Reed Jones (June 30, 1953 in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

– June 19, 1989 in

Sherman Oaks, California Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California located in the San Fernando Valley, founded in 1927. The neighborhood includes a portion of the Santa Monica Mountains, which gives Sherman Oaks a lower population density than ...

) was a dancer and choreographer whose credits included

Skimbleshanks Skimbleshanks is a character in T. S. Eliot's 1939 book of poetry ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' and in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical ''Cats'', which is based on Eliot's book. The character is portrayed as a bright and energetic ora ...

in the original cast of ''

CATS The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

'' and Big Deal in the Jerome Robbins revival of ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

''. Originally cast as an understudy, Reed originated the role of Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat in the original Broadway company of "Cats". He replaced originally cast Willie Rosario in the pre-opening rehearsal period after Rosario suffered a prolonged knee injury.

Performances

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart. Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus (254–184 BC), specifica ...

'' S TourNational Tour, 1987 Protean ''Jubilee'' Off-Off-Broadway Concert, 1986 Performer ''As Is'' Original Broadway Production, 1985 Chet (Standby) Clone (Standby) Saul (Standby) ''The Loves of Anatol''

roadway A carriageway (British English) or roadway (North American English) consists of a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally. A carriageway generally consists of a number of tra ...

1985 The Young Gentleman (dancer) Franz '' You Can't Take It With You'' roadway, 1983Choreographer (Musical Staging) ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

'' Original Broadway Production, 1982 Skimbleshanks ''Play Me a Country Song''

Unknown, 1982 Norm Dance Captain ''America''

Radio City Music Hall, 1981 Principal ''West Side Story'' Broadway Revival, 1980 Big Deal (A Jet) Action (Understudy) Gladhand (Understudy) ''Peter Pan'' Broadway Revival, 1979 Indian Kangaroo Dance Captain

Death

He died due to AIDS related illness on June 19, 1989, eleven days before his thirty-sixth birthday. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Reed 1953 births 1989 deaths American male dancers American choreographers Artists from Portland, Oregon 20th-century American dancers AIDS-related deaths in California