Cats Musical Wiki

Welcome to the Cats Musical Wiki

Cats tells the story of a tribe of domestic cats on the night of the Jellicle Ball. As part of the celebrations, they make what is known as "the Jellicle choice" and choose one cat who will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. We are introduced to many vivid characters as the drama unfolds through the night, culminating in the bedraggled old Grizabella singing the hit song "Memory", which assures her place in the Heaviside Layer as the most deserving of a new life.

The Cats Wiki - All about the Musical Cats

Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. Directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, Cats first opened in the West End in 1981 and then with the same creative team on Broadway in 1982. It won numerous awards, including Best Musical at both the Laurence Olivier Awards and the Tony Awards. The London production ran for twenty-one years while the Broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting new records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000).

Cats was the longest-running show in Broadway history from 1997 to 2006, and the longest-running musical in West End history from 1989 to 2006. As of 2023, it remains the fifth longest-running Broadway show and the fifth longest-running West End musical. It has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than twenty languages. Cats was turned into a made-for-television film in 1998, followed by a major motion picture in 2019. The show is licensed for Regional/Amateur/Schools productions in the US and in the UK.

The Cats Wiki is a collaborative fan site and has no connection or affiliation with the Really Useful Group or any other profit-making entity. All photographs are copyright and are used without permission under fair use. No profit is made by the editors of this website.

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