Munkustrap is a Jellicle cat, named in T. S. Eliot

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 poem "The Naming of Cats". He is a principal character in Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...

's musical 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...

.

The musical

In the show, Munkustrap functions as a narrator

Narrator

A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...

, singing several songs and introducing many of the other cats. He is also the protector and second in command of the cats, after patriarch Old Deuteronomy

Old Deuteronomy

Old Deuteronomy is a character in T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and its musical adaptation, Cats.In Eliot's original poem, Old Deuteronomy is described as an ancient, wise cat who has "lived many lives in succession" and is respected by the other cats and humans in his...

; and directs them in the "Awefull Battle of the Pekes

Pekingese

The Pekingese, or "Peke" is an ancient breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by the Chinese Imperial court, and its name refers to the city of Beijing where the Forbidden City resides...

 and Pollicles". As the defender of the tribe, Munkustrap fights Macavity. He also seems to know Mr. Mistoffelees

Mr. Mistoffelees

Mr. Mistoffelees is a character in T. S. Eliot's poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and its stage adaptation, Andrew Lloyd Webber's popular musical Cats. He is an important primary character, and one of the most popular of the show...

 well, as he stops him from getting to Grizabella

Grizabella

Grizabella is the "Glamour Cat" in the musical production Cats. She does not appear in T. S. Eliot's work Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, but she is a prominent character in the stageplay. It appears that she is the feline version of the woman mentioned in T.S...

 in the film and signals him to use his powers from time to time in the film.

He is usually depicted onstage as a tall, silver tabby cat. Although Munkustrap does perform a substantial amount of dancing in Cats, the role requires strong singing and acting as well.

Cast

Actors who have portrayed Munkustrap have included Harry Groener

Harry Groener

Harry Groener is a German-born American actor and dancer, perhaps best known for playing Mayor Wilkins in Buffy the Vampire Slayer .-Early life:...

, Gary Martin

Gary Martin

Gary Martin may refer to:* Gary Martin * Gary Martin * Gary Martin -See also:*Gary Martindale*Gary Martini*Martin Gary...

, Bryan Batt

Bryan Batt

Bryan Batt is an American actor best known for his role in the AMC series Mad Men as Salvatore Romano, an art director for the Sterling Cooper agency. Primarily a theater actor, he has had a number of starring roles in movies and television as well...

, John Partridge

John Partridge (performer)

John Partridge is an English actor, singer, dancer, panelist and television presenter, who is probably best known for the role of Christian Clarke in the long-running BBC television soap opera EastEnders, having joined the cast in January 2008...

, Robert Amirante, Jack Rebaldi, Rob Marshall

Rob Marshall

Rob Marshall is an American theater director, film director and choreographer. He is a six-time Tony Award nominee, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe nominee and four-time Emmy winner whose most noted work is the 2002 Academy Award for Best Picture winner Chicago.-Life and career:Marshall was...

, Jeffry Denman

Jeffry Denman

-Early life:Denman was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and graduated from the University of Buffalo as a Musical Theatre Dance major.-Career:He made his Broadway debut in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, played Munkustrap in the closing company of Cats and...

, Tug Watson (CATS Worldwide Tour) and Ian Laskowski. In the German-speaking world premiere of Cats, Steve Barton

Steve Barton

Steve Barton was an American actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, stage director and teacher.- Biography :Steven Neal Barton was born on June 26, 1954, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States, the youngest of three children of Tom and Mary Barton...

 played the role of Munkustrap/Dance Captain in the Theater an der Wien

Theater an der Wien

The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...

, Dean Maynard in the 25th anniversary tour. Michael Gruber, an alumnus of the Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

 production, was chosen to play Munkustrap in the 1998 Cats movie

CATS (film)

Cats is a 1998 direct-to-video film of the long-running West End production of Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. Lloyd Webber himself personally oversaw orchestration for the film and called on Gillian Lynne, the original show's...

. Yannick Vezina portrayed the role in the Quebec City premiere of the show. John Partridge

John Partridge (performer)

John Partridge is an English actor, singer, dancer, panelist and television presenter, who is probably best known for the role of Christian Clarke in the long-running BBC television soap opera EastEnders, having joined the cast in January 2008...

 portrayed the part in Germany. In the 2006-2008 UK tour which also travelled to Portugal and Italy, Dean Maynard played Munkustrap. In the recent German tour, Matthew Goodgame

Matthew Goodgame

Matthew Goodgame is a professional actor, singer and dancer from Kent.Goodgame has just finished playing Steven Kodaly in 'She Loves Me' at the Chichester Festival Theatre, after playing the role of Danny Zuko in the West End production of GREASE The Musical.Matthew closed the West End Production...

played the lead role of Munkustrap. Roy J. Brown played the part at Theo Ubique.