Fictional
Mr. Mistoffelees
1939
The 'Magical Mr. Mistoffelees' of T. S. Eliot's poems and the musical Cats — a conjuring, black-and-white tom whose show-stopping magic and dazzling dance made him one of theatre's best-loved felines.
- Owner
- Created by T. S. Eliot
- Years
- 1939
- Known for
- Fictional
Mr. Mistoffelees first appeared in T. S. Eliot's 1939 collection 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats', a set of witty, affectionate poems about a cast of characterful cats. In his own verse Eliot introduces him as the 'Original Conjuring Cat', a quiet, unassuming creature capable of astonishing feats of magic — producing things from nowhere, walking on the wall and ceiling, and performing tricks no one can quite explain.
When Andrew Lloyd Webber turned the collection into the musical 'Cats' in 1981, Mr. Mistoffelees became one of its standout roles. Reimagined as a sleek young tom in a black-and-white coat, he is given a spectacular solo number, 'Magical Mr. Mistoffelees', built around demanding, high-energy dance — famously including a dazzling sequence of turns — and a pivotal moment in the story: it is Mistoffelees whose magic conjures the missing patriarch Old Deuteronomy back to the tribe.
The role has become a rite of passage for dancers, its combination of ballet, athleticism and stage magic making it one of the most coveted parts in musical theatre. Through decades of productions around the world, and the 2019 film adaptation, the shy conjuror has stayed a firm favourite.
Gentle, modest and quietly extraordinary, Mr. Mistoffelees endures as one of literature and theatre's most charming cats — proof that the quietest character in the room can turn out to be the most magical.