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Demeter usually has the same costume, being one of the 'main' cats. The typical appearance for her is a mostly-black unitard, with a white bib and lots of streaks/patches of yellow, especially on her legs and arms. She doesn't wear arm warmers, having instead satiny yellow gloves. Her wig is quite wild, spikey, in the same black, white, red and gold motif as her unitard.
Within the tribe, Demeter seems to be about the same age as Bombalurina, Cassandra, and Tantomile - the younger queens, older than the kittens but not yet middle-aged. Demeter is a very timid, easily frightened queen, owing to the history she has with Macavity (see Relationships). She is a big singing role, with most of Grizabella: The Glamour Cat, half of Macavity (as a duet with Bombalurina), the trio parts on The Old Gumbie Cat, and a number of other lines during the ensemble pieces.
Cats she seems to have relationships with, and theories about that relationship:
- Bombalurina - This relationship is based in canon - but whether Demeter and Bombalurina are sisters, friends, or even mates is a matter of hot debate among fans. My opinion is on the friends, with the thought that Demeter/Bombalurina slash fics could be much fun to write. ^_^;;
- Munkustrap - This one is quite canon. In the London production and the video (which is based on the London one), Demeter and Munkustrap are mates, although it's Demeter and Alonzo in all American productions, and I don't know about any others (Norway, Japan, Germany, etc.). I think they make a cute couple, myself, and I like to consider myself a M/D shipper.
- Macavity - No one is quite sure what the story is between Demeter and Macavity, but it's definite that they have one. Demeter is the one who always senses Macavity's presence, she is very easily spooked and acts generally freaked out when he's around. She sings the song Macavity: The Mystery Cat with Bombalurina, and seems to know more about him than most of the other Jellicles. And if that isn't enough evidence for you, Macavity actually tries to carry her away at the beginning of the Catfight, before Alonzo rescues her. One popular theory is that Macavity kidnapped her, either recently or when she was a kitten, and she's been traumatized by that incident (including variations in the way of what he did to her, i.e., rape, mental torture, whatever). Another theory is that, when she was young and innocent (think: stupid ;) ), Demeter started working for Macavity, and then, when she realized that this was a mistake, tried to get away, and he doesn't want to lose her. Other people suggest that they used to be mates, or that he's her father (this one I've not seen very often).
- Plato - This relationship I have only seen in the latest cast of the Troika Tour, with Karl Warden as Plato and Robin Wilner as Demeter. Plato seemed to be doing an awful lot of standing-up-for Dem, and being protective of her, that kind of thing. He also was quite friendly and affectionate to both her and Bombalurina, but not in quite the same way he was to Munkustrap, the Rum Tum Tugger, and a few of the other cats, leading my friend and I to consider the possibilities of Plato, Bombalurina, and Demeter all three being littermates.
Actresses who've played her:
- Aeva May - video
- Barbara King - London
- Robin Wilner - Troika Tour (5th US tour)
- Sharon Lee Hill - Original London
- Kirsten Price - Copenhagen
- Wendy Edmead - Original Broadway
- Sharon Millerchip - Auckland 89/90
- Cara Dinley - Australia Tent Tour
- Tanja-Maria Meier - Stuttgart 2001
- Jessica Lea Patty - Troika Tour (5th US Nat'l Tour)
- Erica Sweaney - Troika Tour (5th US Nat'l Tour)
If you know of someone who has played Demeter and is not listed here, please e-mail me with their name, performance location, and as much information about the production as you have. Thanks!
Demeter Photo Gallery:
I will eventually put up thumbnails of each of these pics. For now... just click on the links to see each image. And feel free to take and use these pictures. I used to say 'please don't steal', but as one visitor pointed out, they're not mine in the first place, so I don't know what I was thinking. Sharing is caring and all that.
- Nice full-body pic of Jessica Patty, who played Demeter in the 2001-2002 Troika Tour. She's still in the tour, as a swing.
- This is a nice one but a little fuzzy on the quality. Aeva May from the video.
- Otherwise known as 'The Zombie Cat'... this one is a close-up with fuzzy quality on Aeva May, in the video.
- Black and white full-body of Demeter doing the leg lift in Macavity: The Mystery Cat. I'm not sure which actress this is (if anyone has any information, please tell me!), but I suspect that it's either the Original Broadway Cast or Original London Cast.
- A very nice coloured full-body of the Demeter from the recent Stuttgart production, lying on her side.
- This is a big one. Full-body colour of Demeter and Bombalurina, it looks like during the last part of Macavity: The Mystery Cat, from Stuttgart.
- Small head closeup in colour of the Stuttgart Demeter.
- Headshot of Kirsten Price from the recent production in Copenhagen, Denmark. (And thank you, VERY MUCH, to Laura who provided me with a cast list of the Copenhagen production!)
- A good quality shot of The Old Gumbie Cat song, Demeter here played by Barbara King. This was from the 2002 London cast, I believe.
- Barbara King, 2001 or 2002 or thereabouts (I think), in full costume but not actually onstage.
- This picture and the next two are basically the same shot, with slight differences. They are all three Demeter and Bombalurina, at the end of the Macavity song. This first one is quite large, with what I believe are the final London Bomba & Demeter (I know it's Barbara King as Demeter, not sure who the Bomba is).
- Smaller than the first. Nice shot - Barbara King, I'm fairly sure, but I don't know who the Bombalurina is.
- This one is smaller than the others, and I've no idea who it is.
- Fuzzy quality colour long shot from the video. Taken during Macavity: The Mystery Cat. Aeva May as Demeter and Rosemarie Ford as Bombalurina.
- Tiny little headshot of Aeva May from the video.
- Nice big full-body shot, again that end pose from Macavity: The Mystery Cat, but I have no idea which cast this is. I'd guess one of the US tours, or possibly a German production...?
- A beautiful close-up on Barbara King during the first verse of Macavity: The Mystery Cat.
- Itty-bitty close up of an unknown cast Demeter and Bombalurina. Germany?
- Fairly decent quality, a close-up on Aeva May and Rosemarie Ford in the video, I believe at the lines 'I may mention Mungojerrie, I may mention Griddlebone' in Macavity: The Mystery Cat.
- Back to Barbara King. This is a beautiful picture, taken from the London souvenir programme.
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