André De Shields Began His New York Stage Career as a Cat Sitter; Now He's in Cats

André De Shields knows the true meaning of the term community.

The Tony winning legend paid a visit to the Playbill Studio on the occasion of his 80th birthday to reflect on the many stepping stones that have built his Life in the Theatre, all in anticipation of Cats: The Jellicle Ball (which begins performances at the Broadhurst Theatre March 18).

From his childhood in Baltimore, through his early theatrical triumphs in Chicago, and all the way to his current position as one of the guiding stars in Broadway’s firmament, he has always maintained a close and watchful eye on the community that surrounds him. It’s fitting that, this season, he has chosen to inhabit the role of Old Deuteronomy, the wise sage of the transformative Cats revival. The soul-probing attention De Shields offers to those that cross his path is his method of repaying the magnanimity that he himself has experienced throughout his life.

His journey to New York was non-traditional. “At the University of Wisconsin, there was a group of favored talent that always got the shows on the main stage, and there was a counterculture group who seemed to never get cast in those main stage shows. So, we founded our own theatre group. One of our early productions was an adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, in which I played Tiger Lily, who was a stand-in for Huey Newton, and the other Indians were the Black Panthers.” De Shields smiles impishly. “Just to give you an idea of how we were really dedicated to experimentation, and how politics have always infused the theatre that I've done.”

That “counterculture” version of Peter Pan even earned De Shields and the Organic Theater Company an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Then in 1973, after Organic brought their show Warp to New York, De Shields stayed instead of going back with the group to Chicago.

Recalls the Tony winner: “It was very experimental. We took many risks, and we were summarily dismissed when we brought a show called Warp to New York in 1973. We got together, and by showing a raise of the hands, we were asked the question, ‘Who wants to go back to Chicago and continue with the Organic Theater Company?’ Everyone raised hands, except André."

De Shields gestures toward himself with a flourish. "My rationale was, ‘Here I am in New York. I don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, but why go back to find a way to get to return?’ So, I stayed. I had a friend who was doing Jesus Christ Superstar who said to me, ‘You can couch surf in my apartment while I'm working, I have a cat. Take care of the cat, take care of the apartment, and you can stay until you get on your feet.’ That was the spring of ’73. And by the fall of ’73 I was in Rachael Lily Rosenbloom and Don't You Ever Forget It”.

That steady determination to do has carried De Shields through to the present, weaving a communal tapestry that is further enriched by every experience, be it positive, negative, or somewhere in between. While fussing with a binder containing Playbills from the many shows he's been in and gathering his thoughts, De Shields sums it all up with a smile. “I'm so glad I have so many stories to tell. All born of friendship. That’s the beauty of it. In every story, there is always a friend.”

To listen to De Shields’ life story, including getting naked in front of Queen Elizabeth II for The Full Monty, performing The Wiz during the 1977 New York City blackout, and so many more, check out his episode of My Life in the Theatre above.