The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year – the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one of the Cats to ascend to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life. In “The Naming of Cats”, however, they begin to reveal themselves and that cats have three different names: the one the family uses daily, a more dignified name, and a secret name. It is the contemplation of these secret names that keeps felines deep in thought.
