He is quiet and small, he is black From his ears to the tip of his tail; He can creep through the tiniest crack, He can walk on the narrowest rail.
He can play any trick with a cork Or a spoon and a bit of fish-paste; If you look for a knife or a fork And you think it is merely misplaced-- You have seen it one moment, and then it is gawn!
However, the character is not sinister as the name implies, and instead is described by Eliot as being "the original conjuring cat", who is "always deceiving you into believing that he's only hunting for mice" – a mysterious, quiet and small black feline capable of performing feats of magic and sleight of hand.
[1] In Cats, Mistoffelees is a principal role and maintains most of the same attributes as Eliot's original character, although he is a much flashier showman.
[5] Mistoffelees's dance solo consists of some of the most difficult choreography in the show,[6] including his signature "Conjuring Turn" that comprises 24 consecutive fouettés en tournant.
He saves Victoria from a dog when Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer abandon her in a house and becomes her friend and confidant by the end of the film.
[12] Actors who have portrayed Mistoffelees onstage include Louie Spence, Gen Horiuchi and George de la Peña.
When Neil Patrick Harris hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009, Bobby Moynihan played Mr. Mistoffelees in a "Save Broadway" sketch.