Quaxo/ Mr. Mistoffelees Character Analysis

Mistoffelees is a main character in Andrew Lloyd Webber'sCats. He is featured in the song 'Magical Mister Mistoffelees'.  In the London and some other productions, he is named "Quaxo, also called Mistoffelees", where his identity as The Magical Mister Mistoffelees remains a secret until his song.When Mistoffelees appears as a general chorus cat throughout the show, he is dressed slightly differently and often referred to as "Quaxo." This has lead to some confusion over whether Quaxo is Mistoffelees' alter ego, or the character's name is really Quaxo and he adopts the stage name of Mr. Mistoffelees while doing magic, or whether Quaxo and Mistoffelees are not the same cat at all. In the 1998 film credits, the character is credited as simply "Mistoffelees," and the credit shots include a shot of Quaxo/Mistoffelees in his Quaxo or chorus Mistoffelees costume. This costume differs from Mr. Mistoffelees' special costume in that it is less sparkly and includes white arm- and leg-warmers.In a few productions, Quaxo is a totally separate character from Mistoffelees, played by a different actor

He's quiet and small. I believe he's an adolescent, probably around 18 - 20 human years. He seems to be good friends with The Rum Tum Tugger and some believe that he and Victoria are mates, though I prefer to pair him up with Jemima, or no one at all.

Mr. Mistoffelees traditionally in a black and white tuxedo cat. His poem describes him as all black, however is portrayed as a black and white cat in the musical due to the technical limitations of stage lighting.  He has a fluffy white bib and the suggestion of a bow tie/collar.  For his big number he changes into a black velvet outfit covered in Swarovski crystals, with a jacket wired up with flashing lights.  The tuxedo shape suggests a classic stage costume for a magician or conjuror performing tricks.

In the song "Magical Mister Mistoffelees", he is described as being a rather mysterious, clever and cunning conjuring cat, often found being mischievous or performing amusing antics. In some productions of cats, he is portrayed as a kitten and is young, still exploring his magical powers and not yet confident in himself.

In Cats, Mistoffelees is a principal role and maintains most of the same attributes as Eliot's original character, although he is much flashier. He has his own song and an extended dance solo in the second act of the show and in most productions also sings the "Invitation to the Jellicle Ball" in the first act. In the original London Cast, Mistoffelees also sang "The Old Gumbie Cat"; and in the original Broadway production, he sang "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer". However, the song was reworked to allow those two characters to sing it themselves. He and Victoria dance to invite us to the Jellicle Ball.

In some versions of the musical, he is given a second name, 'Quaxo'. Often his "chorus" version is known as Quaxo, and his special song costume is known as Mistoffelees. Mistoffelees performs the most difficult choreography in the show, including 24 fouettés en tournant and dancers cast in the role generally have extensive ballet and gymnastic experience. As the role's technical demands necessarily trump the performer's vocal abilities, the show permits multiple vocal tracks for the character—thereby allowing some dancers to sing quite a bit, while others do no singing at all. He was also the second one to touch and smile at Grizabella and showed that he accept her back into the tribe and wave goodbye to her when she enter to the Heavisde Layer to be reborn.


As we are portraying cats in the world of fashion, I tried to think of a fashion icon or celebrity who would relate to my character Quaxo. I felt that there wasn't many fashion icons who could relate to my character so I went for a celebrity who Is a magician I did this because Quaxo takes the character of Mr Mistoffelees of a stage magician. The magician I chose was David Blaine, he is a well known magician who pushes the boundaries of magic and illusion.