelce brothers talked football with the born and bred Midwesterner. Hamm talked about playing football in high school and being recruited by three colleges. When Travis Kelce asked what was tougher, football or acting, Hamm instantly replied, \u201cFootball. No one is trying to tackle you during a scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Ray Kelly, the former NYPD commissioner of 14 years, was the guest of honor at philanthropist Jean Shafiroff<\/a>\u2019s lunch for The New York Women\u2019s Foundation at Caf\u00e9 Boulud in Palm Beach, Fla. Other guests included Kelly\u2019s wife, Veronica; Ava Roosevelt; Ramona Singer; Pamela O\u2019Connor, and wealth manager Martin Shafiroff.<\/p>\n

****<\/p>\n

Meredith Schott, the daughter of socialite Christine Schott, was at (Sub)Mercer in SoHo to launch her first single, \u201cBirthday Girl,\u201d which she wrote and produced with Grammy-winning producer Justin Love and New Jersey rapper Shwiggy. Schott will next launch a line of clothing, including a collection of \u201cBirthday Girl Pants.\u201d<\/p>\n

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