Introduction

Cats The Musical. A Fabulous Show To See !

Some comments on Cats The Musical

Purrfect entertainment for today’s generation…it will blow you away

Cats The Musical is the sort of production that will leave you with the sure feeling that the stock market is up…

Cats the musical is a slick production with not a paw or purr out of place.

…the excellent ensemble play their parts to purr-fection

breathtaking spectacle…magnificent ensemble performance…don’t miss this run!

…exceptional costumes, some stand-out individual performances and a mind-blowing light show

Before Cats The Musical had its 1981 West End premiere, it was viewed with much scepticism. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber working on his own, setting a series of children’s poems about kitty cats created decades earlier by T. S. Eliot for a bookless show being staged by a Shakespearean director, Trevor Nunn. Though producer Cameron Mackintosh believed in Cats the musical, and its special effects and dancing felines enchanted everyone that was to see it. Of course Broadway producers sat up and took notice. It was not long before Cats the Musical was to arrive on Boroadway !.

The Cats Broadway musical achieved over $6 million in advance sales. Even with begrudging reviews, few could dismiss the spectacle provided by designer John Napier or the cat exploits of Gillian Lynne’s acrobatic choreography, all capped off by the magical levitation of Grizabella to the Heavyside Layer via an enormous used tire. “Cats” mewed all the way to the bank.

Cats the musical even provided audiences with a hit show tune — “Memory” — which became a worldwide hit, recorded in more than a dozen languages. The British import was the longest-running show in Broadway history — and it changed forever the very concept of the musical form around the world. The musical includes an eclectic fusion of pop, classical, jazz and rock music.

Cats the musical was first shown in London’s West End Theatre West End, at the New London Theatre. 11 May 1981. There was trouble during the beginning as Judi Dench, cast in the role of Grizabella, snapped a tendon during rehearsals prior to the London opening.

The role of Grizabella was subsequently taken over by Elaine Paige; the role was beefed up for Paige and the song ‘Memory’ (originally to be sung by Geraldine Gardner in the role of the red cat Bombalurina) was given to Paige. It was originally produced onstage by Cameron Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group. It was directed by Trevor Nunn, associate director and choreographer Gillian Lynne, designed by John Napier with lighting by David Hersey.

It played a total of 8,949 performances in London. Its final performance in London’s West End was on its 21st birthday, 11 May 2002, and broadcast on a large screen in Covent Garden to the delight of fans who could not acquire a ticket for the final performance. It held the record as London’s longest running musical until 8 October 2006, when it was surpassed by Les Misérables.

Cats the musical made its debut on Broadway on 7 October 1982, at the Winter Garden Theatre with the same production team. On 19 June 1997, Cats became the longest-running musical in Broadway history with 6,138 performances. It played a total of 7,485 performances in New York.

Its New York record was surpassed on 9 January 2006 by The Phantom of the Opera, which was also composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cats’ final performance on Broadway was on 10 September 2000. It remains Broadway’s second longest-running show in history. When the original show was put on, it cost £900,000, but Cats The Musical on Broadway cost $5,000,000, highlighting how expensive it is to put a show on in New York

The London production of Cats the musical ran for twenty one years and the Broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting long-run records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became especially associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Cats Broadway musical production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000).

The unique details in the show have helped make “Cats” the force that it is today. After winning seven Tony awards in 1983, including Best Musical, “Cats” has become the longest continuously touring Broadway musical in history. Known as a Broadway phenomenon, “Cats” has made its way into the hearts of audiences worldwide throughout its 27-year run: It’s been acted throughout five continents, translated into 20 languages and performed in 26 countries.

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