Veerle as Jemima in Cats

The first significant role Veerle played was the kitten 'Jemima' in various versions of Andrew Loyd Webber's Cats.
This page is currently severely lacking, there is a lot more info around the site and the internet in general, but a good compilation was never made here.

Info about Veerle as Jemima can be found in the About section, in my Attic and on Internet, on the hundreds of Cats sites out there on the Internet.
The best source of course is the Cats Video, the primary source of Veerle's fame!

    I was asked by Jemimus to write a page about the character of Jemima, a sort of character analysis idea for those interested in learning about the character whom Veerle Casteleyn so brilliantly brings to life. In particular, this will involve Jemima’s role in the Jellicle Junkyard, how she relates to the other cats, and more importantly, what makes her so damn perfect.
    To do this, I will use the Cats DVD as my frame of reference. I will use the DVD, firstly, because out of the multitude of productions and recordings world-wide, the DVD/video adaption dictates a benchmark of universal standardisation, where everyone all around the globe can see the one version of the show and not be influenced by their own locality, and secondly, because it is widely accepted that in the DVD/video adaption, Veerle portrays the character of Jemima in a way that could not possibly be improvised upon.
    And thirdly, I just love Veerle.

    Due to Jemima being a relatively small role (in terms of solo singing), there is less material to use in discussing her character than there is for some of the other more prominent characters, such as Grizabella. Therefore Jemima’s role in Cats is largely defined by her visual appearance. As important as the few solo lines she receives actually are, more depth of character is conveyed purely through her appearance, and the way she behaves (both by herself and while interacting with the others).

    The most striking feature about Jemima (with particular reference to Veerle) is her face. It is no ordinary face, it is one of immense beauty, and extremely versatile at expressing her thoughts, moods and emotions at various points throughout the show. The deep gaze of her sparkling big brown ‘puppy eyes’, accentuated by thick dark upwardly curved eyebrows, sweeping from her side hairline to part-way down her nose, the black ‘wet’ spot on her nose, her full lips and prominent teeth highlighted by her whiskers of black and white make-up, her ruffled hair and her subtle smile all convey many aspects of her character; her happy and easy-going nature, her intent fascination with nearby activities, and most importantly, her complete innocence. These character facets are cleverly crafted with extraordinary use of make-up, but nonetheless it wholly relies upon the fact that Veerle Casteleyn’s face acts as the perfect canvas to flesh out such a work of art into the reality of three dimensions.

    Apart from her mesmerising beauty, we also should consider her role among the other cats, her behaviour, and her involvement within the ‘plot’ of Cats. Jemima does not become directly involved in the storyline until very late in the show. Initially, she is just a ‘pretty face’, a backup singer/dancer who assists in defining the other characters within their own musical numbers, being just an in-experienced, innocent little kitten herself.
    She is a placid onlooker during ‘The Old Gumbie Cat’, a screaming and swooning teeny-bopper fan of the mega-star ‘Rum Tum Tugger’, and a curious kitten who has to be reminded to keep a safe distance from ‘Grizabella, The Glamour Cat’. She sits attentively through ‘Bustopher Jones’ as though she were a small child in a kindergarten class having a story read to them by their teacher, an adoring grand-daughter of ‘Old Deuteronomy’, an attentive child once again in ‘The Awefull Battle Of The Pekes And The Pollicles’, a frenzied party animal in ‘The Jellicle Ball’, a deeply poetic and reflective star-gazer in ‘Moments of Happiness’, and a vibrant, bouncing train-carriage in ‘Skimbleshanks The Railway Cat’.
    All these are rather minor parts to play, yet still essential in establishing her type of personality.

    Jemima comes directly to the forefront of the show’s storyline with the third appearance of Grizabella, who is perhaps the main character. Grizabella is an elderly cat, well past her prime, who once left the Jellicle Junkyard presumably in an attempt to broaden her social horizons, and like an outcast, was refused acceptance back into the Junkyard when she finally returned, having realised that the Junkyard was indeed her true home. Jemima stands out from the others as the first cat (other than Old Deuteronomy) to acknowledge Grizabella’s return and to inspire the others to finally welcome her back to the group.
    She does this during the second rendition of ‘Memory’, where at the crescendo of Grizabella’s musical desperation, she performs the symbolic act of rising up before the full moon to sing a duet with Grizabella, as an expression of sympathy and acceptance. The theme of the song ‘Memory’ is one of past happiness, beauty and innocence, and its slow decay into the realisation of one’s own mortality, and the acceptance of the inevitable. Here, the audience sees Jemima as a representation of Grizabella’s former self; a flash-back of her past beauty and a life free of responsibility. It is this merging of Jemima’s adorable nature with our sympathy towards Grizabella which shows Jemima as the catalyst for Grizabella being finally accepted back into the group.

    Upon completion of her active role, Jemima then gracefully steps out of the spotlight and resumes her original role as one of the backup singers/dancers, however by this time she cannot help but stand out among them as the most adorable natured kitten with the beautiful face.
    Fans around the world have been entranced by this face, seeing more than just a beautiful dancer in a tight lycra cat-suit who oozes sex appeal, and actually finding themselves mesmerised by her hypnotic gaze. To her fans, Veerle Casteleyn is without a doubt the perfect actress for the character of Jemima, and vice versa, Jemima is the perfect character for the actress Veerle Casteleyn.

    Or, more succinctly, she is ‘painfully perfect’.