Cats

Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. It introduced the song standard “Memory.”

The musical first opened in the West End in 1981 and then on Broadway in 1982. Each time directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, it won numerous awards, including both the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical. The London production 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 particularly associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000). Cats has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages.

Cats takes place in a junkyard where the local cats are auditioning to be chosen by their leader, Old Deuteronomy, to journey to the Heavyside Lair to be reborn. In the end, the former glamour cat turned disheveled outcast, Grizabella, is chosen by Deuteronomy to receive the prized additional life.