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Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

What Broadway Can Teach You About Reinvention w/ CATS: The Jellicle Ball's Hair & Makeup Team

Getting Better with Jonathan Van Ness

Sony Music

Comedy, Society & Culture, Education, Self-improvement

4.9 • 21.6K Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2026

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Happy Pride Month!  This week on Getting Better, we’re heading backstage on Broadway for a dazzling deep dive into the artistry, creativity, and sheer magic that brings iconic productions to life. Jonathan sits down with the Hair & Makeup team behind the 9-Time Tony Nominated production of CATS: The Jellicle Ball: Makeup Designer Rania Zohny & Tony Award Winning Hair Designer, Nikiya Mathis. Together, they unpack the intricate process of designing for the stage - from creating unforgettable character transformations to building wigs and makeup looks that can withstand eight shows a week. Plus, they take us behind the curtain of the iconic “Memory” transformation and share what it really takes to create Broadway magic night after night. Whether you're a theatre kid, a beauty lover, or just someone who appreciates a fabulous transformation, this episode is serving artistry, history, and a whole lot of Pride. Wanna see JVN on stage? Get tix to the Hot & Healed Comedy Tour here.  Full Video Episodes now available on YouTube.  Follow CATS: The Jellicle Ball on Instagram @catsjellicleball Follow Nikiya Mathis on Instagram @nikiyamathis   Follow Rania Zohny @raniasmakeup  Follow us on Instagram @gettingbetterwithjvn Follow Jonathan on Instagram @jvn Senior Producer, Chris McClure Producer, Editor & Engineer is Nathanael McClure Production support from: Chad Hall Our theme music is also composed by Nathanael McClure.Curious about bringing your brand to life on the show? Email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Hey, Better Babes. Welcome back to getting better and happy pride, honey. Where is this year gone?

0:04.4

It's already June. And today we have such a special episode for you guys. It's all about the behind

0:10.1

the world scenes of Broadway glam. The way my mind was blown from the transformations in this

0:16.6

performance, I've never seen anything like it. Cats, the Jellicle Ball is such a cool show. It's giving like a reimagined cat. So we're going to get into all of this. We're also going to do like a broader deep dive into like how this magic happens on Broadway because the glam truly is like breathtaking. Like it's giving like magic show. And I've been new here for 20 years and I don't know how they're doing this. I got to figure it out. So we have the two people responsible for Grizzabella's transformation, which is like, oh my God, you just don't even know. Okay, so first up, we have Nikia Mathis. She is on hair. She's incredible. And the makeup supervisor is Rania Zani. And her work is incredible. Like, you know me, I can talk a lot, speechless for their work, for their expertise.

0:58.5

I'm so excited they're here.

1:00.1

Make some noise.

1:01.0

Put your hands together for this week's episode of Getting Better.

1:05.5

Nikita and Rania, welcome to Getting Better.

1:07.2

How are you?

1:07.8

So good.

1:08.8

So excited.

1:09.9

Yeah, absolutely.

1:31.3

My body is perked. It is ready. I am, I, beauty queens, you better be sat because these are like, you are, your artistry is just so unmatched. So I just want to give you guys like a little bit of background. I want to give you guys a little bit of background for our listeners, for our watchers. So I'm minding my own business for my birthday this year. And my girlfriend, Jude, was like, what are you going to do for your birthday? And I was like,

1:44.1

I don't know. I don't know what to do. And she was like, we have to go see cats. We're going to go see cats, the jellicle ball. And I'd heard about it. And then I was like, oh my gosh, that's the most perfect brunch date friend group thing to ever do on your birthday. That's a good girlfriend.

1:45.2

Oh my gosh.

1:45.9

And so we go.

1:47.4

And so I want you guys to talk about like kind of the history of like cats and like how it turned out. But so I go see Jellicle Ball. And I laugh. I cry. I have like the most in like it was just a really stunning experience. I don't want to like over promise.

2:01.0

But like, if you're in New York City, they got nominated for Tony's out the Wad Zoo.

2:05.1

They are really doing it. So go see them if you're around. Come to the city, even if you're not

2:10.5

to see it, it's that good. But I was just moved beyond words. And the glam, the hair and makeup,

2:16.3

because there is just transformations a plenty

2:18.6

in Katz Jellicle Ball, that I truly was so stunned at watching characters leave stage,

...

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