The young and innocent white cat Victoria performs a solo dance. Munkustrap, a large grey tabby who serves as the show's narrator, explains that the Jellicle Cats meet once a year to rejoice! He also explains that they are waiting for their leader, the wise Old Deuteronomy, who will choose which one of the Jellicle Cats will this year journey to the Heaviside Layer to be reborn to a new life!
ALL: Jellicle cats come out tonight Jellicle cats come one, come all The jellicle moon is shining bright Jellicles come to the jellicle ball
Jellicle cats come out tonight Jellicles come to the jellicle ball
Jellicle cats come out tonight Jellicle cats come one, come all The jellicle moon is shining bright Jellicles come to the jellicle ball
Jellicle cats come out tonight Jellicle cats come one, come all The jellicle moon is shining bright Jellicles come to the jellicle ball
SOLO: Jellicle cats meet once a year At the jellicle ball where we all rejoice And the jellicle leader will soon appear And make what is known as the jellicle choice
That's when Old Deuteronomy just before dawn Through a silence you feel you could cut with a knife Announces the cat who can now be reborn And come back to different jellicle life
Because waiting up there is the heaviside layer With wonders one jellicle only will see Jellicles ask because jellicles dare Who will it be?
From this point onward, each of the cats tells his own story in song and dance, hoping to be chosen as the special cat to come back to a different Jellicle life.