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Skimbleshanks, the railway cat

Skimbleshanks, the Railway Cat, the cat of the railway train!
You might say that by a large it was me who was in charge
Of the sleeping Car Express
from the driver and the guards to be bagmen playing cards
I would supervise them all more or less
Down the corridor he paces and examines all the faces
Of the travellers in the first and the third
He established control by a regular patrol
and he'd know at once if anything occurred.
Ans he'd watch you without winking and he saw what you were thinking
And it's certain that he didn't approve
Of hilarity and riot so that folks were very quiet
When Skimble was about and on the move.
You could play no pranks with Skimbleshanks
He's a cat that coukdn't be ignored
So nothing went wrong on the Northern Mail
When Skimbleshanks was aboard
Skimbleshanks, the railway cat.
Without him the train wouldn't start!

Skimbleshanks, usually a bright orange cat, is describes in the West End
synopsis as being a "Friendly uncle" of sorts to all Jellicles:
he is an adult cat that looks after kittens.
Skimble's job, if you will, is keeping order in the night train
that makes its way across the British countryside.

Skimbleshanks' song describes a voyage on a night train.
The "little den" in the bridge is a sleeping berth, or couchette.
Couchette reservations are indicated by cars on the doors or on the beds themselves.

At the time Eliot wrote the poem, train travel and overnight trips were commonplace.
While it has declined considerably in America, most of the world still enjoys riding the railways.
The newest trains can get through the English channel in about 1 and half hours,
and can make the trip between London and Paris about 3 and half.

The "Jellile train" is customarily comprised of over 15 different pieces,
and requires at least as many actors to operate.
Many of the wheels and gears are set pieces during the entite show; Many other components,
such as the grill and the train body, are brought onstage during
intermission or left backstage right before the Skimbleshanks number.

Skimble makes his controlls every hour, so that he is
the first who knows what is happening in the train.
When he is on board, there is no racket, everything is in order.

During the opening number, Skimble sings "Dare you look at a king?" and in Jellicle ball "Jellicle cats have cheerful faces"
and in the same song (with misto) "We know how to dance a gavotte and a jig."
skimble He's played by:

  • Kenn Wells: Original London cast, 1981.
  • Reed Jones. Original Broadway cast, 1982. Unfortunately, he is one of the Jellicles that is no longer with us.
  • Peter Cseke: Original Pudapest Cast, c.1983-84.
  • John Hackett: Original Sydney cast, 1985.
  • Thierry Gondet: Original Paris cast, 1989.
  • Geoffrey Garratt: Video, 1997-98; London.
  • Nigel Garton: London cast,c.1998; UK National Tour, 1990's.

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