Bustopher Jones
Encyclopedia
"Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town" is a poem from T. S. Eliot
's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
and a song from the Cats
musical which is based on that poem.
Bustopher Jones is a parody
of an Edwardian gentleman of leisure and is described as the St. James's Street
cat, a regular visitor to many gentlemen's clubs in the area, including Drones
, Blimp's, and The Tomb. An excerpt from the poem goes as follows:
Bustopher Jones is not skin and bones--
In fact, he's remarkably fat.
He doesn't haunt pubs—he has eight or nine clubs,
For he's the St. James's Street Cat!
He's the Cat we all greet as he walks down the street
In his coat of fastidious black:
No commonplace mousers have such well-cut trousers
Or such an impeccable back.
In the whole of St. James's the smartest of names is
The name of this Brummell of Cats;
And we're all of us proud to be nodded or bowed to
By Bustopher Jones in white spats!
Due to his constant lunching at these clubs, he is "remarkably fat" ("a 25-pounder"). He has a "fastidious black" coat and apparently has white markings on his paws which resemble spats. Because of these traits, he is described as "this Brummell of cats" – a reference to Beau Brummell
, the founder of dandyism.
movie. In the original West End
show, and for the accompanying album, he was played by Brian Blessed
. At times, the actor who portrays him also portrays Asparagus and Growltiger
, a trend that began with the original Broadway production where these three parts were played by Stephen Hanan. Other actors to play the part included Bronson N. Murphy, Nathan Morgan, Christopher E. Sidoli, Robert Purdie and Ryan Bailey.
T. S. Eliot
Thomas Stearns "T. S." Eliot OM was a playwright, literary critic, and arguably the most important English-language poet of the 20th century. Although he was born an American he moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 and was naturalised as a British subject in 1927 at age 39.The poem that made his...
's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is a collection of whimsical poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by Faber and Faber. It is the basis for the record-setting musical Cats....
and a song from the Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
musical which is based on that poem.
Bustopher Jones is a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of an Edwardian gentleman of leisure and is described as the St. James's Street
St. James's Street
St James's Street is one of the principal streets in the central London district of St James's. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall...
cat, a regular visitor to many gentlemen's clubs in the area, including Drones
Drones Club
The Drones Club is a recurring fictional location in the stories of British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being a gentlemen's club in London. Many of his Jeeves and Blandings Castle stories feature the club or its members....
, Blimp's, and The Tomb. An excerpt from the poem goes as follows:
Bustopher Jones is not skin and bones--
In fact, he's remarkably fat.
He doesn't haunt pubs—he has eight or nine clubs,
For he's the St. James's Street Cat!
He's the Cat we all greet as he walks down the street
In his coat of fastidious black:
No commonplace mousers have such well-cut trousers
Or such an impeccable back.
In the whole of St. James's the smartest of names is
The name of this Brummell of Cats;
And we're all of us proud to be nodded or bowed to
By Bustopher Jones in white spats!
Due to his constant lunching at these clubs, he is "remarkably fat" ("a 25-pounder"). He has a "fastidious black" coat and apparently has white markings on his paws which resemble spats. Because of these traits, he is described as "this Brummell of cats" – a reference to Beau Brummell
Beau Brummell
Beau Brummell, born as George Bryan Brummell , was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV...
, the founder of dandyism.
Cats, the musical
Bustopher Jones is portrayed by James Barron in the CatsCats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
movie. In the original West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
show, and for the accompanying album, he was played by Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed
Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...
. At times, the actor who portrays him also portrays Asparagus and Growltiger
Growltiger
"Growltiger's Last Stand" is a poem from T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, as well as a song from the musical derived from that book....
, a trend that began with the original Broadway production where these three parts were played by Stephen Hanan. Other actors to play the part included Bronson N. Murphy, Nathan Morgan, Christopher E. Sidoli, Robert Purdie and Ryan Bailey.