Which character does André De Shields play in Cats: The Jellicle Ball?

André De Shields plays Old Deuteronomy in Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Old Deuteronomy is the patriarch of the Jellicle cats and the figure who presides over their annual gathering.

In the original Cats musical, Old Deuteronomy chooses which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and begin a new Jellicle life. That role gives the character a ceremonial, almost monarchic importance, even though the show is structured around songs, dance and character introductions rather than a conventional plot.

The Jellicle Ball reimagines the musical through New York ballroom culture, but it retains Old Deuteronomy’s central function. De Shields’ casting also connects the production to Broadway history: he is a Tony Award-winning performer known for The Wiz and Hadestown. The other options are separate Cats characters—Bustopher Jones, Rum Tum Tugger and Macavity—not Deuteronomy.