Cats (musical)

{{short description|1981 musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber}} {{Use British English|date=September 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox Musical | name = Cats | image = CatsMusicalLogo.jpg | caption = | music = Andrew Lloyd Webber | lyrics = T. S. Eliot Trevor Nunn Richard Stilgoe | book = | basis = {{Based on|''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats''|T. S. Eliot}} | setting = | productions = {{unbulleted list |1981 West End |1982 Broadway |2014 West End revival |2015 West End revival |2016 Broadway revival |2024 Off-Broadway |2026 Broadway revival |2026 London  }} | premiere_date = {{start date and age|df=yes|1981|5|11}} | premiere_location = New London Theatre, London, England, U.K. | awards = {{Plainlist| * Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical * Tony Award for Best Musical * Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical * Tony Award for Best Original Score }} | image_size = }} '''''Cats''''' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is based on the 1939 poetry collection ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' by T. S. Eliot. The musical tells the story of a tribe of cats called the Jellicles and the night they make the "Jellicle choice" by deciding which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. As of 2024, ''Cats'' remains the fifth-longest-running Broadway show and the eighth-longest-running West End show.

Lloyd Webber began setting Eliot's poems to music in 1977, and the compositions were first presented as a song cycle in 1980. Producer Cameron Mackintosh then recruited director Trevor Nunn and choreographer Gillian Lynne to turn the songs into a complete musical. ''Cats'' opened to positive reviews at the New London Theatre in the West End in 1981 and then to mixed reviews at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in 1982. It won numerous awards including Best Musical at both the Laurence Olivier and Tony Awards. Despite its unusual premise that deterred investors initially, the musical turned out to be an unprecedented commercial success, with a worldwide gross of US$3.5 billion by 2012.

The London production ran for 21 years and 8,949 performances, while the Broadway production ran for 18 years and 7,485 performances, making ''Cats'' the longest-running musical in both theatre districts for a number of years. ''Cats'' has since been revived in the West End twice and on Broadway twice. It has also been translated into multiple languages and performed around the world many times. Long-running foreign productions include a 15-year run at the Operettenhaus in Hamburg that played over 6,100 performances, as well as an ongoing run in a purpose-built theatre in Japan that has played over 10,000 performances since it opened in 1983.

''Cats'' started the megamusical phenomenon, establishing a global market for musical theatre and directing the industry's focus to big-budget blockbusters, as well as family- and tourist-friendly shows. The musical's profound but polarising influence also reshaped the aesthetic, technology, and marketing of the medium. ''Cats'' was adapted into a direct-to-video film in 1998 and a feature film in 2019. {{TOC LIMIT|3}}

==Background== ''Cats'' is based on T. S. Eliot's 1939 poetry book ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'', and the songs in the musical consist of Eliot's verse set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.<ref name=sternfeld117118/> The musical is unusual in its construction; along with Eliot's poems, music and dance are the main focus of the show at the expense of a traditional narrative structure.<ref name=thr2019tour>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/cats-theater-1191508|title='Cats': Theater Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Jordan|last=Riefe|date=28 February 2019|access-date=12 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520125203/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/cats-theater-1191508}}</ref> Musicologists William Everett and Paul Laird described ''Cats'' as "combining elements of the revue and concept musical".<ref name=everettlaird>{{harvnb|Everett|Laird|2015|p=5}}</ref> The plot centres on a tribe of cats called the Jellicles, as they come together at the annual Jellicle Ball to decide which one of them will ascend to the Heaviside Layer (their version of heaven) and be reborn into a new life.<ref name=snelson31/> The bulk of the musical consists of the different contenders being introduced, either by themselves or by other cats.<ref name="The Story">{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/about-the-show/the-story|title=The Story|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=17 April 2019|archive-date=17 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417111813/https://www.catsthemusical.com/about-the-show/the-story}}</ref>

===Poems=== thumb|Eliot's poetry provided most of the lyrics for ''Cats'' ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' is a collection of light poetry about cats that Eliot had originally written for his godchildren in the 1930s. Due to the rhythmic nature of Eliot's work, there had been previous attempts before ''Cats'' at setting his poems to music, though none of these attempts had been met with much critical or commercial success.<ref name=sternfeld115>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|p=115}}</ref> John Snelson, a musicologist, wrote of the poems:

{{blockquote|text=[They] provided excellent material for musicalization, as Eliot's style in this collection is reminiscent of a popular lyricist. The poet uses repeated catch phrases, strong hooks, steady rhythm and outrageous, attention-grabbing, witty rhymes, which are the ingredients of every well-crafted popular lyric.<ref name=snelson129>{{harvnb|Snelson|2004|p=129}}</ref>}}

Most of the lyrics in ''Cats'' were taken from ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'' with very minor alterations. Supplementary verses from unpublished poems by Eliot were adapted for "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" and "The Journey to the Heaviside Layer", while the song "The Moments of Happiness" was taken from a passage in Eliot's ''The Dry Salvages''. ''Cats'' director Trevor Nunn and lyricist Richard Stilgoe provided the remaining lyrics, namely for the opening number "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" and the most famous song from the musical: "Memory". The former was written by Nunn and Stilgoe and was modelled after an unpublished poem by Eliot titled "Pollicle Dogs and Jellicle Cats", while the latter was written by Nunn based on another Eliot poem titled "Rhapsody on a Windy Night".<ref name=sternfeld117118/>

==Creation== ===Inception=== Lloyd Webber began composing the songs in late 1977 as a songwriting exercise, partly because Eliot's book had been a childhood favourite and partly to see if he could write music to predetermined lyrics. The compositions were performed privately for friends but Lloyd Webber had no further intentions for them at the time. After his song cycle ''Tell Me on a Sunday'' was televised by the BBC in early 1980, Lloyd Webber began to consider using his musicalization of Eliot's poems in the same vein for a televised concert anthology.<ref name=catsalw>{{harvnb|Eliot|Eliot|Lloyd Webber|Nunn|1983|p=9}}</ref> He approached producer Cameron Mackintosh to explore possible avenues for the songs.<ref name=chicago1981/>

''Practical Cats'', as the show was then called, was first presented as a song cycle at the 1980 summer Sydmonton Festival. The concert was performed by Gemma Craven, Gary Bond and Paul Nicholas. Eliot's widow and literary executor, Valerie, was in attendance and brought along various unpublished cat-themed poems by Eliot. One of these was "Grizabella the Glamour Cat" which, although rejected from Eliot's book for being "too sad for children", gave Lloyd Webber the idea for a full-blown musical.<ref name=unmasked315317>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=315–317}}</ref> He explained:

{{blockquote |text=The musical and dramatic images that this created for me made me feel that there was very much more to the project than I had realised. I immediately decided that I needed the support of another to encourage me to re-work my settings and to see if a dramatic whole could be woven from the delightful verse that I was now to be allowed to develop.<ref name=catsalw/> }}

Lloyd Webber thus decided to turn ''Practical Cats'' into a musical, co-produced by Mackintosh and the Really Useful Group's Brian Brolly.<ref name=unmasked315317/>

===Development=== Shortly after the Sydmonton Festival, Lloyd Webber began setting the unpublished poems he had been given to music, a few of which were later added into the show. He also composed the overture and "The Jellicle Ball", incorporating analog synthesizers into these orchestrations to try to create a unique electronic soundscape.<ref name=unmasked317>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|p=317}}</ref> Meanwhile, Mackintosh recruited Nunn, the then artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), to direct ''Practical Cats''. Nunn was an unusual choice as he was considered "too high-brow" for musical theatre,<ref name=McLamore414>{{harvnb|McLamore|2017|p=414}}</ref> but Mackintosh felt that a "pedigree" director was needed to ensure Valerie Eliot's approval of the project.<ref name=unmasked308309318>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=308–309, 318}}</ref> After much persuasion, Nunn came on board and was joined by his RSC colleagues, choreographer Gillian Lynne and set and costume designer John Napier.<ref name=chicago1981>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31773702/chicago_tribune/|title='Cats': Hit feline musical has London purring|work=Chicago Tribune|first=Richard|last=Christiansen|author-link=Richard Christiansen (critic)|date=13 September 1981|page=117|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name=unmasked318320>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=318–320}}</ref> Nunn initially envisioned ''Practical Cats'' as a chamber piece for five actors and two pianos, which he felt would reflect "Eliot's charming, slightly offbeat, mildly satiric view of late-1930s London".<ref name=nunnnyt/> However, he yielded to Lloyd Webber's more ambitious vision for the musical.<ref name=nunnnyt/> Nunn was also convinced that for the musical to have the wide commercial appeal that the producers desired, it could not remain as a series of isolated numbers but instead had to have a narrative through line.<ref name=unmasked318320/> He was therefore tasked with piecing the self-contained poems together into a story.<ref name=Siropoulos129132/> Nunn wrote about the significance "Grizabella the Glamour Cat" had on the construction of the narrative:

{{Blockquote |text=Here in eight lines Eliot was describing an intensely recognizable character with powerful human resonances, while introducing the themes of mortality, and the past, which occur repeatedly in the major poems. We decided that if Eliot had thought of being serious, touching, almost tragic in his presentation of a feline character, then we had to be doing a show which could contain that material, and the implications of it. Furthermore, we would have to achieve the sense of progression through themes more than incidents.<ref name=catsnunn/> }}

An event called the Jellicle Ball was referenced by Eliot in the poem "The Song of the Jellicles", while a cat version of heaven known as the Heaviside Layer was mentioned in one of his unpublished poems. Nunn expanded on these concepts by conceiving the Jellicle Ball as an annual ritual in which the cats vie to be chosen to ascend to the Heaviside Layer, thus giving the characters a reason to gather and sing about themselves in the musical. He also added the element of rebirth as a play on the idea that cats have nine lives.<ref name=sternfeld117118>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=117–118}}</ref>

One of Nunn's stipulations for agreeing to direct ''Practical Cats'' was that actress Judi Dench would be cast in the musical. Lloyd Webber was happy to oblige given her credentials and so Dench joined the company in the dual roles of Grizabella and Jennyanydots. Former Royal Ballet principal dancer Wayne Sleep was offered the part of Mr. Mistoffelees after Lloyd Webber and Mackintosh attended a performance by his dance troupe, one of the many dance showcases they saw in preparation for the musical. Casting for the other roles began in November 1980, with auditions held across the UK for dancers who could also sing and act. There was an initial disagreement over the casting of Paul Nicholas as Rum Tum Tugger; Nunn had misgivings about the actor's easy-going attitude but eventually yielded to Lloyd Webber, Mackintosh and Lynne, all of whom were keen on Nicholas for the role. Sarah Brightman, who had already made a name for herself with the chart hit "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper", arranged a private audition and was cast in an as-then undecided role. By December, the full cast had been assembled.<ref name=unmaskedcasting>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=320, 322, 325–330}}</ref>

Meanwhile, Mackintosh engaged the advertising agency Dewynters to design a poster for the musical. After much back-and-forth, the agency presented a minimalist poster consisting of a pair of yellow feline eyes (with dancing silhouettes for the pupils) set against a black backdrop. The producers and the creative team loved the design but felt that the title — ''Practical Cats'' — looked out of place when paired with the image of the cat's eyes. The musical's title was thus shortened to just ''Cats''.<ref name=unmasked335336>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=335–336}}</ref>

The musical was scheduled to open on 30 April 1981, with previews starting on 22 April. Shortly before tickets went on sale in mid-February, Nunn revealed to the alarmed producers that he was struggling to write the script for the musical. Despite still having no established book or score, rehearsals began on 9 March 1981 in a church hall in Chiswick, London.<ref name=unmasked334338>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=334–338}}</ref> The situation improved later that day when Lloyd Webber, Mackintosh and Nunn met with Richard Stilgoe, a musician known for his ability to improvise lyrics on the spot, in hopes that Stilgoe could write an opening song for the musical. By the next evening, Stilgoe had produced a draft for "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats".<ref name=unmasked341>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|p=341}}</ref> However, "Memory", an 11 o'clock number for Grizabella that Nunn insisted the show needed as its "emotional centre",<ref name=unmasked331>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|p=331}}</ref> still had no lyrics at this point. Lloyd Webber's former writing partner Tim Rice was brought in to write a lyric for the song, but his version was rejected by Nunn for being too depressing. The lyrics for "Memory" were not completed by Nunn until well into the previews.<ref name=unmasked345354>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=345, 348–349, 354}}</ref> thumb|left|The original 1981 London cast of ''Cats'' Many of the ensemble characters were created by the original cast through extensive improvisation sessions held during the rehearsal process. Said Nunn: "[O]n day one of rehearsals what we had was 15 poems set to music and five weeks later we had a show with characters, relationships and stories running from beginning to end."<ref name=sternfeld130132/><ref>{{harvnb|Siropoulos|2008|pp=184–185}}</ref> The production faced a last minute mishap when Dench snapped her Achilles tendon during rehearsals for "The Old Gumbie Cat" and had to pull out one week before the first preview. Shortly after this, the original music director, Chris Walker, also had to leave the production for medical reasons and was replaced by the film conductor Harry Rabinowitz. Dench's understudy Myra Sands replaced her as Jennyanydots, while Elaine Paige agreed to take over the role of Grizabella. Opening night was pushed back to 11 May, but Mackintosh refused to postpone the previews as he wanted to dispel the industry rumours that the production was an impending debacle.<ref name=unmasked344346>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=344–346}}</ref>

The development of ''Cats'' was also plagued by financial troubles. Mackintosh struggled to raise the £450,000 (US$1.16 million<ref name=smith/>) needed to stage the musical in the West End as major investors were sceptical of the show's premise and refused to back it. Lloyd Webber personally underwrote the musical and took out a second mortgage on his house for the down payment of the theatre. He later recalled that if ''Cats'' had been a commercial failure, it would have left him in financial ruin.<ref name=unmasked321346>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=321, 328, 346}}</ref> The remaining capital was eventually raised by small investments procured from 220 individuals through newspaper advertisements.<ref name=sternfeld117118/><ref name=McLamore414/> After the musical became a massive hit, the rate of return for these investors was estimated to have exceeded 3,500 per cent.<ref name=telegraphwebber>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/11281186/Andrew-LLoyd-Webber-Cats-2014-Nicole-Sherzinger.html|title='They told me I was crazy': Andrew Lloyd Webber on Cats|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=10 December 2014|access-date=2 May 2019|first=Rachel|last=Stewart|url-status=live|archive-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520125721/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/11281186/Andrew-LLoyd-Webber-Cats-2014-Nicole-Sherzinger.html|ref=none}}</ref>

==Plot==

===Act I – When Cats Are Maddened by the Midnight Dance=== [[File:RCCL Cats 2018 1.png|thumb|The Jellicle cats gather every year to make the "Jellicle choice" and decide which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life.]] After the overture, a tribe of cats known as the Jellicles gather on stage and describe themselves and their purpose ("Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats"). The cats (who break the fourth wall throughout the show) then notice that they are being watched by a human audience, and proceed to explain how the different cats of the tribe are named ("The Naming of Cats"). This is followed by a ballet solo performed by Victoria to signal the beginning of the Jellicle Ball ("The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball"). At this moment, Munkustrap, the show's main narrator, explains that tonight the Jellicle patriarch Old Deuteronomy will make an appearance and choose one of the cats to be reborn into a new life on the Heaviside Layer.

Munkustrap introduces the first contender Jennyanydots ("The Old Gumbie Cat"), a large tabby cat who lazes around all day, but come nighttime, she becomes active, teaching mice and cockroaches various activities to curb their naturally destructive habits. Just as Jennyanydots finishes her song, the music changes suddenly and Rum Tum Tugger makes his extravagant entrance in front of the tribe ("The Rum Tum Tugger"). He is very fickle and unappeasable, "for he will do as he do do, and there's no doing anything about it".

Then, as Rum Tum Tugger's song fades, a shabby old grey cat stumbles out wanting to be reconciled; it is Grizabella. All the cats back away from her in fear and disgust and explain her unfortunate state ("Grizabella: The Glamour Cat"). Grizabella leaves and the music changes to a cheerful upbeat number as Bustopher Jones, a fat cat in "a coat of fastidious black", is brought to the stage ("Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town"). Bustopher Jones is among the elite of the cats, and visits prestigious gentlemen's clubs. Suddenly, a loud crash startles the tribe and the cats run offstage in fright. Hushed giggling sounds signal the entrance of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, a pair of near-identical cats. They are mischievous petty burglars who enjoy causing trouble around their human neighbourhood ("Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer"). After they finish, they are caught off-guard and confronted by the rest of the cats.

Finally, the Jellicle patriarch, Old Deuteronomy, arrives before the tribe ("Old Deuteronomy"). He is a wise old cat who "has lived many lives" and is tasked with choosing which Jellicle will go to the Heaviside Layer every year. The cats put on a play for Old Deuteronomy ("The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles"), telling a story about two dog tribes clashing in the street and subsequently being scared away by the Great Rumpus Cat. A moral from Old Deuteronomy is interrupted by a second loud crash, presumably from Macavity, which sends the alarmed cats scurrying. After a quick patrol for Macavity, Old Deuteronomy deems it a false alarm and summons the cats back as the main celebration begins ("The Jellicle Ball"), in which the cats sing and display their "Terpsichorean powers".

During the Ball, Grizabella reappears and tries to dance along, but her age and decrepit condition prevent her from doing so ("Grizabella: The Glamour Cat (Reprise)"). As a result, she is once again shunned by the other cats, but that does not stop her from vowing to return for another chance to be in the spotlight while a guilty Old Deuteronomy looks on ("Memory (Prelude)").

===Act II – Why Will the Summer Day Delay – When Will Time Flow Away?=== After the Jellicle Ball, Old Deuteronomy gathers his tribe to contemplate the nature of happiness. Jemima (also known as Sillabub), the youngest of all Jellicles, understands the patriarch is referring to Grizabella, and passes the message on to the rest of the tribe ("The Moments of Happiness"). Gus – short for Asparagus – shuffles forward as the next cat to be introduced ("Gus: The Theatre Cat"). He was once a famous actor but is now old and "suffers from palsy which makes his paws shake". He is accompanied by Jellylorum, his caretaker, who tells of his exploits. Gus then remembers how he once played the infamous pirate captain, Growltiger ("Growltiger's Last Stand"). He tells of Growltiger's romance with Lady Griddlebone, leading to the pirate's capture by a horde of Siamese cats and his execution by walking the plank.

Back in the present, after Gus exits, Skimbleshanks is seen sleeping in the corner ("Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat"). He is the cat who is unofficially in charge of the nightly train from London to Gallowgate, and it will not depart unless he is aboard. Within his song, a whole steam train engine is assembled out of objects in the junkyard.

With a third crash and an evil laugh, the "most wanted" cat Macavity appears. He is the so-called "Napoleon of Crime" who always manages to evade the authorities. Macavity's henchmen capture Old Deuteronomy and take off with the patriarch in tow. As Munkustrap and his troop give chase, Demeter and Bombalurina explain what they know about Macavity ("Macavity: The Mystery Cat"). When they are finished, Macavity returns disguised as Old Deuteronomy, but his cover is blown by Demeter and he ends up getting beaten by Munkustrap and Alonzo. Macavity holds his own for a time, but as the rest of the tribe begin to gang up and surround him, he shorts out the stage lights and escapes in the resulting confusion.

After the fight, Rum Tum Tugger calls upon the magician Mr. Mistoffelees for help ("Magical Mr. Mistoffelees"). Known as the "original conjuring cat", Mr. Mistoffelees can perform feats of magic that no other cat can do. He displays his magical powers in a dance solo and uses them to restore the lights and bring back Old Deuteronomy. Now, the "Jellicle choice" can be made.

Before Old Deuteronomy can make his decision, Grizabella returns to the junkyard and he allows her to address the gathering. Her faded appearance and lonely disposition have little effect on her song ("Memory"). With acceptance and encouragement from Jemima and Victoria, her appeal succeeds and she is chosen to be the one to go to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a new Jellicle life ("The Journey to the Heaviside Layer"). A tyre rises from the piles of junk, carrying Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy partway towards the sky; Grizabella then completes the journey on her own.{{efn-lr|The method in which Grizabella ascends to the Heaviside Layer varies depending on the production. In the original London and Broadway productions, she climbs up a stairway that emerges from the ceiling. In the 1990s and 2000s scaled-down touring productions, she ascends via a flying saucer-like vessel.<ref>*{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-11-18-ca-92-story.html|title=STAGE REVIEW: 'Cats' Still Has Some Life|work=Los Angeles Times|date=18 November 1991|first=T. H.|last=McCulloh|access-date=17 May 2019}} *{{cite web|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/1202/120201.html|title=A Broadway musical hit offering light-and-sound pyrotechnics; Concerning 'Cats,' there are few moderates|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=2 December 1982|first=John|last=Beaufort|access-date=24 April 2019|ref=none}} *{{cite web|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/15/il/il03a.html|title=Offbeat 'Cats' always lands audience on its feet|work=The Honolulu Advertiser|date=15 April 2005|first=Joseph T.|last=Rozmiarek|access-date=17 May 2019|archive-date=29 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200929213902/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2005/Apr/15/il/il03a.html|ref=none}}</ref>}} Finally, Old Deuteronomy closes the show by giving his final speech to the audience ("The Ad-dressing of Cats").

'''Notes''': {{notelist-lr}}

==Music==

===Musical numbers=== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} ;Act I * "Overture" – Orchestra * "Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats" – The Company * "The Naming of Cats" – Asparagus, Munkustrap, The Company * "The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball" – Victoria, Quaxo, Munkustrap, Company * "The Old Gumbie Cat" – Jennyanydots, Munkustrap, Bombalurina, Jellylorum, Demeter, Company * "The Rum Tum Tugger" – Rum Tum Tugger, Quaxo, Bombalurina, Company * "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat" – Grizabella, Demeter, Bombalurina, Company * "Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town" – Bustopher Jones, Jennyanydots, Bombalurina, Jellylorum, Company * "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" – Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, Company * "Old Deuteronomy" – Munkustrap, Rum Tum Tugger, Old Deuteronomy, Company * "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles"'''†''' – Munkustrap, Rumpus Cat and Company * "The Jellicle Ball"'''‡''' – The Company * "Grizabella: The Glamour Cat (Reprise)" – Jellylorum and Jemima * "Memory (Prelude)" – Grizabella

{{col-2}} ;Act II * "The Moments of Happiness" – Old Deuteronomy, Jemima, Company * "Gus: The Theatre Cat" – Asparagus, Jellylorum * "Growltiger's Last Stand" (including "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw" or "In Una Tepida Notte")'''†''' – Growltiger, Griddlebone, Genghis, The Crew, Company * "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat" – Skimbleshanks and Company * "Macavity: The Mystery Cat" – Demeter, Bombalurina, Girls * "Mr. Mistoffelees" – Mr. Mistoffelees, Rum Tum Tugger, and Company * "Memory" – Grizabella, Jemima * "The Journey to the Heaviside Layer" – The Company * "The Ad-Dressing of Cats" – Old Deuteronomy and Company {{col-end}}

: '''†'''"Growltiger's Last Stand" has been dropped from US and UK productions since 2016,<ref name=growltiger/> with "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" moving to Act II to replace it.<ref name=catsneilsimon/> : '''‡'''Also credited as "Song of the Jellicles and the Jellicle Ball".<ref name=catsneilsimon/>

===Orchestration=== Based on the definitive 16-piece licensed version.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themusicalcompany.com/show/cats/orchestrainstrumentation-list/|title=Orchestra / Instrumentation List: Cats|work=The Musical Company |access-date=11 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=11 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411071834/https://themusicalcompany.com/show/cats/orchestrainstrumentation-list/}}</ref> {{col-begin}} {{col-3}} * Woodwind I: flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone * Woodwind II: B♭ clarinet, baritone saxophone, flute * Woodwind III: oboe, cor anglais * Horn I * Horn II * Trumpet I: B♭ trumpet, piccolo trumpet * Trumpet II: B♭ trumpet, flugelhorn * Trombone: B♭ {{col-3}} * Keyboard I * Keyboard II * Keyboard III * Percussion * Cello * Guitar: electric, acoustic * Electric upright bass * Drums {{col-3}} {{col-end}}

==Characters== {{main|Jellicle cats}} ''Cats'' is an ensemble show with a large supporting cast and no leads.<ref name=independent2015/>

===Featured=== [[File:Ausschnitte aus dem Musical Cats mit dem Orignal-Ensemble.jpg|thumb|From left to right: Old Deuteronomy, Jemima, Grizabella and Victoria during an event in Germany, 2011.]] Characters who are featured singers and/or dancers: * '''Asparagus (Gus)''' a.k.a. the '''Theatre Cat''' – A frail elderly cat who used to be a famous stage actor.<ref name=gus>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/gus-growltiger|title=Gus/Growltiger|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325141213/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/gus-growltiger}}</ref> * '''Bombalurina''' – A flirty and confident red queen; she is best friends with Demeter and the two share an intense hatred for Macavity.<ref name=demeter>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/demeter-bombalurina|title=Demeter and Bombalurina|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325141903/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/demeter-bombalurina}}</ref> * '''Bustopher Jones''' a.k.a. the '''Cat About Town''' – A fat upper-class cat with a carefully-groomed black coat and white markings on his legs that resemble spats. Respected by all, he is a cat of leisure who frequents gentlemen's clubs for their fine dining.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/bustopher-jones|title=Bustopher Jones|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=30 March 2019|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330040340/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/bustopher-jones}}</ref> In most productions, the actor playing Gus also plays Bustopher, though in early productions the part was handled by the actor playing Old Deuteronomy. * '''Demeter''' – A troubled and skittish queen; she is best friends with Bombalurina and the two share an intense hatred for Macavity.<ref name=demeter/> * '''Grizabella''' – A former '''Glamour Cat''', ostracised by the Jellicles, who has lost her sparkle and now only wants to be accepted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/grizabella|title=Grizabella|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325141938/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/grizabella}}</ref> * '''Jellylorum''' – A motherly caretaker who watches out for the kittens and looks after Gus. * '''Jemima/Sillabub''' – The youngest kitten. Idealistic and jovial, she is sympathetic to Grizabella's plight.<ref name=sternfeld160161/> * '''Jennyanydots''' a.k.a. the '''Old Gumbie Cat''' – She sits around all day and is seemingly very lazy, but at night, she becomes very active as she rules the mice and cockroaches, forcing them to undertake helpful functions and creative projects to curb their naturally destructive habits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/jennyanydots|title=Jennyanydots|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325153309/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/jennyanydots}}</ref> * '''Macavity''' a.k.a. the '''Mystery Cat''' – A notorious criminal known as the "Napoleon of Crime".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/macavity|title=Macavity|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325153345/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/macavity}}</ref> Usually played by the actor playing Admetus/Plato. * '''Mr. Mistoffelees''' – A young black-and-white tuxedo tom learning to control his magical powers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/mr-mistoffelees|title=Mister Mistoffelees|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325153606/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/mr-mistoffelees}}</ref> He is a featured dancer, performing his signature "Conjuring Turn" (twenty-four consecutive fouettés en tournant) during his number.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/your-favourite-cat|title=Who's your favourite Cats Cat?|date=28 August 2015|first=Phil|last=Willmott|work=LondonBoxOffice.co.uk|access-date=4 April 2019}}</ref> Mistoffelees' chorus identity is sometimes known as '''Quaxo'''. * '''Mungojerrie''' – A mischievous troublemaker, he is one-half of a notorious duo of cat-burglars along with Rumpleteazer.<ref name=mungo>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/mungojerrie-rumpelteazer|title=Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325153634/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/mungojerrie-rumpelteazer}}</ref> * '''Munkustrap''' – A grey tabby tomcat who is the storyteller and protector of the Jellicle tribe. He is Old Deuteronomy's second-in-command and the show's main narrator.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/munkustrap|title=Munkustrap|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325153710/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/munkustrap}}</ref> * '''Old Deuteronomy''' – The wise and benevolent elderly Jellicle leader who is beloved by his tribe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/old-deuteronomy|title=Old Deuteronomy|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325153739/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/old-deuteronomy}}</ref> * '''Rumpleteazer''' – A mischievous troublemaker, she is one half of a notorious duo of cat-burglars along with Mungojerrie.<ref name=mungo/> * '''Rum Tum Tugger''' – A flashy and unappeasable cat who loves to be the centre of attention.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/rum-tum-tugger|title=Rum Tum Tugger|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=19 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319185608/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/rum-tum-tugger}}</ref> * '''Skimbleshanks''' a.k.a. the '''Railway Cat''' – An upbeat and active orange tabby cat, who lives on the mail trains and acts as an unofficial chaperone to such an extent he is considered rather indispensable to the train and station employees.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/skimbleshanks|title=Skimbleshanks|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=19 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319185948/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/skimbleshanks}}</ref> * '''Victoria''' – A demure and graceful white kitten. She is a featured dancer, opening with a ballet solo after "The Naming of the Cats" and is the first character to touch Grizabella.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/victoria|title=Victoria|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-date=19 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319193354/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/victoria}}</ref>

===Others=== Other characters who have appeared in multiple notable productions include: * '''Admetus/Plato''' – The chorus identity of Macavity. He is a teenage ginger-and-white young tom, and is typically paired with Victoria in a pas de deux during the Jellicle Ball.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stageagent.com/characters/2227/cats/admetusplato|title=Cats: Admetus/Plato|work=StageAgent |publisher=StageAgent.com|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref> * '''Alonzo''' – A black-and-white tom. He is vain, insecure and full of bravado.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/stoke/content/articles/2006/06/08/theatre_cats_makeover_0606_feature.shtml|title=Behind the scenes of CAT's @ Regent Theatre|publisher=BBC|date=8 June 2006|first=Lisa|last=Dawson|access-date=30 June 2019}}</ref> * '''Bill Bailey/Tumblebrutus''' – A playful tom kitten, often performing acrobatics as well as being a strong dancer. His costume consists of brown patches (including a brown eye patch) on a white base.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stageagent.com/characters/2219/cats/tumblebrutusbill-bailey|title=Cats: Tumblebrutus/Bill Bailey|work=StageAgent |publisher=StageAgent.com|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref> * '''Carbucketty/Pouncival''' – A playful and acrobatic brown-and-white tom kitten.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stageagent.com/characters/2226/cats/carbuckettypouncival|title=Cats: Carbucketty/Pouncival|work=StageAgent |publisher=StageAgent.com|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref> * ''' Cassandra''' – An elegant and aloof brown pointed queen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stageagent.com/characters/2225/cats/cassandra|title=Cats: Cassandra|work=StageAgent |publisher=StageAgent.com|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref> * '''Coricopat and Tantomile''' – Mysterious twin brother and sister with psychic abilities.<ref name=dancemagjellicle>{{cite web|url=https://www.dancemagazine.com/whats-jellicle-cat-2307046782.html|title=What's a Jellicle Cat? Backstage at the Broadway Revival|work=Dance Magazine|date=30 November 2016|first=Lauren Phoenix|last=Kay|access-date=29 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=29 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329040442/https://www.dancemagazine.com/whats-jellicle-cat-2307046782.html}}</ref> * '''Electra''' – A reserved and solemn tortoiseshell kitten. Her costume is brown, red and black.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stageagent.com/characters/2221/cats/electra|title=Cats: Electra|work=StageAgent |publisher=StageAgent.com|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref> * '''Etcetera''' – An exuberant and immature tabby kitten. Her costume is white, black and brown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stageagent.com/characters/2220/cats/etcetera|title=Cats: Etcetera|work=StageAgent |publisher=StageAgent.com|access-date=1 July 2019}}</ref> * '''Griddlebone''' – Growltiger's lover in "Growltiger's Last Stand", in which she sings "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw" or the mock Italian aria "In Una Tepida Notte" (depending on production). Usually played by the actress playing Jellylorum. * '''Growltiger''' – A theatrical character Gus recalls playing in his youth, and who appears in Gus' memory during "Growltiger's Last Stand".<ref name=gus/> In some productions he is portrayed as a vicious pirate; in others, he is more comical. Usually played by the actor playing Gus. * '''Rumpus Cat''' – A spiky-haired cat with glowing red eyes, seen as a sort of superhero figure in "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" despite his ineptness. Usually played by one of the male ensemble characters in the play within the musical.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/rumpus-cat|title=Rumpus Cat|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319193845/https://www.catsthemusical.com/characters/rumpus-cat|archive-date=19 March 2019|access-date=17 May 2019}}</ref>

==Notable cast==  {| class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"| Role{{efn-lr|All roles are listed alphabetically, with the exception of those shared by the same actor in two or more productions}} ! width=150| West End<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/cast/origlondon1981.htm |title=Original London Cast List |access-date=23 August 2008 |publisher=Really Useful Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080815020451/http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/cast/origlondon1981.htm |archive-date=15 August 2008 }}</ref> ! width=150|Broadway<ref name=catsibdb/> ! width=150| West End revival<ref name=london2014cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/complete-casting-announced-for-cats-at-london-palladium-com-333989|title=Complete Casting Announced for Cats at London Palladium|work=Playbill|date=24 October 2014|first=Mark|last=Shenton|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326101720/http://www.playbill.com/article/complete-casting-announced-for-cats-at-london-palladium-com-333989}}</ref> ! width=150| West End revival<ref name=london2015cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/full-casting-announced-for-the-return-of-cats-to-london-palladium-com-364385|title=Full Casting Announced for the Return of Cats to London Palladium|work=Playbill|date=28 September 2015|first=Mark|last=Shenton|access-date=20 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419221331/http://www.playbill.com/article/full-casting-announced-for-the-return-of-cats-to-london-palladium-com-364385}}</ref> ! width=150| Broadway revival<ref name=catsneilsimon/> ! width=150| Broadway revival<ref name=catsbroadhurst>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/cats-the-jellicle-ball-544111|title=Cats: The Jellicle Ball|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=21 March 2026}}</ref> |- !1981 !1982 !2014 !2015 !2016 !2026 |- ! Admetus/Plato | style="text-align:center;" | Steven Wayne | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Kenneth Ard | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Cameron Ball | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Javier Cid | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Daniel Gaymon | {{n/a}} |- !Macavity | style="text-align:center;" | John Thornton | style="text-align:center;" | Leiomy |- ! Alonzo | style="text-align:center;" | Roland Alexander | style="text-align:center;" | Héctor Jaime Mercado | style="text-align:center;" | Adam Lake | style="text-align:center;" | Jack Butterworth | style="text-align:center;" | Ahmad Simmons | {{n/a}} |- ! Asparagus (Gus) | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Stephen Tate | rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Stephen Hanan | colspan="2" rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;" | Paul F. Monaghan | style="text-align:center;" | Christopher Gurr | style="text-align:center;" | Junior LaBeija |- ! Growltiger | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} |- ! Bustopher Jones | style="text-align:center;" | Brian Blessed | style="text-align:center;" | Christopher Gurr | style="text-align:center;" | Nora Schell |- ! Bill Bailey | rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" |Peter Barry | rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" |Robert Hoshour | rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" |Adam Salter | rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" |Jon-Scott Clark | rowspan="2" style="text-align: center;" |Kolton Krouse | {{n/a}} |- ! Tumblebrutus | style="text-align:center;" | Primo Thee Ballerino |- ! Bombalurina | style="text-align:center;" | Geraldine Gardner | style="text-align:center;" | Donna King | style="text-align:center;" | Charlene Ford | style="text-align:center;" | Emma Lee Clark | style="text-align:center;" | Christine Cornish Smith | style="text-align:center;" | Garnet Williams |- ! Carbucketty | style="text-align:center;" | Luke Baxter | style="text-align:center;" | Steven Gelfer | style="text-align:center;" | Joel Morris | style="text-align:center;" | Luke Cinque-White | style="text-align:center;" | Giuseppe Bausilio | {{n/a}} |- ! Cassandra | style="text-align:center;" | Seeta Indrani | style="text-align:center;" | René Ceballos | style="text-align:center;" | Cassie Clare | style="text-align:center;" | Danielle Cato | style="text-align:center;" | Emily Pynenburg | style="text-align:center;" | Emma Sofia |- ! Coricopat | style="text-align:center;" | Donald Waugh | style="text-align:center;" | René Clemente | style="text-align:center;" | Benjamin Mundy | style="text-align:center;" | James Titchener | style="text-align:center;" | Corey John Snide | {{n/a}} |- ! Demeter | style="text-align:center;" | Sharon Lee-Hill | style="text-align:center;" | Wendy Edmead | style="text-align:center;" | Zizi Strallen | style="text-align:center;" | Anna Woodside | style="text-align:center;" | Kim Fauré | style="text-align:center;" | Bebe Nicole Simpson |- ! Electra | style="text-align:center;" | Anita Pashley | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;" | Lili Froehlich | {{n/a}} |- ! Etcetera | style="text-align:center;" | Julie Edmett | style="text-align:center;" | Christine Langner | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;" | Kya Azeen |- ! George/Pouncival | style="text-align:center;" | John Chester | style="text-align:center;" | Herman W. Sebek | style="text-align:center;" | Stevie Hutchinson | style="text-align:center;" | Jordan Shaw | style="text-align:center;" | Sharrod Williams | {{n/a}} |- ! Griddlebone | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Susan Jane Tanner | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Bonnie Simmons | colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Clare Rickard | {{n/a}} | style="text-align:center;" | Ken Ard{{efn-lr|name=griddlebone|As "DJ Griddlebone"}} |- ! Jellylorum | style="text-align:center;" | Sara Jean Ford | style="text-align:center;" | Bryson Battle |- ! Grizabella | style="text-align:center;" | Elaine Paige | style="text-align:center;" | Betty Buckley | style="text-align:center;" | Nicole Scherzinger | style="text-align:center;" | Beverley Knight | style="text-align:center;" | Leona Lewis | style="text-align:center;" | "Tempress" Chasity Moore |- ! Jemima/Sillabub | style="text-align:center;" | Sarah Brightman | style="text-align:center;" | Whitney Kershaw | style="text-align:center;" | Natasha Mould | style="text-align:center;" | Tarryn Gee | style="text-align:center;" | Arianna Rosario | style="text-align:center;" | Teddy Wilson Jr. |- ! Jennyanydots | style="text-align:center;" | Myra Sands | style="text-align:center;" | Anna McNeeley | style="text-align:center;" | Laurie Scarth | style="text-align:center;" | Jane Quinn | style="text-align:center;" | Eloise Kropp | style="text-align:center;" | Xavier Reyes |- ! Mr. Mistoffelees | style="text-align:center;" | Wayne Sleep{{efn-lr|name=quaxo|Also credited as "Quaxo" (chorus cat)}} | style="text-align:center;" | Timothy Scott | style="text-align:center;" | Joseph Poulton{{efn-lr|name=quaxo}} | style="text-align:center;" | Mark John Richardson{{efn-lr|name=quaxo}} | style="text-align:center;" | Ricky Ubeda | style="text-align:center;" | Robert "Silk" Mason |- ! Mungojerrie | style="text-align:center;" | John Thornton | style="text-align:center;" | René Clemente | style="text-align:center;" | Benjamin Yates | style="text-align:center;" | Harry Francis | style="text-align:center;" | Jess LeProtto | style="text-align:center;" | Jonathan Burke |- ! Munkustrap | style="text-align:center;" | Jeff Shankley | style="text-align:center;" | Harry Groener | style="text-align:center;" | Callum Train | style="text-align:center;" | Matt Krzan | style="text-align:center;" | Andy Huntington Jones | style="text-align:center;" | Dudney Joseph Jr. |- ! Old Deuteronomy | style="text-align:center;" | Brian Blessed | style="text-align:center;" | Ken Page | style="text-align:center;" | Nicholas Pound | style="text-align:center;" | Adam Linstead | style="text-align:center;" | Quentin Earl Darrington{{efn-lr|name=victor|Also credited as "Victor" (chorus cat)}} | style="text-align:center;" | André De Shields |- ! Rum Tum Tugger | style="text-align:center;" | Paul Nicholas | style="text-align:center;" | Terrence Mann | style="text-align:center;" | Antoine Murray-Straughan | style="text-align:center;" | Marcquelle Ward | style="text-align:center;" | Tyler Hanes | style="text-align:center;" | Sydney James Harcourt |- ! Rumpleteazer | style="text-align:center;" | Bonnie Langford | style="text-align:center;" | Christine Langner | style="text-align:center;" | Dawn Williams | style="text-align:center;" | Georgie Leatherland | style="text-align:center;" | Shonica Gooden | style="text-align:center;" | Dava Huesca |- ! Rumpus Cat | style="text-align:center;" | Roland Alexander | style="text-align:center;" | Kenneth Ard | style="text-align:center;" | Adam Lake | style="text-align:center;" | Jack Butterworth | style="text-align:center;" | Christopher Gurr | {{n/a}} |- ! Skimbleshanks | style="text-align:center;" | Kenn Wells | style="text-align:center;" | Reed Jones | style="text-align:center;" | Ross Finnie | style="text-align:center;" | Evan James | style="text-align:center;" | Jeremy Davis | style="text-align:center;" | Emma Sofia |- ! Tantomile | style="text-align:center;" | Femi Taylor | style="text-align:center;" | Janet Hubert-Whitten | style="text-align:center;" | Kathryn Barnes | style="text-align:center;" | Gabrielle Cocca | style="text-align:center;" | Emily Tate | {{n/a}} |- ! Victoria | style="text-align:center;" | Finola Hughes | style="text-align:center;" | Cynthia Onrubia | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Hannah Kenna Thomas | style="text-align:center;" | Georgina Pazcoguin | style="text-align:center;" | Baby Byrne |}

'''Notes''': {{notelist-lr}}

===Notable replacements=== Notable replacements from the musical's West End and Broadway runs:

====West End==== * '''Admetus/Macavity''': Richard Armitage (1994–1995)<ref name=stewart116118>{{harvnb|Stewart|2014|pp=116–118}}</ref> * '''Alonzo''': Warren Carlyle (1992), Steven Houghton (1993), Jason Gardiner (1997), Chris Jarvis (2001–2002)<ref name=stewart116118/><ref name=london2002cast/> * '''Asparagus/Bustopher Jones/Growltiger''': Paul Bentley (1988), Mark Wynter (1990–1992), Peter Polycarpou (2001–2002)<ref name=stewart116118/><ref name=london2002cast/> * '''Bill Bailey''': Michael Sundin (1982)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Bombalurina''': Femi Taylor (1984–1985), Janie Dee (1990), Donna King (1992)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Coricopat''': Danny John-Jules (1983)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Demeter''': Erin Lordan (1985), Louise Fribo (1994–1995)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Electra''': Sarah-Jane Honeywell (1993–1994)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Etcetera''': Sarah-Jane Honeywell (2001–2002)<ref name=stewart116118/><ref name=london2002cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-london-cast-2002|title=Cast lists: London, 2002|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330225528/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-london-cast-2002}}</ref> * '''Grizabella''': Angela Richards (1982), Marti Webb (1983), Anita Harris (1985–1986), Clare Burt (1993), Rosemarie Ford (1995), Diane Langton (1996), Stephanie Lawrence (1997), Sally Ann Triplett (1998), Chrissie Hammond (1999–2002),<ref name=stewart116118/><ref name=london2002cast/> Kerry Ellis (revival; 2015),<ref name=ellis2015/> Madalena Alberto (revival; 2015–2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Photo-Flash-Beverley-Knight-Stars-in-CATS-Returning-to-London-January-2-20151026|title=Photo Flash: Beverley Knight Stars in CATS, Returning to London, January 2|publisher=BroadwayWorld|date=26 October 2015|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref> * '''Jellylorum/Griddlebone''': Rebecca Lock (2000–2001)<ref name=stewart116118/><ref name=london2000cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-new-london-cast-2000-2001|title=Cast lists: New London, 2000–2001|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=12 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212232318/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-new-london-cast-2000-2001}}</ref> * '''Jemima''': Ruthie Henshall (1987–1989), Louise Fribo (1996), Veerle Casteleyn (1998–1999)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Jennyanydots''': Ann Emery (1983–1986)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Mistoffelees''': Gen Horiuchi (1998), Louie Spence (1999),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/louie+spence-22398.html|title=Louie Spence – The Fantastic Face of Dance|work=Female First|date=23 August 2006|first=Rebecca|last=Leach|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325170943/https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/celebrity_interviews/louie+spence-22398.html}}</ref> Jacob Brent (2001)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Munkustrap''': David Burt (1982), Gary Martin (1987–1990), Steven Houghton (1994)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Old Deuteronomy''': John Turner (1983–1985), John Rawnsley (1995–1997), Dave Willetts (2001), Junix Inocian (2001–2002)<ref name=stewart116118/><ref name=london2002cast/> * '''Rum Tum Tugger''': John Partridge (1995, 2001–2002),<ref name=london2002cast/> Tommie Earl Jenkins (1997–1998)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Rumpleteazer''': Anna-Jane Casey (1988–1990), Jo Gibb (1996–1997)<ref name=stewart116118/> * '''Victoria''': Phyllida Crowley Smith (1992–1993)<ref name=stewart116118/>

====Broadway==== * '''Alonzo''': Scott Wise (1984)<ref name=stewart118119>{{harvnb|Stewart|2014|pp=118–119}}</ref> * '''Bustopher Jones/Asparagus/Growltiger''': Tim Jerome (1984–1986), Gregg Edelman (1986)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Cassandra''': Charlotte d'Amboise (1984–1985)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Demeter''': Lena Hall (1999–2000)<ref name=7vulture>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/former-cats-members.html|title=7 Former Cats Cast Members on Learning to Play Feline|work=Vulture.com|date=29 July 2016|first=Rebecca|last=Milzoff|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325164147/https://www.vulture.com/2016/07/former-cats-members.html}}</ref> * '''Grizabella''': Laurie Beechman (1984–1988, 1997), Loni Ackerman (1988–1991), Lillias White (1991–1992), Liz Callaway (1993–1999), Linda Balgord (1999–2000)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Jennyanydots''': Sharon Wheatley (1999–2000)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Mistoffelees''': Gen Horiuchi (1991–1993, 1995–1996), Jacob Brent (1996–1999), Christopher Gattelli (1999)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Munkustrap''': Rob Marshall (1987), Bryan Batt (1991–1992), Michael Gruber (1996–1997, 1999), Jeffry Denman (1999–2000)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Old Deuteronomy''': Walter Charles (u/s), Bill Nolte (u/s) * '''Plato/Macavity/Rumpus Cat''': Scott Wise (1983)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Pouncival''': Robert Montano (1985–1987), Christopher Gattelli (1996–1998, 1999–2000)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Rum Tum Tugger''': David Hibbard (1993–1996, 1997–1999), Stephen Bienskie (1999–2000)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Rumpleteazer''': Jennifer Cody (1994)<ref name=stewart118119/> * '''Tumblebrutus''': Randy Bettis (1990–1991, 1996–1998)<ref name=stewart118119/>

==Artistic elements==

===Musical treatment=== [[File:Andrew Lloyd Webber in Eurovision 2009.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Andrew Lloyd Webber]] ''Cats'' is completely told through music with no dialogue in between the songs,<ref name=hummler>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1982/legit/reviews/cats-1200425296/|title=Cats|work=Variety|date=13 October 1982|first=Richard|last=Hummler|access-date=2 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402021920/https://variety.com/1982/legit/reviews/cats-1200425296/}}</ref> although there are occasions when the music accompanies spoken verse. Lloyd Webber's compositions employ an eclectic range of musical styles so as to magnify the characters' contrasting personalities.<ref name=snelson31>{{harvnb|Snelson|2004|p=31}}</ref> For example, the rebellious Rum Tum Tugger is introduced with a rock song ("The Rum Tum Tugger"); the fallen Grizabella is accompanied by a dramatic operatic aria ("Grizabella: The Glamour Cat"); Old Deuteronomy makes his grand entrance to a lullaby-turned-anthem ("Old Deuteronomy"); and Gus' nostalgia for the past is reflected through an old-fashioned music hall number ("Gus: The Theatre Cat").<ref name=Siropoulos129132>{{harvnb|Siropoulos|2010|pp=129–132}}</ref> Many of the songs are pastiches of their respective genres, which Snelson attributes to the show's origins as a song cycle:

{{Blockquote |text=The original concept of a set of contrasting numbers, without a dramatic narrative, meant that each song needed to establish some sort of musical characterization independent of the others and develop a quick rapport with the audience. Such a rapid familiarity and identification of purpose can be achieved through pastiche. But it was only a musical starting point, for the songs in ''Cats'' move beyond the straightforward "Elvis" pastiche of ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat''; they are less pointed, more the free workings within a range of chosen styles than direct copies of a specific performer or number. The audience responds to the musical differences, given an initial security provided by the familiarity of recognizable, underlying stylistic generalities.<ref name=snelson162>{{harvnb|Snelson|2004|p=162}}</ref> }}

Lloyd Webber also employs various techniques to help connect the pieces. Namely, the score relies heavily on recurring motifs as well as the use of preludes and reprises.<ref name=sternfeld132133>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=132–133}}</ref> For instance, melodic fragments of "Memory" are sung by Grizabella and Jemima at several points in the show before the song is sung in full,<ref name=sternfeld160161>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=160–161}}</ref> serving to characterise Grizabella and foreshadow her final number.<ref name=everettlaird67>{{harvnb|Everett|Laird|2015|p=67}}</ref><ref name=McLamore415>{{harvnb|McLamore|2017|p=415}}</ref> Similarly, Lloyd Webber introduces a fugue in the overture, and variations of this theme are then repeated throughout the musical until it is finally resolved as Grizabella ascends to the Heaviside Layer.<ref name=sternfeld133142>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=133–142}}</ref>

The musical also features an unusual amount of "group-description" numbers. According to musicologist Jessica Sternfeld, such numbers are usually relegated to the prologue and nothing more, as seen in "Another Op'nin', Another Show" from ''Kiss Me, Kate'' and "Tradition" from ''Fiddler on the Roof''. ''Cats'' on the other hand features four Jellicle-defining songs: "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats", "The Naming of Cats", "The Jellicle Ball" and "The Ad-Dressing of Cats". These numbers allow the cats to celebrate their tribe and species as a whole, in between the ones that celebrate individual members.<ref name=sternfeld127128/>

===Choreography=== [[File:Gillian Lynne Olivier Awards2013.jpg|thumb|Gillian Lynne]] Regarded as "one of the most challenging shows to dance in musical theatre history",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/stage/2019/11/26/what-the-hell-is-the-show-cats-has-always-astounded-people-says-andy-blankenbuehler.html|title=Four decades on, 'Cats' roars still|work=Toronto Star|date=26 November 2019|first=Carly|last=Maga|access-date=28 November 2019}}</ref> dance plays a major role in ''Cats'' as the original creative team had specifically set out to create "England's first dance musical".<ref name=catslynne>{{harvnb|Eliot|Eliot|Lloyd Webber|Nunn|1983|p=13}}</ref> Before ''Cats'', the industry-wide belief was that British dancers were inferior to their Broadway counterparts. The risky hiring of a British choreographer, Lynne, for a British dance musical was described by one historian as "a vivid and marvellous gesture of transatlantic defiance".<ref name=sternfeld118119>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=118–119}}</ref> Making Lynne's job more challenging was the fact that the music in ''Cats'' is unceasing and the majority of the cast remains on-stage throughout nearly the entire show.<ref name=sternfeld118119/>

Lynne choreographed the original London production with a dance crew consisting of her assistant Lindsay Dolan, the dance captain Jo-Anne Robinson, and cast members Finola Hughes and John Thornton.<ref name=catslynne/> The resulting choreography blends ballet, modern dance, jazz and tap, interspersed with acrobatic displays.<ref name=Siropoulos129132/> Lynne also trained the cast to evoke the movement, physicality and behaviour of actual cats.<ref name=smh>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/musicals/cat-in-the-act-20100305-po6n.html|title=Cat in the act|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=28 February 2010|first=Melissa|last=Kent|access-date=12 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520125840/https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/musicals/cat-in-the-act-20100305-po6n.html}}</ref> These feline traits were incorporated into the movement and choreography so as to create an "anthropomorphic illusion".<ref name=Siropoulos129132/> Lynne considered the 13-minute "Jellicle Ball" dance to be the crux of the show, noting that in order to work as a dance-driven musical, ''Cats'' "had to succeed there or die".<ref name=catslynne/><ref name=lynnecourierpost>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31744588/courierpost/|title=How she makes Webber's 'Cats' purr like a kitten on stage|work=Courier-Post|date=2 December 1984|page=72|first=Robert|last=Baxter|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> She recalled the difficulty she faced in persuading Lloyd Webber to add the extended dance break, culminating in her and her dance crew having to dance all the parts in the "Jellicle Ball" to convince him.<ref name=catslynne/><ref name=lynnecourierpost/>

===Staging=== The original staging of ''Cats'' at the New London Theatre was considered revolutionary<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/london-production-of-cats-to-close-on-may-11-com-103374|title=London Production of Cats to Close on May 11|work=Playbill|date=15 January 2002|first=Paul|last=Webb|access-date=15 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=23 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523131143/http://www.playbill.com/article/london-production-of-cats-to-close-on-may-11-com-103374}}</ref> and "one of the first truly immersive theatrical experiences".<ref name=independent2015>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/cats-revival-is-timeless-appeal-or-the-nicole-scherzinger-factor-the-reason-for-its-success-10021888.html|title=Cats revival: Timeless appeal or is Nicole Scherzinger the reason for its success?|work=The Independent|date=3 February 2015|first=Nick|last=Duerden|access-date=16 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520130425/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/cats-revival-is-timeless-appeal-or-the-nicole-scherzinger-factor-the-reason-for-its-success-10021888.html}}</ref> Instead of a conventional proscenium, the theatre was quasi-in-the-round with a central revolving stage.<ref name=nunnnyt>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/03/theater/trevor-nunn-reshapes-cats-for-broadway.html|title=Trevor Nunn Reshapes 'Cats' for Broadway|work=The New York Times|date=3 October 1982|access-date=15 May 2019|first=Steve|last=Lawson|url-status=live|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190515041901/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/03/theater/trevor-nunn-reshapes-cats-for-broadway.html}}</ref><ref name=wapostage>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1982/08/29/london-theater-cats-38/b5ab3269-1d74-4e73-b355-394c0c5249ed/|title=London Theater: 'Cats' &|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=29 August 1982|first=Richard L.|last=Coe|author-link=Richard L. Coe|access-date=15 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190520125807/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1982/08/29/london-theater-cats-38/b5ab3269-1d74-4e73-b355-394c0c5249ed/?noredirect=on}}</ref> Nunn and Napier had sought to create "an environment rather than a set",<ref name=catsnunn>{{harvnb|Eliot|Eliot|Lloyd Webber|Nunn|1983|p=10}}</ref> and around $900,000 was spent remodelling the New London in preparation for the show.<ref name=chicago1981/> This included mounting sections of the stalls onto the theatre's {{convert|60|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=oxfordhandbook>{{harvnb|Gordon|Jubin|2016|p=409}}</ref> revolve such that the audience moved along with the stage.<ref name=Siropoulos129132/> When the show was brought to Broadway, the Winter Garden Theatre was given a similar $2 million makeover;<ref name=grimes1997>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/19/theater/with-6138-lives-cats-sets-broadway-mark.html|title=With 6,138 Lives, 'Cats' Sets Broadway Mark|work=The New York Times|date=19 June 1997|access-date=19 May 2019|first=William|last=Grimes|author-link=William Grimes (journalist)|url-status=live|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190519075407/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/19/theater/with-6138-lives-cats-sets-broadway-mark.html}}</ref> its proscenium stage was converted into a thrust, and a part of its roof was torn through to allow for the effects of Grizabella's ascension to the Heaviside Layer.<ref name=sternfeld124>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|p=124}}</ref>

Nunn was also adamant that the orchestra for ''Cats'' be hidden backstage — out of the audience's view — so as not to break the immersion.<ref name=unmasked334>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|p=334}}</ref> Adding to the experience, the show usually includes a lot of audience interaction, such as during the overture when the cast don flashing "green eyes" as they make their way through the audience in the darkened theatre.<ref name=sternfeld127128>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=127–128}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/theater/just-say-cats-and-watch-the-fur-fly.html|title=We Love 'Cats.' We Hate 'Cats.'|work=The New York Times|date=20 July 2016|first=Lisa|last=Birnbach|access-date=19 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=13 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190313201912/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/24/theater/just-say-cats-and-watch-the-fur-fly.html}}</ref> In the original Broadway production, catwalks were built to connect the stage to the boxes and balcony so as to give the cast access to the entire auditorium during the show.<ref>{{cite news |title='Cats' a Joy To Experience |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31814788/hartford_courant/|access-date=10 June 2019|work=Hartford Courant|date=17 October 1982 |page=114 |first=Malcolm L.|last=Johnson|via = Newspapers.com }}</ref>

===Set and costume design=== Napier began designing the set in November 1980, wanting "a place where cats might congregate together, which also included maximum room for dancing".<ref name=junkyard/> The set of ''Cats'' consists of a junkyard filled with oversized props to give the illusion that the cast are the size of actual cats;<ref name=sternfeld116>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|p=116}}</ref> it remains the same throughout the show without any scene changes. Over 2,500 of these scaled-up props were used to fill the whole auditorium in the original Broadway production.<ref name=Siropoulos129132/><ref name=playbilltrivia/>

Napier also designed the costumes, combining cat and human features based on "hints" given in Eliot's poems, while ensuring that they did not impede the dancers' movements.<ref name=junkyard>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/about-the-show/the-junkyard/|title=The Junkyard|work=Cats the Musical • Official Website |publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=20 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=20 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190520123716/https://www.catsthemusical.com/about-the-show/the-junkyard/}}</ref> The costumes generally consist of a unitard, a wig that is fashioned to suggest the presence of feline ears, patches resembling body fur, and arm and leg warmers to give the performers' hands and feet a more paw-like appearance. As with the contrasting music and dance styles, the costumes and make-up are used to bring out each character's distinct personality. For example, the costume for the flirtatious Bombalurina is designed to accentuate her sensuality, while the markings on the costume for Jemima — the youngest of the tribe — resemble crayon scribbles.<ref name=sternfeld130132>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=130–132}}</ref> Every character's design motif is custom-painted by hand onto a plain unitard to line up with their performer's individual body. To reproduce the "hand-drawn aesthetic" of Napier's original design sketches, costume painters in the original Broadway production used squeeze bottles to apply the paint. Due to the amount of dancing in ''Cats'', most of the costumes did not last longer than a few months.<ref>{{harvnb|Pollatsek|2016|pp=74, 103}}</ref>

==Productions== ''Cats'' has been translated into over 15 languages and produced professionally in more than 30 countries.<ref name=introcats>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/about-the-show/|title=About the show|work=Cats the Musical • Official Website |access-date=4 August 2019|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804183321/https://www.catsthemusical.com/about-the-show/|archive-date=4 August 2019}}</ref>

===West End=== thumb|left|''Cats'' at the New London Theatre (1999) ''Cats'' premiered in the West End at the New London Theatre on 11 May 1981. The musical was produced by Mackintosh and Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group, with direction by Nunn, choreography by Lynne (who also served as the associate director), set and costume design by Napier, lighting design by David Hersey, sound design by Abe Jacob and music direction by Harry Rabinowitz.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/cast/origcreative.htm|title=Original Creative Team|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=7 June 2019|archive-date=12 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512144252/http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/cast/origcreative.htm}}</ref> It played a total of 8,949 performances before closing on its 21st anniversary, 11 May 2002. The final performance was broadcast live on a large outdoor screen in Covent Garden for fans who could not acquire a ticket.<ref name=guardianclosing>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/11/arts.artsnews|title=Curtains for Cats|work=The Guardian|date=11 May 2002|first=Maev|last=Kennedy|url-status=live|access-date=24 May 2019|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524081830/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/may/11/arts.artsnews}}</ref> ''Cats'' held the record as London's longest-running musical from 1989, when it surpassed ''Jesus Christ Superstar'',<ref name=sternfeld169>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|p=169}}</ref> until 8 October 2006, when it was surpassed by ''Les Misérables''.

The musical returned to the West End in 2014 for a planned 12-week limited run at the London Palladium. Beginning on 6 December, the revival starred Nicole Scherzinger as Grizabella, and featured the original creative team, with direction from Nunn, choreography by Lynne and design by Napier.<ref name=london2014cast/> Lloyd Webber was also involved and rewrote "The Rum Tum Tugger" for the revival.<ref name=boxoffice2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/cats-returns |title=Cats leaps back into the West End this December! |publisher=londonboxoffice.co.uk |date=30 June 2014 |access-date=4 July 2014}}</ref> The run was later extended through April 2015 and an additional 100,000 tickets were released, with Kerry Ellis replacing Scherzinger as Grizabella.<ref name=ellis2015>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/05/cats-nicole-scherzinger-kerry-ellis-andrew-lloyd-webber|title=Cats curls up for longer stay in West End – with Kerry Ellis joining cast|work=The Guardian|date=5 January 2015|first=Ben|last=Beaumont-Thomas|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326100225/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/jan/05/cats-nicole-scherzinger-kerry-ellis-andrew-lloyd-webber}}</ref> The musical returned once again to the London Palladium for another limited run lasting from 23 October 2015 to 2 January 2016, starring Beverley Knight as Grizabella.<ref name=2015knight>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadway.com/buzz/181045/beverley-knight-will-take-on-the-role-of-grizabella-in-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats-revival/|title=Beverley Knight Will Take on the Role of Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats Revival|publisher=Broadway.com|access-date=14 May 2016|date=2 June 2015|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326095703/https://www.broadway.com/buzz/181045/beverley-knight-will-take-on-the-role-of-grizabella-in-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats-revival/}}</ref>

In summer 2026, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre will present a new revival from 25 July to 12 September 2026, directed and choreographed by its Artistic Director, Drew McOnie. Following the run, the production will tour the UK and Ireland from October 2026 until 2027.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cats to have open-air revival in London in 2026|url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/cats-to-have-open-air-revival-in-london-in-2026_1698175/|date=2025-10-14|access-date=2025-11-29|language=en-US}}</ref>.

===Broadway=== [[File:Cats at Neil Simon Theatre in Broadway.jpg|thumb|upright|Broadway revival of ''Cats'' at the Neil Simon Theatre]] ''Cats'' debuted on Broadway on 7 October 1982 at the Winter Garden Theatre with a record-breaking $6.2 million in ticket pre-sales.<ref name=smith>{{cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-curiosity-of-cats-164043365/|title=The Curiosity of Cats|work=Smithsonian|date=October 2007|first=Michael|last=Walsh|access-date=27 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327130611/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-curiosity-of-cats-164043365/}}</ref> The musical was co-produced by the original London production team, along with David Geffen and The Shubert Organization.<ref name=catsibdb>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/cats-4186|title=Cats: Winter Garden Theatre, (Oct 07, 1982 – Sep 10, 2000)|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=19 May 2019}}</ref> Most of the original creative team remained, with Martin Levan replacing Jacob as the sound designer and Stanley Lebowsky replacing Rabinowitz as music director. It was the most expensive Broadway show ever mounted at the time with a production cost of $5.5 million,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EiQEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22most+expensive+show%22|title=Geffen Sizzles While Biz Drizzles: Broadway is Next Stage for Pop's Top Composers|magazine=Billboard|first=Ed|last=Ochs|page=B-4|issn=0006-2510|date=29 January 1983|volume=95|issue=4}}</ref> though it recouped its investment in less than 10 months.<ref name=sternfeld169/> On 19 June 1997, ''Cats'' overtook ''A Chorus Line'' to become the longest-running show in Broadway history with 6,138 performances.<ref name=1997record/> At the time, the musical was found to have had an economic impact of $3.12 billion on New York City and had generated the most theatrical jobs of any single entity in Broadway history.<ref name=playbilltrivia/> In early 2000, the show's closing was scheduled for June but it was subsequently pushed back after a resulting surge in ticket sales.<ref name=sternfeld171172>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=171–172}}</ref> The show closed on 10 September 2000 after a total of 15 previews and 7,485 performances.<ref name=catsibdb/> One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire 18-year run.<ref name=stewart118119/> Its Broadway-run record was surpassed on 9 January 2006 by ''The Phantom of the Opera'', and ''Cats'' remains Broadway's fifth-longest-running show of all time. Overall, the original Broadway production grossed approximately $388 million in ticket sales.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/the-top-10-highest-grossing-broadway-shows-of-all-time|title=The Top 10 Highest-Grossing Broadway Shows of All Time|website=Playbill|date=6 April 2018|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|access-date=20 March 2019}}</ref>

Encouraged by the reception to the first West End revival, producers began looking to bring ''Cats'' back to Broadway in early 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11326338/Cats-the-musical-to-go-global-again-as-theatre-extends-run-to-100000-new-tickets.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11326338/Cats-the-musical-to-go-global-again-as-theatre-extends-run-to-100000-new-tickets.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Cats the musical to go global again as theatre extends run to 100,000 new tickets|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=5 January 2015|first=Hannah|last=Furness|access-date=16 May 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Broadway revival opened on 31 July 2016 at the Neil Simon Theatre.<ref name=catsneilsimon/> It featured new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, with Nunn and Napier from the original creative team returning to direct and design respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/now-foreverand-again-cats-revival-sets-broadway-dates-com-381088|title=Now, Forever...and Again! Cats Revival Sets Broadway Dates|work=Playbill|date=21 January 2016|first=Robert|last=Viagas|access-date=12 April 2019}}</ref> Scherzinger, who played Grizabella in the 2014 West End revival, had originally agreed to reprise the role on Broadway but later withdrew.<ref>[http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Andrew-Lloyd-Webber-Reveals-Nicole-Scherzinger-Backed-Out-of-CATS-on-Broadway-Im-Furious-20160513 Andrew Lloyd Webber Reveals Nicole Scherzinger Backed Out of CATS on Broadway: 'I'm Furious'] Broadway World. Retrieved 13 May 2016.</ref> Leona Lewis was cast as Grizabella instead,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Official-CATS-Finds-Its-Grizabella--Leona-Lewis-Will-Play-the-Glamour-Cat-on-Broadway-20160526|title=Official: CATS Finds Its Grizabella- Leona Lewis Will Play the Glamour Cat on Broadway!|publisher=BroadwayWorld|date=26 May 2016|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> and was succeeded by Mamie Parris three months later in October 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/the-jellicles-of-broadways-cats-welome-their-new-grizabella-today|title=The Jellicles of Broadway's Cats Welome Their New Grizabella Today|date=6 October 2016|website=Playbill|access-date=7 May 2020}}</ref> The Broadway revival closed on 30 December 2017 after 16 previews and 593 performances.<ref name=catsneilsimon>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/cats-504579|title=Cats: Neil Simon Theatre, (Jul 31, 2016 – Dec 30, 2017)|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref>

On August 13, 2025, Andrew Lloyd Webber confirmed that the Off-Broadway production titled ''Cats: The Jellicle Ball'' would transfer to Broadway in spring 2026, with dates and a theatre to be announced at a later date. The transfer would be the first production for Lloyd Webber's LW Entertainment following the company's rebranding in the summer of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rabinowitz |first=Chloe |title=CATS: THE JELLICLE BALL Will Open on Broadway in 2026 |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/CATS-THE-JELLICLE-BALL-Will-Open-on-Broadway-in-2026-20250813 |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=August 13, 2025 |title=Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group Rebrands as LW Entertainment |url=https://playbill.com/article/andrew-lloyd-webbers-really-useful-group-rebrands-as-lw-entertainment |access-date=August 13, 2025 |website=Playbill}}</ref> It was announced on October 9, 2025 that the production would open at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 7, 2026, with much of the off-Broadway cast reprising their roles.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |date=October 9, 2025 |title=The Category Is Broadway 2026 for Cats: The Jellicle Ball |url=https://playbill.com/article/the-category-is-broadway-2026-for-cats-the-jellicle-ball |access-date=October 9, 2025 |website=Playbill}}</ref>

===Off-Broadway=== The show, under the title ''Cats: The Jellicle Ball'', made its Off-Broadway debut at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in June 2024 and was extended twice, closing in September.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cats: The Jellicle Ball {{!}} Perelman Performing Arts Center |url=https://pacnyc.org/whats-on/cats-the-jellicle-ball/ |website=pacnyc.org |access-date=9 October 2024}}</ref> The show, directed by Zhailon Levingston and Bill Rauch and choreographed by Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles, was a radical reimagining of the musical taking inspiration from ballroom culture. Josephine Kearns served as dramaturg and gender consultant. André De Shields starred as Old Deuteronomy,<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 June 2023 |title=''Cats'' Revival, Set in the world of Ballroom Culture, to Premiere Off-Broadway in 2024 |website=Theater Mania |url=https://www.theatermania.com/news/cats-revival-set-in-the-world-of-ballroom-culture-to-premiere-off-broadway-in-2024_1705696/ |access-date=16 June 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> with other cast members including Jonathan Burke as Mungojerrie, Sydney James Harcourt as Rum Tum Tugger, Antwayn Hopper as Macavity, Junior LaBeija (the emcee featured in the Ballroom documentary ''Paris Is Burning'') as Gus, "Tempress" Chasity Moore as Grizabella, and Nora Schell as Bustopher Jones. This was the show's first major production to depart stylistically from the original.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cullwell-Block |first=Logan |date=14 June 2023 |title=The Category Is... Cats Realness, Coming to Lower Manhattan in 2024 |url=https://playbill.com/article/the-category-is-cats-realness-coming-to-lower-manhattan-in-2024 |access-date=15 June 2023 |website=Playbill}}</ref>

===North America=== Following its Broadway debut, ''Cats'' has been staged extensively across North America. The first US national tour, Cats National I, launched at the Shubert Theatre in Boston in December 1983 and closed in November 1987. The opening night cast included Laurie Beechman playing Grizabella and Charlotte d'Amboise playing Cassandra; later replacements included Victoria Clark and Jessica Molaskey both playing Jellylorum/Griddlebone. This production was a "slow tour" that had lengthy engagements lasting for several months in each of the nine cities it visited.<ref name=stewart120/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-first-national-511429|title=Cats Tour: First National|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524172051/https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-first-national-511429}}</ref> Cats National II, a separate sit-down production at the Los Angeles Shubert Theatre, ran from January 1985 to November 1986, and starred Kim Criswell and George de la Peña in the roles of Grizabella and Mistoffelees respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-second-national-511430/|title=Cats Tour: Second National|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524173538/https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-second-national-511430/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-14-ca-9919-story.html|title=Stage Review: 'Cats' Approaches Purrfection|work=Los Angeles Times|date=14 January 1985|first=Dan|last=Sullivan|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325035008/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-14-ca-9919-story.html}}</ref> A third US touring company, Cats National III, ran for two years from September 1986 to September 1988. Notable performers in the third tour included Jonathan Cerullo as Skimbleshanks (1986) and Bill Nolte as Old Deuteronomy (1987).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-third-national-511431|title=Cats Tour: Third National|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524162143/https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-third-national-511431}}</ref>

The fourth national company, Cats National IV, toured the United States for 13 years from March 1987 to December 1999.<ref name=4thUStour/> It overtook the first national tour of ''Oklahoma!'' in November 1997 to become the longest-running tour in theatre history, and played its 5,000th performance in July 1999.<ref name=stewart121/> Notable performers in the fourth tour included Amelia Marshall as Sillabub (1988), Jan Horvath as Grizabella (1990), Bryan Batt as Munkustrap (1991–1992), Jennifer Cody as Rumpleteazer (1992), David Hibbard as Rum Tum Tugger (1992–1993), Natalie Toro as Grizabella (1992, 1997), Christopher Gattelli as Mistoffelees (1993), John Treacy Egan as Old Deuteronomy (1993–1994), J. Robert Spencer as Rum Tum Tugger (1995), Bart Shatto as Bustopher Jones/Gus/Growltiger (1996), Linda Balgord as Grizabella (1998), Andy Karl as Rum Tum Tugger (1998), and Lena Hall as Demeter (1998).<ref name=4thUStour>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-fourth-national-511433|title=Cats Tour: Fourth National|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524152912/https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-fourth-national-511433}}</ref> By June 1997, the North American touring companies had grossed over $400 million.<ref name=grimes1997/>

After the show's closure on Broadway in 2000, Troika Entertainment obtained the touring rights for ''Cats'' and launched the show's first non-Equity national company.<ref name=nonequity2001>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31878056/tampa_bay_times/|title='Cats' back with a few new stripes|work=Tampa Bay Times|first=John|last=Fleming|date=26 August 2001|page=68|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> After a try-out at Harrah's Atlantic City in July 2001, the production toured North America for 11 years from August 2001 to June 2012.<ref name=stewart122/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.troika.com/about|title=Production History|publisher=Troika Entertainment|access-date=24 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=27 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527122021/http://www.troika.com/about}}</ref><ref name=nonequity2012>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/nine-lives-and-three-decades-later-cats-national-tour-purrs-its-way-across-us-with-new-dates-com-185501|title=Nine Lives and Three Decades Later, Cats National Tour Purrs Its Way Across U.S. With New Dates|work=Playbill|date=13 December 2011|first=Adam|last=Hetrick|access-date=15 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519083426/http://www.playbill.com/article/nine-lives-and-three-decades-later-cats-national-tour-purrs-its-way-across-us-with-new-dates-com-185501}}</ref> Performers in the non-Equity tour included Julie Garnyé as Jennyanydots (2001),<ref name=ustour2001cast>{{cite web|url=http://reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-us-tour-cast-2001|title=Cast lists: US Tour, 2001|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=13 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413143713/http://reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-us-tour-cast-2001}}</ref> Dee Roscioli as Grizabella (2002),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-us-tour-cast-2003-2004|title=US Tour, 2003–2004|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=2 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002164041/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-us-tour-cast-2003-2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Lauer-Williams|first=Kathy|date=24 October 2009|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2009-10-24-4464005-story.html|title=Flying High ** Wilson native is Broadway's newest Wicked Witch of the West ** 'Wicked' on Broadway|work=The Morning Call|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519084052/https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-2009-10-24-4464005-story.html|archive-date=19 May 2019|access-date=20 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and Jonathan Burke as Mungojerrie (2004). In January 2019, a new North American Equity tour based on the 2016 Broadway revival opened at the Providence Performing Arts Center in Rhode Island, and was originally scheduled to run through June 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/tour-production/cats-518856|title=Cats Tour (Revival)|publisher=Internet Broadway Database|access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref> However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, performances of this tour were suspended on 13 March 2020. The tour re-launched as a non-Equity production on 21 September 2021.

Meanwhile, the first Canadian national production premiered in March 1985 at the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto, Ontario. It moved to Montreal two years later and then toured other parts of Canada. By the time the production closed in August 1989, it had become the most successful Canadian stage production of all time with a box office of $78 million from nearly 2 million tickets.<ref name=stewart121>{{harvnb|Stewart|2014|p=121}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://inquinte.ca/story/today-in-history-march-14|title=Today in History: March 14|date=14 March 2019|publisher=InQuinte|access-date=11 July 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=11 July 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190711121443/https://inquinte.ca/story/today-in-history-march-14}}</ref> A second All-Canadian company began at Toronto's former Panasonic Theatre in May 2013 and ran for four months & 128 performances, 28 years after the original production.<ref name=canadacats>{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/article/cats-gets-another-life-in-toronto-28-years-after-original-production/|title='Cats' gets another life in Toronto, 28 years after original production|publisher=CTV News|date=9 June 2013|first=Victoria|last=Ahearn|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325053834/https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/cats-gets-another-life-in-toronto-28-years-after-original-production-1.1317850}}</ref>

The musical first played in Mexico from April 1991 to November 1992;<ref name=stewart122/> the Spanish-language production performed over 400 shows and starred María del Sol as Grizabella,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.proceso.com.mx/195165/las-siete-vidas-de-cats|title=Las siete vidas de CATS|trans-title=The seven lives of CATS|work=Proceso|date=7 August 2005|language=es|access-date=20 April 2019|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419190359/https://www.proceso.com.mx/195165/las-siete-vidas-de-cats}}</ref> Manuel Landeta as Munkustrap,<ref name=landeta2019>{{cite web|url=https://www.pressreader.com/mexico/pasala/20190219/281925954287537|title=Manuel Landeta ¡vuelve a maullar!|trans-title=Manuel Landeta returns to meow!|language=es|work=Pásala!|date=19 February 2019|first=Mauro|last=Godoy|via=PressReader|access-date=25 March 2019}}</ref> Susana Zabaleta as Jellylorum, Maru Dueñas as Sillabub and Ariel López Padilla as Macavity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://carteleradeteatro.mx/2016/cats-regresa-a-broadway-tras-16-anos-de-haber-cerrado-el-telon/|title=CATS regresa a Broadway, tras 16 años de haber cerrado el telón|trans-title=CATS returns to Broadway, 16 years after closing the curtain|language=es|date=18 July 2016|work=Cartelera de Teatro CDMX|access-date=20 April 2019|first=Itai|last=Cruz}}</ref> A revival premiered at the Teatro San Rafael in May 2013, with an opening night cast that included Filippa Giordano as Grizabella, Landeta, and Maru Dueñas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/922227.html|title=Gerardo Quiroz graduates with premiere of Cats|language=es|work=El Universal|date=10 May 2013|url-status=live|access-date=3 June 2019|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603033236/http://archivo.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/922227.html}}</ref> After a total of 350 performances, the show closed at the Teatro San Rafael in June 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.excelsior.com.mx/funcion/2014/06/11/964669|title=El musical 'Cats' concluirá su temporada en el DF|work=Excélsior|language=es|date=11 June 2014|url-status=live|access-date=3 June 2019|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603040212/https://www.excelsior.com.mx/funcion/2014/06/11/964669}}</ref> and then toured over 36 cities in Mexico until December 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.informador.mx/Entretenimiento/A-un-paso-del-record-con-Cats-20141024-0151.html|title=A un paso del récord con 'Cats'|work=El Informador|language=es|date=24 October 2014|access-date=3 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603043755/https://www.informador.mx/Entretenimiento/A-un-paso-del-record-con-Cats-20141024-0151.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://mexiconuevaera.com/espectaculos/2015/01/21/musical-cats-volvera-este-2015-con-el-mismo-elenco|title=Musical "cats" volverá este 2015 con el mismo elenco|work=México Nueva Era|language=es|date=21 January 2015|access-date=3 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603043247/https://mexiconuevaera.com/espectaculos/2015/01/21/musical-cats-volvera-este-2015-con-el-mismo-elenco}}</ref> Other performers who later joined the production included Lisset,<ref name=forbesmx2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com.mx/cats-teatro-mexicano-con-talla-de-broadway/|title=Cats, teatro mexicano con talla de Broadway|language=es|work=Forbes (Mexico)|date=16 May 2014|first=Viridiana|last=Mendoza Escamilla|access-date=3 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603032223/https://www.forbes.com.mx/cats-teatro-mexicano-con-talla-de-broadway/}}</ref> Rocío Banquells,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.informador.mx/Entretenimiento/Rocio-Banquells-cumple-su-sueno-de-participar-en-Cats-20140720-0089.html|title=Rocío Banquells cumple su sueño de participar en 'Cats'|work=El Informador|language=es|date=20 July 2014|access-date=3 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603035417/https://www.informador.mx/Entretenimiento/Rocio-Banquells-cumple-su-sueno-de-participar-en-Cats-20140720-0089.html}}</ref> Lila Deneken and Myriam Montemayor Cruz, all of whom played Grizabella.<ref name=mex2013>{{cite web|url=https://vanguardia.com.mx/landetaaseguraqueelencodecatssuperaalde1991-1734081.html|title=Landeta asegura que elenco de Cats supera al de 1991|trans-title=Landeta ensures that cast of Cats exceeds 1991|language=es|work=Vanguardia MX|date=6 May 2013|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325061545/https://vanguardia.com.mx/landetaaseguraqueelencodecatssuperaalde1991-1734081.html}}</ref> Another Mexican revival was launched at the Coyoacán Centennial Theater in October 2018, with Yuri as Grizabella and Landeta as Old Deuteronomy.<ref name=landeta2019/><ref name=mexico2018>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsoldemexico.com.mx/gossip/yuri-dara-vida-a-grizabella-en-el-musical-cats-1933894.html|title=Yuri dará vida a Grizabella en el musical Cats|trans-title=Yuri will play Grizabella in the musical Cats|language=es|work=El Sol De Mexico|date=22 August 2018|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325060545/https://www.elsoldemexico.com.mx/gossip/yuri-dara-vida-a-grizabella-en-el-musical-cats-1933894.html}}</ref> The revival marked its 200th performance in May 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.revistaescenarios.com.mx/el-musical-cats-llega-a-sus-200-representaciones/|title=El musical Cats llega a sus 200 representaciones|language=es|work=Revista Escenarios|date=29 May 2019|first=Paola|last=Casarreal|url-status=live|access-date=3 June 2019|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603031059/http://www.revistaescenarios.com.mx/el-musical-cats-llega-a-sus-200-representaciones/}}</ref>

===United Kingdom=== The first UK and Ireland tour opened in May 1989 at the Opera House Theatre in Blackpool. The cast for this tour included Marti Webb as Grizabella, Rosemarie Ford as Bombalurina and John Partridge as Alonzo.<ref name=stewart122>{{harvnb|Stewart|2014|p=122}}</ref> Following a six-month engagement in Blackpool that broke the theatre's box office record and was seen by around 450,000 people,<ref>{{cite news |title=Cats breaks Blackpool record|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19891123/031/0004|access-date=28 May 2019|work=The Stage|date=23 November 1989 |page=4|via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}</ref> the production moved to the Edinburgh Playhouse for three months, before closing in May 1990 after another two months at the Point Theatre in Dublin.<ref name=stewart122/> A second national tour launched in June 1993 at the Bristol Hippodrome,<ref>{{cite news |title=Bristol gets the cream |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19930429/080/0014|access-date=25 May 2019|work=The Stage|date=29 April 1993 |page=14 |first=Jeremy|last=Brien|via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}</ref> featuring Rosemarie Ford as Grizabella, Robin Cousins as Munkustrap, Simon Rice as Mistoffelees and Tony Monopoly as Old Deuteronomy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bristol: Cats |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19930729/092/0013|access-date=25 May 2019|work=The Stage|date=29 July 1993 |page=13 |first=Jeremy|last=Brien|via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The tour closed at the Manchester Opera House in December 1995.<ref>{{cite news |title=Production news: The UK tour of Cats|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001637/19950622/200/0051|access-date=25 May 2019|work=The Stage|date=22 June 1995 |page=51 |via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Following the closure of the original West End production, a nationwide tour embarked in 2003 with Chrissie Hammond starring as Grizabella,<ref name=hammond2003>{{cite web|url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5891346.a-purr-fect-role-but-im-turning-into-a-cat/|title=A purr-fect role... but I'm turning into a cat!|work=Lancashire Telegraph|date=29 July 2003|access-date=9 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408182651/https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5891346.a-purr-fect-role-but-im-turning-into-a-cat/}}</ref><ref name=uktour2004cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-uk-tour-cast-2004-2005|title=Cast lists: UK tour, 2004–2005|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=27 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527185113/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-uk-tour-cast-2004-2005}}</ref> until Dianne Pilkington took over the role in 2006.<ref name=uktour2006cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-uk-tour-2006|title=Cast lists: UK Tour, 2006|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=5 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205020116/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-uk-tour-2006}}</ref> Hammond reprised the role on tour again from 2007 to 2008.<ref name=hammond2007>{{cite web|url=https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/1378726.cool-cat-chrissie-had-me-purring/|title=Cool Cat Chrissie had me purring|work=Croydon Guardian|publisher=Newsquest|date=4 May 2007|first=Tony|last=Flood|access-date=9 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408184319/https://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/1378726.cool-cat-chrissie-had-me-purring/}}</ref><ref name=2008hammond>{{cite web|url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/2206186.giving-glamour-to-grizabella/|title=Giving glamour to Grizabella|work=Bucks Free Press|date=18 April 2008|first=Francine|last=Wolfisz|access-date=9 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408182951/https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/2206186.giving-glamour-to-grizabella/}}</ref>

A UK and Ireland tour of ''Cats'' launched in February 2013 at the Edinburgh Playhouse with Joanna Ampil as Grizabella.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catsthemusical.com/2012/08/03/the-memory-lives-on-a-new-cats-tour-for-2013/ |title=The Memory Lives On – A New 'Cats' Tour in 2013 |publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=3 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114053139/http://www.catsthemusical.com/2012/08/03/the-memory-lives-on-a-new-cats-tour-for-2013/ |archive-date=14 January 2013 }}</ref><ref name=uktour2013>{{cite web|url=http://www.catsthemusical.com/the-show/cast-lists/ukeurope-tour-2013/|title=Cast Lists: UK/Europe tour, 2013|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=25 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525082539/http://www.catsthemusical.com/the-show/cast-lists/ukeurope-tour-2013/}}</ref> Susan McFadden took over the role from Ampil during the tour's three-week stop in Dublin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/susan-lands-glamourpuss-role-for-cats-dublin-run/29413001.html|title=Susan lands glamourpuss role for Cats Dublin run|work=The Herald|date=11 July 2013|first=Eimear|last=Rabbitte|access-date=7 August 2019}}</ref> The production ran through 2014 before transferring to the West End.<ref name=ukeurope2014>{{cite web|url=http://www.catsthemusical.com/tickets/2013-ukeurope-tour/|title=UK/Europe Tour (2014 Tour)|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=11 April 2019|archive-date=25 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825143852/http://www.catsthemusical.com/tickets/2013-ukeurope-tour/}}</ref> In between its limited West End runs, the musical returned to the Blackpool Opera House Theatre in 2015, this time starring Jane McDonald as Grizabella.<ref name=blackpool>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/jane-mcdonald-heads-cast-in-blackpool|title=Jane McDonald Heads Cast in Blackpool|date=14 April 2015|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408180028/https://www.catsthemusical.com/jane-mcdonald-heads-cast-in-blackpool|archive-date=8 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/showbiz/a650735/jane-mcdonald-on-playing-grizabella-in-cats-i-didnt-think-for-one-minute-id-get-the-part/|title=Jane McDonald on playing Grizabella in Cats: "I didn't think for one minute I'd get the part"|work=Digital Spy|date=3 June 2015|first=Katy|last=Finbow|access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref> After the second West End revival, the production toured the UK in 2016 with Anita Louise Combe as Grizabella and Marcquelle Ward as Rum Tum Tugger.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/cats-opera-house-12515|title=Cats: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Opera House, Manchester, 30 January to 13 February 2016|publisher=The British Theatre Guide|date=30 January 2016|first=Georgina|last=Wells|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325071816/https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/cats-opera-house-12515}}</ref><ref name=uktour2016>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaltheatrenews.com/cats-tour.html|title=Tour of Cats|work=Musical Theatre News|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326131809/http://www.musicaltheatrenews.com/cats-tour.html}}</ref>

===Japan=== [[File:CATS THEATER, in Shinagawa, Tokyo.jpg|thumb|left|The CATS Theatre in Shinagawa, Tokyo (2008)]] The Japanese-language production of ''Cats'' by the Shiki Theatre Company has been playing continuously since it premiered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in November 1983. This production is a "slow tour" with engagements lasting for several years in each of the nine cities it has visited.<ref name=learnmore>{{cite web|url=https://www.shiki.jp/applause/cats/learn_more/tent.html|title='キャッツ・ワールド'をつくりあげる、キャッツ・シアター|trans-title='Cats Theatre' to create Cats World|publisher=Shiki Theatre Company|access-date=7 April 2019|url-status=live|language=ja|archive-date=7 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407071931/https://www.shiki.jp/applause/cats/learn_more/tent.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/190312/ent1903120009-n1.html|title=「キャッツ」日本公演１万回達成特別カーテンコール|language=ja|work=Sankei Shimbun|date=12 March 2019|access-date=12 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190512154102/https://www.sankei.com/entertainments/news/190312/ent1903120009-n1.html|archive-date=12 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> An initial investment of ¥800 million (US$3.4 million in 1983) was required to bring ''Cats'' to Japan, including ¥300 million for the construction of a purpose-built theatre tailored to the needs of the musical. This was a big financial risk for the Shiki Theatre Company as it meant that a long run was needed to turn a profit; however, stage productions in Japan ran on a monthly basis at the time and open-ended runs were unheard of.<ref name=Kawamata>{{harvnb|Kawamata|1998|p=57}}</ref> The resulting success of this production led to what the local media termed a "musical boom" in the 1980s, with other Broadway musicals quickly following suit and opening in Japan.<ref name=Atsuko320>{{harvnb|Atsuko|1991|p=320}}</ref>

{{As of|2019}}, the show is performed at the purpose-built CATS Theatre in Tokyo.<ref name=learnmore/><ref name=intro>{{cite web|url=https://www.shiki.jp/en/applause/cats/|title=Cats: Introduction|publisher=Shiki Theatre Company|access-date=6 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=6 April 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190406115213/https://www.shiki.jp/en/applause/cats/}}</ref> The production has played over 10,000 performances to over 10 million audience members.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/201903120000733.html|title=「キャッツ」１万回、初演から35年４カ月で大台|work=Nikkan Sports|language=ja|date=12 March 2019|access-date=12 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512160113/https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/201903120000733.html|archive-date=12 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Similar to the original London staging, the set of the 1,200-capacity CATS Theatre is built on a revolving stage floor such that during the overture, the stage and sections of the stalls revolve approximately 180 degrees into place.<ref name=spice2018>{{cite web|url=https://spice.eplus.jp/articles/197619|title=劇団四季『キャッツ』新たな専用劇場をお披露目！「キャッツ・シアターは思い出を辿る場所」|language=ja|date=11 July 2018|work=SPICE|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shiki.jp/applause/cats/special/report_theatre/index.html|title=キャッツ・シアター建設レポート|work=劇団四季 |trans-title=Cats Theater Construction Report|publisher=Shiki Theatre Company|access-date=29 May 2019|url-status=live|language=ja|archive-date=4 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504151829/https://www.shiki.jp/applause/cats/special/report_theatre/index.html}}</ref> In 1998, the Japanese production underwent major revisions to the choreography, staging and costume designs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gekinavi.jp/geki_news/2013/12/post-124.html|title=劇団四季ミュージカル『キャッツ』製作発表|date=17 December 2013|language=ja|work=gekinavi.jp|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529074716/http://gekinavi.jp/geki_news/2013/12/post-124.html|archive-date=29 May 2019}}</ref> Following further revisions in 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ticket-news.pia.jp/pia/news.do?newsCd=201807120001|title=劇団四季『キャッツ』、大井町の専用劇場で8月開幕|date=12 July 2018|language=ja|work=pia.jp|access-date=29 May 2019}}</ref> the current incarnation features 27 named cats, including both Jemima and Sillabub (who have evolved into two separate characters), and an original character named Gilbert.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shiki.jp/applause/cats/character/index.html|title=Character|language=ja|publisher=Shiki Theatre Company|access-date=12 May 2019}}</ref>

There have been numerous notable performers in the Japanese production, including Shintarō Sonooka as Munkustrap (original 1983 cast),<ref name=shikicd/> Kanji Ishimaru as Skimbleshanks (1992),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ishimaru-kanji.com/category/biography/theater/shiki/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622121327/http://ishimaru-kanji.com/category/biography/theater/shiki/|archive-date=22 June 2019|title=Kanji Ishimaru: biography theater|language=ja|website=ishimaru-kanji.com|access-date=22 June 2019}}</ref> Masachika Ichimura, and Mayo Kawasaki.<ref name=nikkan2019/> Yoshiko Hattori (:ja:服部良子) holds the production's record for the longest-appearing cast member; she played Jennyanydots in the original 1983 cast and remained in the role for 20 years with a final performance tally of 4,251.<ref name=nikkan2019>{{cite web|url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/column/hayashi/news/201903220001075.html|title=「キャッツ」生の幸せ享受できるのは日本だけ|work=Nikkan Sports|date=23 March 2019|access-date=22 June 2019|language=ja}}</ref>

===Vienna=== Under the direction of Peter Weck, the first German-language production of ''Cats'' in Michael Kunze's translation opened in September 1983 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Austria. In 1988, the show transferred to the newly renovated Ronacher Theatre where it ran for another two years before closing on its seventh anniversary in September 1990.<ref name=stewart120/><ref name=Menze/> The Vienna production played a total of 2,040 performances to more than 2.3 million audience members.<ref name=vienna>{{cite web|last1=Online |first1=Wiener Zeitung |url=https://www.wienerzeitung.at/themen/100-jahre-republik/100-jahre-republik-chronik/991102-Cats-in-Wien.html|title='Cats' in Wien|trans-title='Cats' in Vienna|language=de|date=24 September 2018|access-date=16 April 2019|work=Wiener Zeitung}}</ref>

The original Viennese cast included Ute Lemper who played Bombalurina, Steve Barton who played Munkustrap, Robert Montano who played Pouncival,<ref name=stewart120>{{harvnb|Stewart|2014|p=120}}</ref> and {{ill|Angelika Milster|de}} who played Grizabella.<ref>{{cite web |title=Angelika Milster |url=https://www.theaterdo.de/ueber-uns/mitarbeiter-innen/biografie/angelika-milster/ |website=Theater Dortmund |access-date=18 August 2021}}</ref> Pia Douwes was also a member of the cast from 1987 to 1989, covering several different characters including Grizabella.<ref name=piadouwes>{{cite web|url=http://www.piadouwes.com/en/curriculum-vitae/|title=Curriculum Vitae|work=piadouwes.com|access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> The Vienna production also performed limited runs at the Komische Oper Berlin in East Germany in 1987,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/berliner-chronik-5-august-1987/6962724.html|title=Berliner Chronik: Das Musical "Cats" gastiert in der Komischen Oper (5 August 1987)|date=5 August 2012|work=Der Tagesspiegel|access-date=3 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603015923/https://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/berliner-chronik-5-august-1987/6962724.html}}</ref> and at the {{ill|Moscow Operetta Theatre|ru|Московский театр оперетты}} in the Soviet Union in 1988.<ref name=argentina1993/>

A revival by the Vereinigte Bühnen Wien production company opened at the Ronacher Theatre in September 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diepresse.com/home/kultur/news/5693745/Kritik_Cats-im-Ronacher_Bruechige-Erinnerungen-an-bessere-Zeiten|title="Cats" im Ronacher: Brüchige Erinnerungen an bessere Zeiten|language=de|work=Die Presse|first=Rosa|last=Schmidt-Vierthaler|date=21 September 2019|access-date=21 September 2019}}</ref> and closed in June 2022.<ref name=catswienrevival>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicalvienna.at/en/schedule-and-tickets/schedule/production/858/CATS|title=CATS — Get your tickets for the most successful musical ever! Only until june 2022!|publisher=Vereinigte Bühnen Wien|access-date=16 June 2024}}</ref> The revival cast included {{ill|Rory Six|de}} who played Old Deuteronomy, {{ill|Alexander Auler|de}} who played Munkustrap, {{ill|Felix Martin Poenichen|de}} who played Gus/Growltiger and Bustopher Jones, and {{interlanguage link|Ana Milva Gomes|de}} who played Grizabella.<ref name=catswienrevival/>

===Germany=== [[File:Hamburg - panoramio (24).jpg|thumb|The Operettenhaus where ''Cats'' played for 15 years]] Influenced by the show's success in Vienna, a German production by Stella Entertainment premiered in April 1986 at the newly renovated Operettenhaus in Hamburg<ref name=Menze>{{harvnb|Menze|2018|pp=23–25}}</ref><ref name=abendblatt2001/> using a new translation by Sabine Grohmann, John Baer, and Marc Henning. It closed in January 2001 after 15 years, having played over 6,100 performances to 6.2 million audiences.<ref name=abendblatt2001/><ref name=catshamburg>{{cite web|url=https://www.noz.de/deutschland-welt/kultur/artikel/396040/vor-25-jahren-begann-mit-cats-in-deutschland-die-ara-der-musicals|title=Vor 25 Jahren begann mit "Cats" in Deutschland die Ära der Musicals|trans-title=25 years ago, the era of musicals began with "Cats" in Germany|language=de|date=17 April 2011|work=Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung|access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref> ''Cats'' was the first stage production in the country to be mounted without public funding and was also the first to run for multiple years; its success established the medium as a profitable venture in Germany.<ref name=catshamburg/> The musical was also a huge boost for tourism in Hamburg, particularly the subdivision of St. Pauli where it accounted for 30% of all tourists. The number of overnight visitors to the city increased by over one million per year within the first five years of the show's premiere.<ref name=abendblatt2001>{{cite web|url=https://www.abendblatt.de/archiv/2001/article204811237/Das-letzte-Make-up-Und-tschues.html|title=Das letzte Make-up: Und tschüs!|language=de|work=Hamburger Abendblatt|date=27 January 2001|first1=Nataly|last1=Bombeck|first2=Andreas|last2=Burgmayer|first3=Corinna|last3=Below|access-date=29 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=29 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529090631/https://www.abendblatt.de/archiv/2001/article204811237/Das-letzte-Make-up-Und-tschues.html}}</ref>

''Cats'' redefined musical theatre in the German-speaking part of the world, turning an industry which consisted of repertory theatre at the time towards privately funded commercial productions. The success of the Vienna and Hamburg productions sparked a "musical boom" in the region that saw numerous musicals being launched not just in Germany but also in Switzerland.<ref name=Menze/><ref name=catshamburg/> It also led to a "construction boom" in Germany as new theatrical venues such as the Schmidt Theater were enacted all around the country.<ref name=catshamburg/><ref name=poppenhager>{{harvnb|Poppenhäger|2000|p=44}}</ref> Germany has since grown to become the third largest musical market after the US and UK, with Hamburg as its "musical capital".<ref name=Menze/><ref name=catshamburg/>

After Hamburg, the German production transferred to Stuttgart where it played from 2001 to 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/cats-abschied-ohne-katzenjammer-a-114917.html|title='Cats': Abschied ohne Katzenjammer|language=de|date=29 January 2001|newspaper=Der Spiegel|first=Lisa|last=Arns|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-date=11 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511022444/https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/gesellschaft/cats-abschied-ohne-katzenjammer-a-114917.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-stuttgart-cast-march-2001|title=Stuttgart, March 2001|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=23 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091223094044/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-stuttgart-cast-march-2001}}</ref> Stage Entertainment took over the production mid-2002 and moved the show to Berlin (2002–2004)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2002/legit/news/germany-s-stage-expands-its-holdings-1117869240/|title=Germany's Stage expands its holdings|work=Variety|first=Ed|last=Meza|date=1 July 2002|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/y739BrkO1oGN7/|title=Cats: 2002 Berlin|publisher=Stage Entertainment|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916191511/https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/y739BrkO1oGN7/|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> and later Düsseldorf (2004–2005),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/n8mNgQoqxgLMp/|title=Cats: 2004 Düsseldorf|publisher=Stage Entertainment|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916191510/https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/n8mNgQoqxgLMp/|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref> before touring other cities until 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://musicalzentrale.de/index.php?service=0&subservice=2&details=85|title=Cats (Tour 2004–06)|work=Musicalzentrale|date=7 October 2003 |language=de|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref><ref name=2005tickets>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050407021445/http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|title=Cats: Buy Tickets (2005)|publisher=Really Useful Group|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|archive-date=7 April 2005|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref> Mehr-Entertainment launched a separate tour of ''Cats'' that ran from December 2010 to June 2013, performing in a travelling purpose-built tent theatre.<ref name=catshamburg/> Besides Germany, this company also made stops in cities in Luxembourg, Switzerland and Austria.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://musicalzentrale.de/index.php?service=0&subservice=2&details=3500|title=Cats (Tour 2011–13)|work=Musicalzentrale|date=13 January 2011 |language=de|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

===Europe=== Beyond the UK, Vienna, and Germany, ''Cats'' is also produced frequently in the rest of Europe.

====1980s and 1990s==== The first non-English production of ''Cats'' premiered in March 1983 at the Madách Theatre in Budapest, Hungary, with direction by Tamás Szirtes and choreography by László Seregi.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://madachszinhaz.hu/szindarab/macskak|title=Cats|publisher=Madách Színház|access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> Since then, the Hungarian-language production has continued to be staged intermittently as part of the Madách Theatre's repertoire and, as of 2017, has been performed nearly 1,500 times.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cultura.hu/kultura/macskak-30-eve/|work=Cultura Magazin|title=Macskák 30 éve|trans-title=Cats 30 years|language=hu|date=25 March 2013|access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://szinhaz.org/zenes-szinhaz/musical/2017/12/07/a-macskak-cimu-musical/|title=A macskák című musical előadásán elszabadult egy kutya|trans-title=A Dog Was Released During the Presentation of the Cats Musical|language=hu|work=Színház.org|date=7 December 2017|access-date=20 April 2019|archive-date=17 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417101455/https://szinhaz.org/zenes-szinhaz/musical/2017/12/07/a-macskak-cimu-musical/}}</ref>

November 1985 saw the premiere of a Norwegian-language production at Det Norske Teatret in Oslo. It closed in January 1987 and included performers such as Øivind Blunck, Brit Elisabeth Haagensli and Øystein Wiik.<ref name=stewart121/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dagbladet.no/magasinet/teppefall/65777543|title=Teppefall|work=Dagbladet|date=16 January 2002|language=no|access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> Jorma Uotinen directed and choreographed a Finnish production at the Helsinki City Theatre that ran for over two years from September 1986 to December 1988, and featured Monica Aspelund as Grizabella, Heikki Kinnunen as Gus, and Kristiina Elstelä as Jennyanydots/Griddlebone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ovrtur.com/production/2901283|title=Cats: Helsinki Production (1986)|work=Ovrtur|access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> A Swedish version of the musical opened in 1987 at the Chinateatern in Stockholm. The production was seen by 326,000 audiences before it transferred to the Scandinavium in Gothenburg two years later.<ref name=sweden2006>{{cite web|url=https://www.gp.se/kultur/cats-n%C3%A4sta-p%C3%A5-g%C3%B6teborgsoperan-1.1147512|title=Cats nästa på Göteborgsoperan|language=sv|trans-title=Cats next at the Gothenburg Opera|work=Göteborgs-Posten|date=13 January 2006|first=Kalle|last=Malmstedt|access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref>

Meanwhile, the Carré Theatre in Amsterdam, Netherlands, staged the musical in 1987 (with Ruth Jacott as Grizabella<ref name=netherlands2018>{{cite web|url=https://www.rai.nl/en/RAI-Amsterdam/nieuwsbericht/English-version-of-West-End-musical-CATS-still-popular|title=English Version of West End Musical Cats Still Popular|publisher=Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre|date=20 June 2018|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325055148/https://www.rai.nl/en/RAI-Amsterdam/nieuwsbericht/English-version-of-West-End-musical-CATS-still-popular}}</ref>), 1988 and from 1992 to 1993.<ref name=carre1991>{{cite news|url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/1991/09/17/carre-verbouwt-en-brengt-ondertussen-weer-musical-6980508-a1023750|title=Carré verbouwt en brengt ondertussen weer musical Cats|work=NRC Handelsblad|language=nl|date=17 September 1991|first=Henk|last=van Gelder|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> ''Cats'' made its French debut at the Théâtre de Paris from February 1989 to April 1990,<ref name=stewart122/> with an original cast that included Gilles Ramade as Old Deuteronomy.<ref name=paris1989/> The show was also produced in Zürich at the ABB Musical Theatre from 1991 to 1993,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musikundtheater.ch/online_artikel/cats-basel|title='Cats' in Basel|first=Reinmar|last=Wagner|work=Musik und Theater|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418075749/http://www.musikundtheater.ch/online_artikel/cats-basel}}</ref> while a production by Joop van den Ende and the Royal Ballet of Flanders was staged at the Stadsschouwburg Antwerpen in Belgium in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/cats-moet-vlaamse-musical-wakker-schudden~bd237204/|title=Cats moet Vlaamse musical wakker schudden|trans-title=Cats must wake up the Flemish musical|language=nl|work=de Volkskrant|date=5 June 1996|first=Patrick|last=van den Hanenberg|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> An English/German-language "Eurotour" production also toured the region from May 1994 to December 1995.<ref name=vienna/>

====21st century==== thumb|The first non-replica production of ''Cats'' was staged at the Teatr Muzyczny Roma in Warsaw, Poland (2007). The show was staged at the Det Ny Teater in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the 2002–2003 season.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://politiken.dk/kultur/art4932160/Cats-l%C3%B8bet-i-gang|title='Cats' løbet i gang|language=da|date=1 August 2002|work=Politiken|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> This Danish production was translated by Adam Price and was one of the largest theatrical productions ever mounted in the country at the time with 100 performers, musicians and stagehands.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.detnyteater.dk/tidligere-forestillinger/cats/om-forestilllingen/|title=Cats: Om forestilllingen|publisher=Det Ny Teater|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418160732/https://www.detnyteater.dk/tidligere-forestillinger/cats/om-forestilllingen/}}</ref> The first non-replica production of ''Cats'' was approved for a Polish production at the Teatr Muzyczny Roma in Warsaw.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wyborcza.pl/1,75410,1797035.html|title=Koty w Teatrze Muzycznym "Roma"|work=Gazeta Wyborcza|date=26 November 2003|first=Dorota|last=Wyżyńska|language=pl|url-status=live|access-date=2 June 2019|archive-date=2 June 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190602124800/http://wyborcza.pl/1,75410,1797035.html?disableRedirects=true}}</ref> Set in an abandoned film studio instead of a junkyard, the Polish version opened in January 2004 and closed in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.teatrroma.pl/spektaklarch/koty/opis/|title=Koty – Opis|trans-title=Cats – Description|language=pl|publisher=Teatr Roma|access-date=18 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418144546/https://www.teatrroma.pl/spektaklarch/koty/opis/}}</ref><ref name=2006tickets/><ref name=2007tickets>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|title=Cats: Buy Tickets (2008)|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=20 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208080025/http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|archive-date=8 February 2008}}</ref> The Gothenburg opera house staged a production with a Swedish-language script by Ingela Forsman; this version was reimagined to take place in an abandoned fairground and played from September 2006 to February 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.opera.se/forestallningar/cats-2006-2007/|title=Cats|publisher=Gothenburg opera house|access-date=17 April 2019}}</ref> Other productions were also staged at the Divadlo Milenium in Prague from 2004 to 2005,<ref name=2005tickets/> and a Norwegian revival at the Chat Noir in Oslo in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrk.no/arkiv/artikkel/tamme-katter-1.6769259|title=Tamme katter|trans-title=Tame cats|language=no|date=17 September 2009|first=Torkil Olav|last=Baden|publisher=NRK|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref> The first Italian-language production began touring Italy in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/CATS-Set-To-Speak-Italian-Set-For-Compagnia-della-Rancia-20092010-Season-20090331|title=CATS To Speak Italian, Set For Compagnia della Rancia 2009/2010 Season|publisher=BroadwayWorld|date=31 March 2009|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

The Dutch live entertainment company Stage Entertainment has been responsible for several European productions of ''Cats''. The company produced the musical at the Coliseum Theatre in Madrid from December 2003 to January 2005, with a cast that included Víctor Ullate Roche as Mistoffelees.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/P6gz9Y40wyQPl/|title=Cats: 2003 Madrid|publisher=Stage Entertainment|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916191512/https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/P6gz9Y40wyQPl/|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.redteatral.net/versiones-musicales-cats-807|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404103951/http://www.redteatral.net/versiones-musicales-cats-807|url-status=usurped|archive-date=4 April 2009|title=Cats 2003|work=Red Teatral|language=es|access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref> They then staged a Russian-language production at the Moscow Palace of Youth from 2005 to 2006, with a cast that included Ivan Ozhogin as Munkustrap.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/OZw96XPP4pGkB/|title=Cats: 2005 Moscow|publisher=Stage Entertainment|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928194209/https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/OZw96XPP4pGkB/|archive-date=28 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/19/travel/can-cats-win-over-russians.html|title=Can 'Cats' win over Russians?|work=The New York Times|date=19 March 2005|first=Sophia|last=Kishkovsky|access-date=9 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190408174347/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/19/travel/can-cats-win-over-russians.html?mtrref=www.google.com}}</ref> A Dutch production under the same company toured the Netherlands and Belgium from 2006 to 2007,<ref name=2006tickets>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017153209/http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|title=Cats: Buy Tickets (2006)|publisher=Really Useful Group|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|archive-date=17 October 2006|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref><ref name=antwerp2012>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/belgium/article/New-UK-Tour-of-CATS-to-Cross-the-Channel-and-Play-Belgium-in-2013-20120925|title=New UK Tour of CATS to Cross the Channel and Play Belgium in 2013|publisher=BroadwayWorld|date=25 September 2012|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> featuring several performers in the role of Grizabella including Pia Douwes and Anita Meyer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/qQ3G4QvmpxXw0/|title=Cats: 2006 Rotterdam|publisher=Stage Entertainment|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928194235/https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/qQ3G4QvmpxXw0/|archive-date=28 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicals.nl/jetp/misc/295_300.htm|title=Cast|archive-date=1 October 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061001043449/http://www.musicals.nl/jetp/misc/295_300.htm|language=nl|publisher=Stage Entertainment|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> A Paris revival by Stage Entertainment ran at the Théâtre Mogador from October 2015 to July 2016. This production was based on the 2014 London revival and also featured a new song written especially for the French show by Lloyd Webber.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/kXNxLpVZDkPj6/|title=Cats: 2015 Paris|publisher=Stage Entertainment|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916191510/https://www.stage-entertainment.com/productions/kXNxLpVZDkPj6/|archive-date=16 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/the-cast-of-cats-paris-is-announced|title=The Cast of Cats Paris is Announced|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|date=15 September 2015|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326134108/https://www.catsthemusical.com/the-cast-of-cats-paris-is-announced}}</ref>

English-language touring companies have also toured the European region extensively. International tours in the early to late 2000s included stops in Sweden, Norway,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/i/wEEved/katter-med-spenst|title=Katter med spenst|language=no|date=6 November 2003|work=Verdens Gang|access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref> Finland,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/cats-nahdaan-helsingissa/2031342|title=Cats nähdään Helsingissä|language=fi|date=17 March 2003|publisher=MTV Uutiset|access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref> Greece,<ref name=2005tickets/> Portugal,<ref name=catsportugal>* [https://www.cmjornal.pt/cultura/detalhe/cats-mais-tempo-em-lisboa "'Cats' Mais Tempo em Lisboa"] [More 'Cats' in Lisbon]. ''Correio da Manhã'' (in Portuguese). 11 July 2004. Retrieved 18 April 2019. * [https://www.portugalresident.com/2006/08/23/cats-the-musical-returns-to-portugal/ "Cats the musical returns to Portugal"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418143942/https://www.portugalresident.com/2006/08/23/cats-the-musical-returns-to-portugal/ |date=18 April 2019 }}. ''Portugal Resident''. 23 August 2006. Retrieved 18 April 2019.</ref> Germany,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://musicalzentrale.de/index.php?service=0&subservice=2&details=2445|title=Cats (Tour 2008–09)|language=de|work=Musicalzentrale|date=17 November 2008 |access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> and Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ilrossetti.it/it/news/e-finalmente-arriva-cats-allo-stabile-regionale-prima-italiana-del-tour-del-musical-piu-amato-della-storia-433|title=E finalmente arriva "Cats"! Allo stabile regionale prima Italiana del tour del musical piu amato della storia|date=26 May 2008|publisher=Politeama Rossetti|access-date=2 June 2019}}</ref> The 2013–2014 UK tour visited cities in Belgium,<ref name=antwerp2012/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catsthemusical.com/tickets/2013-ukeurope-tour/|title=2013 UK/Europe Tour|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=11 April 2019|archive-date=22 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522232412/http://www.catsthemusical.com/tickets/2013-ukeurope-tour/}}</ref> Greece, Italy,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/tickets/2013-ukeurope-tour/|title=2014 UK/Europe Tour|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=20 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220081248/https://www.catsthemusical.com/tickets/2013-ukeurope-tour/}}</ref> Monaco, and Portugal.<ref name=ukeurope2014/> Most recently, a UK production played in numerous European cities from 2016 to 2019, with tour stops in Switzerland, Croatia, Belgium, Poland, Bulgaria, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.<ref name=2016tourdates> *{{cite web|url=http://www.catsthemusical.com/tour/tour-dates/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160412024431/http://www.catsthemusical.com/tour/tour-dates/|title=Tour Dates as of 12 April 2016|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=15 April 2019|archive-date=12 April 2016}} *{{cite web|url=http://www.catsthemusical.com/tour/tour-dates/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170324094133/http://www.catsthemusical.com/tour/tour-dates/|title=Tour Dates as of 24 March 2017|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=15 April 2019|archive-date=24 March 2017}} *{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/tour/tour-dates/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181214203335/https://www.catsthemusical.com/tour/tour-dates/|title=Tour Dates as of 14 December 2018|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=15 April 2019|archive-date=14 December 2018}}</ref> These European tours have featured several notable performers in the role of Grizabella, including Pernilla Wahlgren (Sweden; 2003),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/a/G1M084/efter-20-ar-nu-far-pernilla-sjunga-memory-i-cats|title=Efter 20 år – nu får Pernilla sjunga "Memory" i "Cats"|work=Aftonbladet|date=28 August 2003|first=Fredrik|last=Sperling|access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref> Katarína Hasprová (Slovakia; 2016)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cas.sk/clanok/377920/muzikalova-diva-katarina-hasprova-pravda-o-rivalstve-so-sklovskou/|title=Muzikálová diva Katarína Hasprová: Pravda o rivalstve so Sklovskou!|trans-title=Musical Diva Katarína Hasprová: The Truth About Rivalry with Sklovská!|language=sk|work=Nový čas|date=28 March 2016|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325083419/https://www.cas.sk/clanok/377920/muzikalova-diva-katarina-hasprova-pravda-o-rivalstve-so-sklovskou/}}</ref> and Jenna Lee-James (Netherlands; 2018–2019).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraaf.nl/entertainment/2818423/hoofdrol-voor-jenna-lee-james-in-nederlandse-cats|title=Hoofdrol voor Jenna Lee-James in Nederlandse Cats|work=De Telegraaf|date=19 November 2018|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref>

===Oceania=== The first Australian production ran from July 1985 to August 1987 at the Theatre Royal in Sydney. The original cast included Debra Byrne as Grizabella, John Wood as Old Deuteronomy, Marina Prior as Jellylorum, Jeff Phillips as Rum Tum Tugger, David Atkins as Mistoffelees, and Anita Louise Combe as Sillabub.<ref name=stewart121/><ref name=sydney1985>{{cite web|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101874|title=Cats, Theatre Royal, Sydney, NSW, 26 July 1985|publisher=AusStage|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325041854/https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101874}}</ref> The Sydney production cost $3 million to mount and grossed a record $28 million. It was credited with revitalising the then-stagnant musical genre in Australia. After closing in Sydney, an additional $1.8 million was spent transferring the production to Melbourne, including $725,000 to refurbish the old Her Majesty's Theatre.<ref name=smh1987>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35072458/the_sydney_morning_herald/|title=Cats pack up their wigs and whiskers|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=1 August 1987|page=50|first=Peter|last=Cochrane|author-link=Peter Cochrane (historian)|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The Melbourne run played from October 1987 to December 1988, with an opening night cast that included Megan Williams as Grizabella, Wood as Old Deuteronomy, Phillips as Rum Tum Tugger, Linda Hartley-Clark as Demeter, Femi Taylor as Bombalurina, Rachael Beck as Rumpleteazer and Seán Martin Hingston as Plato/Macavity.<ref name=stewart121/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/343|title=Cats, Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, VIC, 10 October 1987|publisher=AusStage|access-date=14 April 2019}}</ref> From 1989 to 1990, the company toured the Festival Theatre in Adelaide,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/1690|title=Cats, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, SA, 24 February 1989|publisher=AusStage|access-date=14 April 2019}}</ref> His Majesty's Theatre in Perth,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/1822|title=Cats, His Majesty's Theatre, Perth, WA, 6 May 1989|publisher=AusStage|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref> Civic Theatre in Newcastle, Lyric Theatre in Brisbane, and the St. James Theatre in Auckland.<ref name=stewart121/> This was followed by a second national tour from 1993 to 1996,<ref name=aus1993tour> * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/20221 "Cats, Princess Theatre (1886– ), Melbourne, VIC, 28 August 1993, 6 November 1993"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/25315 "Cats, Lyric Theatre, South Brisbane, QLD, 28 July 1994, 3 September 1994"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/25975 "Cats, Newcastle Civic Theatre, Newcastle, NSW, 10 September 1994, 1 October 1994"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/24259 "Cats, Her Majesty's Theatre (1973–2001), Sydney, NSW, 31 December 1994"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/60091 "Cats, Festival Theatre, Adelaide, SA, 30 December 1995, 27 January 1996"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019.</ref> during which Delia Hannah made her debut as Grizabella in 1994.<ref name=hannah2016>{{cite web|url=https://aussietheatre.com.au/news/cats-news-delia-hannah-confirmed-to-play-grizabella-in-adelaide-perth|title=CATS news: Delia Hannah confirmed to play Grizabella in Adelaide & Perth|date=17 January 2016|first=Matt|last=Edwards|publisher=AussieTheatre|access-date=25 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325070621/https://aussietheatre.com.au/news/cats-news-delia-hannah-confirmed-to-play-grizabella-in-adelaide-perth}}</ref> A professional circus adaptation of ''Cats'', titled ''Cats Run Away to the Circus'', had a national tent tour from 1999 to 2001, with Hannah once again starring as Grizabella.<ref name=austour2001cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-australian-tent-tour-cast-february-2001|title=Cast lists: Australian Tent tour, February 2001|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=25 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925153453/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-australian-tent-tour-cast-february-2001}}</ref><ref name=auscircustour> * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/7 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Australia, Australia, 11 December 1999, 24 February 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101079 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Samuel Sherlock Reserve, Frankston, VIC, 3 January 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101080 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Amphitheatre, Gateway Island, Wodonga, VIC, 10 January 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101081 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Bolton Park, Wagga Wagga, NSW, 17 January 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101082 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Aerodrome Ovals, Mildura, VIC, 24 January 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101083 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Weroona Oval, Bendigo, VIC, 31 January 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101084 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, North Gardens, Ballarat, VIC, 7 February 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101085 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Vansittart Park, Mt Gambier, SA, 14 February 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019. * [https://www.ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/101086 "Cats Run Away to the Circus, Harris Street Reserve, Warrnambool, VIC, 21 February 2001"]. AusStage. Retrieved 14 April 2019.</ref> Hannah reprised her role for another production that toured Australia and Asia in 2009 and 2010.<ref name=austour2009cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/asia-pacific-australian-tour-2009-2010|title=Cast lists: Asia Pacific/Australian tour, 2009–2010|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=30 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330212918/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/asia-pacific-australian-tour-2009-2010}}</ref>

In July 2014, Australia's Harvest Rain Theatre Company staged the biggest production of ''Cats'' in the Southern Hemisphere with over 700 performers. Produced by Tim O'Connor, the production was performed at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Callum Mansfield directed and choreographed it, and its cast included Marina Prior as Grizabella and Steven Tandy as Bustopher Jones and Gus.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.harvestrain.com.au/#!cats/c1iv4|title=Cats|work=Harvest Rain Theatre Company – Musical Theatre, Brisbane, Theatre|access-date=7 June 2015}}</ref><ref name=brisbane2014>{{cite web|url=https://aussietheatre.com.au/reviews/cats|title=CATS – Harvest Rain Breaks Records|date=5 July 2014|publisher=AussieTheatre|first=Bobbi-Lea|last=Dionysius|access-date=25 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325081525/https://aussietheatre.com.au/reviews/cats}}</ref> From October 2015 to May 2016, a revival toured Australia with stops in Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/cast-announced-for-the-all-australian-production-of-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats|title=Cast Announced for the All-Australian Production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|date=8 July 2015|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190326134543/https://www.catsthemusical.com/cast-announced-for-the-all-australian-production-of-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.australianstage.com.au/201511037500/reviews/sydney/cats-the-musical.html|title=Cats – The Musical|work=Australian Stage Online|date=3 November 2015|first=Rebecca|last=Whitton|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326134926/https://www.australianstage.com.au/201511037500/reviews/sydney/cats-the-musical.html}}</ref> The revival featured singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem as Grizabella,<ref name=delta2015>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Delta-Goodrem-to-Play-Grizabella-in-Australian-Production-of-CATS-20151029|title=Delta Goodrem Plays 'Grizabella' in Australian Production of CATS, Beginning Tonight in Sydney|publisher=BroadwayWorld|date=30 October 2015|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325074037/https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Delta-Goodrem-to-Play-Grizabella-in-Australian-Production-of-CATS-20151029}}</ref> before Delia Hannah took over the role during the Adelaide and Perth seasons.<ref name=hannah2016/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/australia/grizabella-announcement/|title=Delia Hannah to Play Grizabella in Adelaide & Pertha|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418182847/https://www.catsthemusical.com/australia/grizabella-announcement/|archive-date=18 April 2019}}</ref>

The show returned to Auckland in 1995 as part of a three-city New Zealand tour, and again in 2015 preceding the 2015/16 Australian tour.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/australia/sophia-ragavelas-to-star-in-the-new-production-of-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats/|title=SOPHIA RAGAVELAS TO STAR IN THE NEW PRODUCTION OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S CATS NEW ZEALAND|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|date=8 July 2015|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=9 April 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190409040405/https://www.catsthemusical.com/australia/sophia-ragavelas-to-star-in-the-new-production-of-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats/}}</ref> A New Zealand national tour played across 16 cities in 2019, with a reimagined setting in a derelict Victorian theatre that was inspired by post-earthquake Christchurch.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU1903/S00363/cats-the-musical-spectaculart-transtasman-cast-announced.htm|title=Cats The Musical – Spectacular TransTasman Cast Announced|publisher=Scoop|date=29 March 2019|first=Sandra|last=Roberts|access-date=4 May 2019}}</ref> A 2025 Australia production will return in June 2025.

===Asia=== Besides Japan, ''Cats'' is also produced regularly in other parts of Asia. The region has hosted numerous English-language productions of the musical, beginning with a tour from 1993 to 1994 when it played in Singapore (with local actress Jacintha Abisheganaden as Grizabella),<ref name=singapore2014>{{cite web|url=https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/keep-kallang-theatre|title=Keep Kallang Theatre|publisher=AsiaOne|date=13 August 2014|first=Lisabel|last=Ting|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref> Hong Kong and South Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=4819|title=캣츠 Cats (1994/02/24 ~ 1994/03/13)|language=ko|publisher=플레이 DB|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref> ''Cats'' returned to Asia from 2002 to 2004, when an international touring company performed in Malaysia,<ref name=sa2002/> South Korea,<ref> * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=4622 "캣츠 Cats (2003/01/29 ~ 2003/03/02)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=4628 "캣츠 CATS (2003/12/02 ~ 2004/01/04)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019 .</ref> Shanghai,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catsthemusical.com/the-show/cast-lists/shanghai-2003/|title=Shanghai, 2003|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=16 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116111958/http://www.catsthemusical.com/the-show/cast-lists/shanghai-2003/}}</ref> Taipei and Beijing;<ref name=2004taipei>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603225835/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/tickets/taipei_ticket_details.htm|title=CATS Taipei details|publisher=Really Useful Group|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/tickets/taipei_ticket_details.htm|archive-date=3 June 2004|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref><ref name=beijing2004cast/><ref name=2004tickets>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603174509/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/tickets.htm|title=Cats: Buy Tickets (2004)|publisher=Really Useful Group|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/tickets.htm|archive-date=3 June 2004|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref> the 2004 cast included Slindile Nodangala in the role of Grizabella.<ref name=beijing2004cast>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-beijing-2004|title=Cast lists: Beijing, 2004|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=26 March 2019|archive-date=13 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413132524/http://www.reallyuseful.com/shows/cats/shows-archive/cats-cast-lists/cats-beijing-2004}}</ref> A touring company visited Asia again between 2007 and 2010, including stops in the region of Taiwan,<ref name=2006tickets/> Macau, and Thailand in 2007;<ref name=2007tickets2>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011043249/http://reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|title=Cats: Buy Tickets (2007)|publisher=Really Useful Group|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com:80/rug/shows/cats/buy.htm|archive-date=11 October 2007|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref> South Korea from 2007 to 2008;<ref name=koreatour> * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=3327 "캣츠 – 대구 CATS (2007/05/31 ~ 2007/07/01)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=3321 "캣츠 CATS (2007/07/06 ~ 2007/09/02)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=3381 "캣츠 Cats (2008/05/30 ~ 2008/08/31)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=5078 "캣츠 – 대구 Cats (2008/09/05 ~ 2008/09/21)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=5411 "캣츠 – 부산 Cats (2008/09/27 ~ 2008/10/26)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019 .</ref> China in 2008;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/culture/2008-04/09/content_14614227.htm|title=Musical 'Cats' moves to Xi'an|date=9 April 2008|publisher=China Internet Information Center|access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref> Singapore and Hong Kong in 2009 (with Delia Hannah playing Grizabella);<ref name=austour2009cast/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reallyuseful.com/tickets/cats|title=Tickets: Cats (2009)|publisher=Really Useful Group|access-date=20 April 2010|archive-date=18 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090218102715/http://www.reallyuseful.com/tickets/cats}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hkticketing.com/eng/rd.asp?id=2696&title=Cats|title=Cats|publisher=HK Ticketing|access-date=19 April 2019|archive-date=9 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309192911/http://www.hkticketing.com/eng/rd.asp?id=2696&title=Cats}}</ref> and Manila in 2010 (with Lea Salonga as Grizabella).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/philippines/article/Lea-Salonga-Plays-Grizabella-the-Philippines-724-page6|title=Lea Salonga Plays 'Grizabella' the Philippines, 7/24|publisher=BroadwayWorld (Philippines)|date=24 July 2010|first=Oliver|last=Oliveros|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325075128/https://www.broadwayworld.com/philippines/article/Lea-Salonga-Plays-Grizabella-the-Philippines-724-page6}}</ref> ''Cats'' toured Asia again from 2014 to 2015, making stops in South Korea, Singapore and Macau.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/musical-review-not-enough-meat-in-the-high-energy-visually-spectacular-cats|title=Musical review: Not enough meat in the high-energy, visually spectacular Cats|work=The Straits Times|date=14 January 2015|access-date=14 April 2019|first=Bryna |last=Singh}}</ref> Two years later, another Asian tour was launched and is scheduled to run through 2020, with visits to South Korea from 2017 to 2018,<ref> * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=106712 "캣츠 CATS (2017/07/09 ~ 2017/09/10)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=111088 "캣츠 – 울산 CATS (2017/10/13 ~ 2017/10/15)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=110958 "캣츠 – 인천 CATS (2017/10/20 ~ 2017/10/22)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=114294 "캣츠 – 성남 (2017/11/24 ~ 2017/11/26)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=117833 "캣츠 CATS (2018/01/27 ~ 2018/02/18)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019 .</ref> Hong Kong<ref>{{cite web|url=https://yp.scmp.com/article/107300/andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats-one-longest-running-shows-londons-west-end-coming-hong-kong|title=Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical 'Cats', one of the longest running shows on London's West End, coming to Hong Kong in 2018|work=South China Morning Post|date=13 September 2017|first=Karly|last=Cox|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref> and Taiwan in 2018,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang/archives/2018/03/09/2003688909|title=Classic musicals 'Cats' and 'Evita' to tour Taiwan|work=Taipei Times|date=9 March 2018|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref> China in 2018 (with Joanna Ampil as Grizabella) and 2019,<ref name=2019tour/> and planned stops in the Philippines and Singapore in 2019, and Malaysia in 2020.<ref name=2019tour>* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190415160847/https://tour.catsthemusical.com/tickets/ "Tour Dates (2019) p.1"]. catsthemusical.com (official website). Archived from [https://tour.catsthemusical.com/tickets/ the original] on 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019. * . catsthemusical.com (official website). Archived from [https://tour.catsthemusical.com/tickets/ the original] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415160847/https://tour.catsthemusical.com/tickets/ |date=15 April 2019 }} on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.</ref> ''Cats'' was China's highest-grossing musical in 2018, accounting for over 20% of the total grosses from all musicals staged in the country that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3027795/cats-chicago-china-loving-western-musicals-what-its-own|title=From Cats to Chicago, China is loving Western musicals – but what of its own?|work=South China Morning Post|date=18 September 2019|first=Snow|last=Xia|access-date=18 September 2019}}</ref>

The musical has also been translated and staged nationally in Asia. From September 2008 to May 2009, a Korean-language production toured South Korea, with Shin Youngsook and Ock Joo-hyun alternating as Grizabella, Kim Jin-woo and Daesung alternating as Rum Tum Tugger, and Kim Bo-kyung as Rumpleteazer.<ref> *{{cite web|url=http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/playdbDetail.asp?sReqPlayno=4806|title=캣츠 CATS (2008/09/19 ~ 2009/01/18)|language=ko|publisher=플레이 DB|access-date=19 April 2019}} * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=7630 "캣츠 CATS (2009/02/06 ~ 2009/02/15)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=8828 "캣츠 – 전주 CATS (2009/02/20 ~ 2009/02/22)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=8183 "캣츠 – 수원 CATS (2009/03/07 ~ 2009/03/15)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=8807 "캣츠 – 고양 CATS (2009/04/03 ~ 2009/04/12)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=8829 "캣츠 – 광주 CATS (2009/04/21 ~ 2009/04/26)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=8823 "캣츠 – 대구 CATS (2009/05/01 ~ 2009/05/10)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019 .</ref> This production was revived and toured South Korea from 2011 to 2012, with Insooni and Park Hae-mi taking turns to portray Grizabella.<ref name=2011korea> * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=24676 "캣츠 – 이천 CATS (2011/08/26 ~ 2011/08/28)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=24935 "캣츠 – 전주 CATS (2011/09/02 ~ 2011/09/04)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=26114 "캣츠 Musical Cats (2011/09/17 ~ 2011/12/31)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=28899 "캣츠 – 부산 Musical CATS (2012/01/13 ~ 2012/01/29)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=31275 "캣츠 – 광주 Musical CATS (2012/02/03 ~ 2012/02/05)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=31335 "캣츠 – 창원 Musical CATS (2012/02/10 ~ 2012/02/12)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=31257 "캣츠 – 대전 Musical CATS (2012/02/17 ~ 2012/02/19)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=31369 "캣츠 – 인천 Musical CATS (2012/02/24 ~ 2012/02/26)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=32377 "캣츠 – 진주 Musical CATS (2012/03/09 ~ 2012/03/11)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=32171 "캣츠 – 청주 Musical CATS (2012/03/17 ~ 2012/03/18)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=32063 "캣츠 – 군포 Musical CATS (2012/03/23 ~ 2012/03/25)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=32216 "캣츠 – 대구 Musical CATS Musical CATS (2012/04/06 ~ 2012/04/08)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019. * [http://www.playdb.co.kr/playdb/PlaydbDetail.asp?sReqPlayNo=33636 "캣츠 – 제주 Musical CATS (2012/04/20 ~ 2012/04/22)"] (in Korean). 플레이 DB. Retrieved 19 April 2019 .</ref> The first Chinese-language production began touring various cities in China in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/art/2012-11/30/content_15974532.htm|title=Guangzhou: Mandarin Cats|date=30 November 2012|work=China Daily|access-date=9 April 2019}}</ref>

===Others=== Spanish and Portuguese-language productions of ''Cats'' have been staged in South America, with productions in Argentina in 1993 (with Mexican actress Olivia Bucio as Grizabella),<ref name=argentina1993>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicalesbaires.com.ar/18757-2/|title=CATS cumple 35 años desde su estreno|trans-title=CATS celebrates 35 years since its premiere|language=es|work=Musicales Baires|date=8 October 2017|first=Daniel|last=Falcone|access-date=20 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419194704/https://www.musicalesbaires.com.ar/18757-2/|archive-date=19 April 2019}}</ref> in Chile in 2006 (at the Arena Santiago)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/entretencion/espectaculos/musical-cats-que-viene-a-santiago-cuenta-con-un-artista-chileno-en-su/2006-09-19/165508.html|title=Musical 'Cats' que viene a Santiago cuenta con un artista chileno en su elenco|trans-title=Musical 'Cats' that comes to Santiago has a Chilean artist in its cast|publisher=Radio Cooperativa|date=19 September 2006|language=es|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref> and 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.24horas.cl/tendencias/espectaculosycultura/musical-cats-llega-por-primera-vez-a-chile-con-elenco-nacional--1127498|title=Musical 'Cats' llega por primera vez a Chile con elenco nacional|trans-title=Musical 'Cats' arrives for the first time in Chile with a national cast|work=24 Horas|date=15 March 2014|first=Tomás|last=Achurra|language=es|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref> in Colombia in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elespectador.com/entretenimiento/agenda/musica/articulo159152-cats-llega-colombia|title='Cats' llega a Colombia|language=es|trans-title='Cats' arrives in Colombia|date=1 September 2009|work=El Espectador|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref> and in Brazil in 2010 (with Paula Lima as Grizabella).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.terra.com.br/diversao/arte-e-cultura/pensei-muito-se-eu-realmente-daria-conta-diz-paula-lima-sobre-cats,92b8078553a7a310VgnCLD200000bbcceb0aRCRD.html|title="Pensei muito se eu realmente daria conta", diz Paula Lima sobre 'Cats'|trans-title="I thought a lot if I really would," says Paula Lima about 'Cats'|language=pt|publisher=Terra (Brazil)|date=25 March 2010|first=Gustavo|last=Pelogia|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325072436/https://www.terra.com.br/diversao/arte-e-cultura/pensei-muito-se-eu-realmente-daria-conta-diz-paula-lima-sobre-cats,92b8078553a7a310VgnCLD200000bbcceb0aRCRD.html}}</ref> Other countries that the musical has been performed in include South Africa (2001–2002) & (2025-2026),<ref name=sa2002>{{cite web|url=https://www.news24.com/Entertainment/SouthAfrica/SA-Cats-going-to-Malaysia-20020327|title=SA Cats going to Malaysia|publisher=News24|date=27 March 2002|access-date=20 April 2019|archive-date=19 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419202940/https://www.news24.com/Entertainment/SouthAfrica/SA-Cats-going-to-Malaysia-20020327}}</ref> Lebanon (2002),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/379061/FESTIVAL_DE_BEITEDDINE_-_Grand_opening_avec_%253C%253C_Cats_%253E%253E%252C_mercredi_3_juillet_Six_soirees_consecutives_pour_le_grand_succes_d%2527Andrew_Lloyd_We.html|title=Festival de Beiteddine – Grand opening avec "Cats", mercredi 3 juillet Six soirées consécutives pour le grand succès d'Andrew Lloyd Webber (photo)|date=29 June 2002|work=L'Orient-Le Jour|language=fr|access-date=3 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603023211/https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/379061/FESTIVAL_DE_BEITEDDINE_-_Grand_opening_avec_%253C%253C_Cats_%253E%253E%252C_mercredi_3_juillet_Six_soirees_consecutives_pour_le_grand_succes_d%2527Andrew_Lloyd_We.html}}</ref> Qatar (2003, 2017),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ttnonline.com/Article/3183/Cats_all_set_to_purr_in_Doha|title=Cats all set to purr in Doha|work=Travel and Tourism News Worldwide|date=November 2003|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gulf-times.com/story/530987/Hit-musical-show-Cats-comes-to-Qatar|title=Hit musical show Cats comes to Qatar|work=Gulf Times|date=30 January 2017|access-date=20 April 2019}}</ref> Turkey (2013),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/cats-musical-meets-istanbul-audience-60121|title=Cats musical meets Istanbul audience|date=26 December 2013|work=Hürriyet Daily News|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> Israel (2014),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/cats-comes-to-tel-aviv/|title='Cats' comes to Israel|work=The Times of Israel|date=12 October 2014|first=Jessica|last=Steinberg|access-date=18 April 2019}}</ref> and the United Arab Emirates (2017).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/on-stage/review-cats-at-dubai-opera-is-as-purr-fect-as-it-is-timeless-1.54812|title=Review: Cats at Dubai Opera is as purr-fect as it is timeless|work=The National|date=18 January 2017|first=Rob|last=Garratt|access-date=16 May 2019}}</ref>

A full-length production of ''Cats'' has been performed regularly for guests aboard Royal Caribbean International's cruise ship ''Oasis of the Seas'',<ref name=rci>{{cite web|title=Cats Coming to Oasis of the Seas|url=http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/10904-cats-coming-to-oasis-of-the-seas.html|work=Cruise Industry News|access-date=4 April 2014|date=4 April 2014}}</ref> starting in autumn 2014, with a cast rotating every nine months.<ref name=rci/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.apnews.com/2fb7d7dcad4d42cb815a95ef7c7612dd|title=This cruise line rivals Broadway with 134 shows, 50 theaters|date=4 May 2019|work=Associated Press News|first=Kelli|last=Kennedy|access-date=1 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190601141315/https://www.apnews.com/2fb7d7dcad4d42cb815a95ef7c7612dd}}</ref>

===Regional and amateur=== [[File:Cats The Musical (15904726351).jpg|thumb|A school production of ''Cats'' in Bangalore, India (2014)]] ''Cats'' has been produced by various professional regional theatre companies. Broadway Sacramento staged the musical in 2003 and 2009 at the Wells Fargo Pavilion. Both productions featured Ken Page reprising his role as Old Deuteronomy from the original Broadway production, along with Jacquelyn Piro Donovan as Grizabella and Jeffry Denman as Munkustrap.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/music-circus-summer-season-to-include-omalley-von-essen-page-piro-lanier-and-more-com-113912|title=Music Circus Summer Season to Include O'Malley, von Essen, Page, Piro, Lanier and More|work=Playbill|date=23 June 2003|first=Andrew|last=Gans|access-date=1 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601152816/http://www.playbill.com/article/music-circus-summer-season-to-include-omalley-von-essen-page-piro-lanier-and-more-com-113912}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/music-circus-season-to-feature-beach-davi-lee-denman-charles-page-and-more-com-161433|title=Music Circus Season to Feature Beach, Davi, Lee, Denman, Charles, Page and More|work=Playbill|date=2 June 2009|first=Andrew|last=Gans|access-date=1 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601153512/http://www.playbill.com/article/music-circus-season-to-feature-beach-davi-lee-denman-charles-page-and-more-com-161433}}</ref> A 2010 amphitheatre production at The Muny starred Page as Old Deuteronomy, Stephanie J. Block as Grizabella and Lara Teeter as Munkustrap.<ref name=themuny>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/munys-cats-with-block-page-teeter-dunn-dudding-begins-july-19-com-170113|title=Muny's Cats, with Block, Page, Teeter, Dunn, Dudding, Begins July 19|work=Playbill|date=19 July 2010|first=Andrew|last=Gans|access-date=15 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519083653/http://www.playbill.com/article/munys-cats-with-block-page-teeter-dunn-dudding-begins-july-19-com-170113}}</ref> The La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts staged the musical in 2014, with a cast that included Todrick Hall as Rum Tum Tugger.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/la-miradas-cats-featuring-todrick-hall-as-rum-tum-tugger-begins-april-18-in-ca-com-217338|title=La Mirada's Cats, Featuring Todrick Hall as Rum Tum Tugger, Begins April 18 in CA|work=Playbill|first=Michael|last=Gioia|date=18 April 2014|access-date=25 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 June 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190625094705/http://www.playbill.com/article/la-miradas-cats-featuring-todrick-hall-as-rum-tum-tugger-begins-april-18-in-ca-com-217338}}</ref>

Nick Winston directed and choreographed a production at the Kilworth House Theatre in 2019 with a cast that included Emma Hatton and Helen Anker. Set in a dilapidated London Underground station during World War II, this production was given a 5-star review by ''The Stage'' for its "radical" reimagining of ''Cats''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2019/cats-review-kilworth-house-theatre-leicestershire/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805124926/https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2019/cats-review-kilworth-house-theatre-leicestershire/|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 August 2019|title=Cats review at Kilworth House Theatre – 'radical approach and outstanding delivery'|work=The Stage|date=5 August 2019|first=Pat |last=Ashworth|access-date=6 August 2019}}</ref>

The musical is also available for school and amateur licensing through The Musical Company.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themusicalcompany.com/show/cats/|title=Cats|publisher=The Musical Company|access-date=1 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601145833/https://themusicalcompany.com/show/cats/}}</ref> On 24 March 2013, the largest-ever staging of ''Cats'' was performed by 3,000 students from Stagecoach Theatre Arts schools at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/largest-staging-of-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats-will-feature-3-000-performers-com-203111|title=Largest Staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats Will Feature 3,000 Performers|work=Playbill|date=5 March 2013|first=Andrew|last=Gans|access-date=1 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601155404/http://www.playbill.com/article/largest-staging-of-andrew-lloyd-webbers-cats-will-feature-3-000-performers-com-203111}}</ref>

==Film adaptations== {{further|Cats (1998 film)|Cats (2019 film)}} Steven Spielberg's former animation studio Amblimation had planned an animated adaptation of the musical in the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2019/12/20/how-a-dog-film-killed-an-animated-version-of-cats/|title=How A Dog Film Killed an Animated Version of 'Cats'|last=Hershberg|first=Marc|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=20 December 2019}}</ref> The film was to be set in war-torn London during World War II, but the project was abandoned with the studio's closure in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/explore-the-dark-moody-art-of-steven-spielberg-s-anima-1798270242|title=Explore the dark, moody art of Steven Spielberg's animated Cats|work=The A.V. Club|date=8 July 2014|access-date=21 March 2019|first=William|last=Hughes}}</ref> The following year, a direct-to-video film was released. The film was directed by David Mallet and was shot at the Adelphi Theatre in London. It starred Elaine Paige as Grizabella, John Mills as Gus, Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy, and Michael Gruber as Munkustrap.<ref name=1998film>{{cite web|url=https://www.catsthemusical.com/now-and-forever/the-film|title=The Film|publisher=catsthemusical.com (official website)|access-date=21 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409050104/https://www.catsthemusical.com/now-and-forever/the-film|archive-date=9 April 2019}}</ref>

A film adaptation directed by Tom Hooper for Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment and Working Title Films was released on 20 December 2019. The film starred James Corden as Bustopher Jones, Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy, Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger, Idris Elba as Macavity, Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Ian McKellen as Gus, Taylor Swift as Bombalurina, Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots and Francesca Hayward as Victoria.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/cats-movie-musical-cast-starts-filming/|title=Cats Movie Musical Officially Begins Filming; Full Cast Revealed|publisher=Screen Rant|date=13 December 2018|first=Sandy|last=Schaefer|access-date=21 March 2019}}</ref> Swift collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber for a new song called "Beautiful Ghosts."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Legaspi |first=Althea |date=24 October 2019 |title=See Taylor Swift, Andrew Lloyd Webber Talk 'Cats' New Original Song, Hear Snippet |work=Rollingstone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/taylor-swift-andrew-lloyd-webber-cats-song-beautiful-ghosts-903615/}}</ref> The movie was negatively received by both critics and audiences, and was also a box-office bomb. Andrew Lloyd Webber disowned the film, claiming that it convinced him to get a therapy dog.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collider.com/cats-movie-andrew-lloyd-webber-reaction/|title='Cats' Movie Hated by Andrew Lloyd Webber So Much He Bought a Therapy Dog|website=Collider|last=Leishman|first=Rachel|date=6 October 2021|access-date=6 October 2021}}</ref>

==Reception== ===Box office=== ''Cats'' was a commercial blockbuster. Its worldwide box office gross of over US$2 billion by 1994 made it the highest grossing musical in history at the time.<ref name=2billion>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/06/magazine/endpaper-kitty-litter.html|title=Endpaper; Kitty Litter|work=The New York Times Magazine|date=6 March 1994|first=Bruce|last=Handy|access-date=27 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526101641/http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/06/magazine/endpaper-kitty-litter.html}}</ref>

===Critical reception=== ====West End==== The original London production received mostly rave reviews, with critics hailing it as a watershed moment in British musical theatre.<ref name=sternfeld121123>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=121–123}}</ref> Michael Billington of ''The Guardian'' lauded ''Cats'' as "an exhilarating piece of total theatre". Billington praised the show's "strong framework" and the ease in which the poems were integrated. He was also very impressed by Lloyd Webber's fitting compositions, Napier's environmental set, Lynne's effective and at times brilliant choreography, and Nunn's "dazzling staging" that makes use of the entire auditorium.<ref name=billington1981>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31752533/cats_musical_review_12_may_1981/|title=Cats|work=The Guardian|author-link=Michael Billington (critic)|first=Michael|last=Billington|date=12 May 1981|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The show received similarly glowing reviews from ''The Sunday Times''{{'}} Derek Jewell and ''The Stage''{{'}}s Peter Hepple. Jewell proclaimed it to be "among the most exhilarating and innovative musicals ever staged",<ref name=sternfeld121123/> while Hepple declared that with ''Cats'', "the British musical has taken a giant leap forward, surpassing in ingenuity and invention anything Broadway has sent us".<ref>{{cite news |title=Play Reviews: Cats |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001180/19810514/098/0011 |access-date=21 May 2019|work=The Stage|date=14 May 1981 |page=11 |first=Peter|last=Hepple|via = British Newspaper Archive|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

There were a few lukewarm reviews, most notably from Irving Wardle of ''The Times''. Wardle enjoyed Lloyd Webber's compositions but found the visual spectacle too overwhelming.<ref name=sternfeld121123/> Robert Cushman's review for ''The Observer'' concluded that ''Cats'' was flawed but unmissable.<ref name=cushman1981>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31753213/the_observer/|title=The cat's whiskers|work=The Observer|first=Robert|last=Cushman|date=17 May 1981|page=31|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

The reviews for the 2014 and 2015 London revivals were positive as well, with critics giving both productions an average of 4 out of 5 stars.<ref name=2014palladium>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/cats-the-london-paladium-2014|title=Cats – The London Paladium 2014|publisher=London Theatre Guide|first=Mark|last=Shenton|author-link=Mark Shenton|date=12 December 2014|access-date=21 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521132300/https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/cats-the-london-paladium-2014}}</ref><ref name=2015palladium>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/cats-the-london-paladium-2015|title=Cats – The London Paladium 2015|publisher=London Theatre Guide|first=Tom|last=Millward|date=28 October 2015|access-date=21 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190521132536/https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/cats-the-london-paladium-2015}}</ref> Critics generally found the revivals to be enjoyable and invigorating, though Mark Shenton was disappointed that the new staging lacked the immersiveness of the original.<ref name=2014palladium/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/2015/cats-really-now-forever/|title=Cats really is for 'now and forever'|date=23 February 2015|work=The Stage|first=Mark|last=Shenton|author-link=Mark Shenton|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190521133510/https://www.thestage.co.uk/opinion/2015/cats-really-now-forever/|access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref>

====Broadway==== Reactions to the original Broadway production were mixed.<ref name=greenfield>{{harvnb|Greenfield|2009|p=101}}</ref> In his review for ''The New York Times'', Frank Rich said the main draw of the show was that it "transports the audience into a complete fantasy world that could only exist in the theater". He attributed much of this "wondrous spectacle" to Nunn's direction, Napier's set and costume designs, as well as the cast. Rich found many of Lloyd Webber's songs to be "cleverly and appropriately" pastiche, but panned Lynne's choreography and felt that the musical failed in its vague attempt to tell a story. Overall, he wished the show had more "feeling to go with its most inventive stagecraft."<ref name=frankrich>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/08/theater/theater-lloyd-webber-s-cats.html|title=Theatre: Lloyd Webber's 'Cats'|work=The New York Times|date=8 October 1982|first=Frank|last=Rich|author-link=Frank Rich|access-date=27 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327104043/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/08/theater/theater-lloyd-webber-s-cats.html}}</ref>

''The New Yorker''{{'s}} Brendan Gill wrote: "Judged as a spectacle instead of simply as a musical, 'Cats' is a triumph."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Homage to Cats|magazine=The New Yorker|first=Brendan|last=Gill|author-link=Brendan Gill|date=18 October 1982|page=158|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1982/10/18/homage-to-cats|issn=0028-792X}}</ref> Conversely, Sylviane Gold of ''The Boston Phoenix'' called the musical "an overproduced trifle, a cabaret evening tricked out in Broadway regalia."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gold |first1=Sylviane |title=Slender vittles: 'Cats' as cats can |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_boston-phoenix_1982-10-26_11_43/page/4/mode/1up |access-date=28 September 2024 |work=The Boston Phoenix |date=26 October 1982}}</ref> Edwin Wilson of ''The Wall Street Journal'' described ''Cats'' as an "anomaly", writing that "[t]he world it creates is refreshingly novel [...] and Mr. Webber has composed a score of eminently hummable tunes," but noting there was a disconnect between the immense scale of the production and the simplicity of Eliot's lyrics.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tim Webber Brings His Curious 'Cats' to Broadway|work=The Wall Street Journal|first=Edwin|last=Wilson|author-link=Edwin Wilson (theater critic)|date=8 October 1982|page=33}}</ref> Clive Barnes of the ''New York Post'' concluded his review saying: "Its importance lies in its wholeheartedness. It is a statement of musical theater that cannot be ignored, should prove controversial and will never be forgotten."<ref name=sternfeld172174/>

The 2016 Broadway revival received a similarly mixed review by Charles Isherwood of ''The New York Times''. Isherwood concluded that the revival was "fundamentally the ''Cats'' you knew and loved when you were first bit by the musical-theater bug. Or it's the ''Cats'' you knew and snickered at when you first encountered it."<ref name=isherwood2016>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/theater/cats-broadway-revival-review.html|title=Review: Does 'Cats' Have Nine Lives on Broadway? Two, Certainly|work=The New York Times|date=31 July 2016|first=Charles|last=Isherwood|author-link=Charles Isherwood|access-date=22 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190326192501/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/01/theater/cats-broadway-revival-review.html}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations=== {{main|List of awards and nominations for the musical Cats}}

''Cats'' has received many international awards and nominations. The original London production was nominated for six Laurence Olivier Awards in 1981, winning two awards including Best New Musical.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1981/|title=Olivier Winners 1981|publisher=Society of London Theatre|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190324211147/https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1981/}}</ref> Two years later, the original Broadway production won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, out of eleven nominations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/history/pastwinners/tonys_results.html?lname=Cats|title=Search Past Winners: Keyword Search – "Cats"|publisher=Tony Award|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325130038/https://www.tonyawards.com/en_US/history/pastwinners/tonys_results.html?lname=Cats}}</ref> The London and Broadway cast recordings were nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, which the latter won.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5iMEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22best+cast+show+album%22|title=25th Annual Grammy Awards Final Nominations|magazine=Billboard|page=67|issn=0006-2510|date=22 January 1983|volume=95|issue=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/26th-annual-grammy-awards|title=Winners: 26th Annual GRAMMY Awards (1983)|publisher=The Recording Academy|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190324202613/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/26th-annual-grammy-awards}}</ref> In 2015, the London revival was nominated for — but did not win — two Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-2015/|title=Olivier Winners 2015|publisher=Official London Theatre|access-date=9 July 2019}}</ref>

==Cultural impact and legacy== {{blockquote |text=This is how they divide history: BC — Before ''Cats'' — and AD — Andrew Dominant. |source=Mark Steyn on the history of musical theatre.<ref>{{harvnb|McLamore|2017|p=413}}</ref> }} Despite mixed reviews when ''Cats'' opened in New York in 1982, critics agreed that it was innovative and visually spectacular in ways that Broadway had never seen before.<ref name=sternfeld172174>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=172–174}}</ref> The musical became a cultural phenomenon and has had a profound influence on the medium.<ref name=greenfield99100>{{harvnb|Greenfield|2009|pp=99–100}}</ref> ''Cats'' established musical theatre as a global commodity,<ref name=Siropoulos142143/><ref name=Wollman169170/> marking the beginning of a new era in the industry that is characterised by huge global stakes for potentially even huger global profits.<ref name=Siropoulos142143/> It led the shift in the Broadway market towards big-budget blockbusters and shows that appeal to families and tourists,<ref name=grimes1997/><ref name=dietz151152/> which in turn left smaller productions struggling to compete.<ref name=Wollman169170/> ''Cats'' also ushered in a "golden age of British musicals" which saw West End exports dominate the industry for nearly two decades.<ref name=telegraphclosing/><ref name=sternfeld110111>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=110–111}}</ref> Musical theatre historian Vagelis Siropoulos asserted that in terms of impact, the "seminal Broadway opening" of ''Cats'' was "comparable only to Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Oklahoma!'' thirty nine years ago."<ref name=Siropoulos142143/>

Ultimately, critics are polarized on whether ''Cats'' has changed musical theatre for the better or for the worse. William Grimes wrote of its detractors: "There are more than a few who see the ''Cats'' phenomenon as the theatrical equivalent of the rise of the megabudget Hollywood action film. For them, ''Cats'' is a soulless money machine."<ref name=sternfeld172174/>

===Influence and innovations=== As the "first true megamusical",<ref name=sternfeld113114>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=113–114}}</ref> ''Cats'' pioneered a genre of musical theatre that is produced on a grand and global scale. It paved the way for later megamusicals — including ''Les Misérables'' (1985), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1986) and ''Miss Saigon'' (1989) — that have dominated the industry since.<ref name=Allain206207>{{harvnb|Allain|Harvie|2014|pp=206–207}}</ref> Siropoulos explained:

{{blockquote| text= ''Cats'' is considered the quintessential megamusical, because it reconceived, like no other show before, theatrical space as an immense affective encompasser, that transforms the viewing experience into a hypercharged thrill-ride and the spectator into an explorer of new and challenging aural and visual sensations. Its unprecedented success paved the way for even bolder hyperspatial configurations, made the set designer a proper environment builder and raised light and sound design into the status of art in their own right. It also paved the way for the constant revolutionization of stage technology.<ref>{{harvnb|Siropoulos|2008|p=194}}</ref>}}

thumb|The cat's-eyes logo and the "now and forever" slogan were used to advertise the musical at the New London Theatre (1999). ''Cats'' introduced a marketing strategy that set the template for subsequent megamusicals. Early advertisements for the musical did not feature traditional pull quotes (despite many positive reviews) or any of the cast, instead branding the show itself as the star. It did this by adopting — and then aggressively promoting — a single recognisable image (the cat's-eyes logo) as the face of the show.<ref name=sternfeld75126/> The cat's-eyes logo was the first globally marketed logo in musical theatre history,<ref name=grimes1997/> and was paired with a tagline ("now and forever") to create what ''The Daily Telegraph'' called "one of musical theatre's greatest posters".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/10951266/Five-reasons-why-Cats-seems-to-enjoy-nine-lives.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/10951266/Five-reasons-why-Cats-seems-to-enjoy-nine-lives.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Five reasons why Cats seems to enjoy nine lives|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=7 July 2014|first=Dominic|last=Cavendish|access-date=28 July 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Such branding emblems proved equally effective for later megamusicals, as seen with the waif Cosette for ''Les Misérables'' and the Phantom's mask for ''The Phantom of the Opera''. This advertising method had the additional effect of diminishing the importance of critical reviews, popularising the so-called "critic-proof" status of megamusicals.<ref name=sternfeld75126>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=75, 78, 125–126}}</ref>

Additionally, ''Cats'' was the first Broadway and West End show to capitalise on merchandising as a major revenue stream. Stalls were set up in the theatre lobbies to sell souvenirs ranging from toys and watches to coffee mugs, all of which were emblazoned with the cat's-eyes logo. The official ''Cats'' t-shirt became the second-best-selling t-shirt in the world in the 1980s, second only to the Hard Rock Cafe t-shirt. Merchandising has since become an important source of income for the industry.<ref name=Siropoulos142143>{{harvnb|Siropoulos|2010|pp=142–143}}</ref>

Beyond the megamusical, ''Cats'' also led the Broadway trend for musicals aimed at families and tourists, which later took the form of the Disney Theatrical Productions and jukebox musicals.<ref name=dietz151152>{{harvnb|Dietz|2016|pp=151–152}}</ref><ref name=5ways>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2016/legit/news/how-cats-changed-broadway-1201827574/|title='Cats': 5 Ways the Smash Musical Changed Broadway|work=Variety|date=2 August 2016|first=Gordon|last=Cox|url-status=live|archive-date=7 July 2019|access-date=8 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707194329/https://variety.com/2016/legit/news/how-cats-changed-broadway-1201827574/}}</ref> The marketing campaigns for the musical targeted family audiences at a time when this demographic was not a consideration in the industry.<ref name=5ways/> Composer Joe Raposo said of family musicals in 1986: "''Cats'' is a wonderful proof of what an audience is out there, untapped. People do want a theatrical experience for their children."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1986/1002/lrapo-f.html|title=Raposo writing Broadway shows for families|work=The Christian Science Monitor|date=2 October 1986|first=Louise|last=Sweeney|access-date=16 July 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=16 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716101400/https://www.csmonitor.com/1986/1002/lrapo-f.html}}</ref> Thanks to its easily accessible spectacle, the original Broadway production also tapped into the then-burgeoning tourist boom in New York and its audience shifted increasingly towards foreign visitors in its later years.<ref name=Wollman169170>{{harvnb|Wollman|2017|pp=169–170}}</ref><ref name=sternfeld75126/> Billington also specifically traces the rise of the jukebox musical genre back to ''Cats'', citing the latter's disregard for dramatic text in favour of an all-encompassing theatrical experience.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/12/cats-review-nicole-scherzinger-andrew-lloyd-webber-revival|title=Cats review – glamourpuss Nicole Scherzinger hits high notes in carnival revival|work=The Guardian|date=12 December 2014|first=Michael|last=Billington|author-link=Michael Billington (critic)|url-status=live|archive-date=15 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715162105/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/dec/12/cats-review-nicole-scherzinger-andrew-lloyd-webber-revival|access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref>

thumb|upright|left|Radio microphones have become the norm in live theatre since ''Cats''.<ref name=Leonard112/> The musical's fantasy setting and disregard for verisimilitude allowed for groundbreaking experimentations in lighting and audio technology. The original London and Broadway productions featured David Hersey's pioneering use of automated lighting to produce kaleidoscopic landscapes and complicated optical effects. Hersey also used light in an "architectural manner", with fast-changing configurations to spotlight different performers in rapid succession. This dynamic shifting of the audience's perspective created an effect similar to that of fast cutting in film editing.<ref name=Siropoulos129132/> The original London production of ''Cats'' was also the first known instance in which an entire cast was individually outfitted with radio microphones.<ref name=Leonard112>{{harvnb|Leonard|2001|p=112}}</ref> The departure from shared ambient microphones meant that the show did not have to depend on the acoustics and architectural design of the theatrical venue, and enabled the sound designer to achieve cinematic levels of sound amplification and studio-quality audio in live theatre.<ref name=burston207208>{{harvnb|Burston|1998|pp=207–208}}</ref> This practice transformed sound design and has since become the norm in live theatre.<ref name=Leonard112/>

''Cats'' opened new regional, touring and international markets that the industry continues to capitalise on.<ref name=Wollman169170/> Recognising the global potential of his show, Mackintosh replicated the original production worldwide with an unprecedented degree of standardisation.<ref name=Siropoulos142143/> Paraphrasing theatre historian Alan Filewod, Marla Carlson wrote:

{{blockquote| text= ''Cats'' began the progressive transformation of "Broadway" from a specific location into a delocalized "moment of reception" that can be experienced anywhere and everywhere, even while continuing to depend upon the stamp of approval that box-office success in an actual Broadway theater bestows.<ref name=Carlson24>{{harvnb|Carlson|2018|p=24}}</ref>}}

In the 1980s, the success of local productions of ''Cats'' in Tokyo,<ref name=Atsuko320/> Sydney,<ref name=sydneyfirst>{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-stage-show/cats-australian-cast-reunion/9798962|title=Pawing through our memories of Cats in Australia|date=28 May 2018|publisher=Radio National|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325035555/https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/the-stage-show/cats-australian-cast-reunion/9798962}}</ref> Vienna, Hamburg,<ref name=Menze/> and Toronto were turning points that established these cities (and their respective countries) as major commercial markets in the global theatrical circuit.<ref>{{harvnb|Koskoff|2000|p=200}}</ref> The musical was also a boon for the Broadway touring industry. In 1997, ''The New York Times'' credited the regional and touring productions of ''Cats'' with "almost single-handedly reviv[ing] the sagging road business".<ref name=sternfeld170171>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=170–171}}</ref> ''Cats'' revolutionised the touring business by introducing the now commonplace practice of extended touring engagements that can last several weeks or months in a single city, as opposed to the typical one-week or ten-day tour stop. Mackintosh's insistence that all touring productions of ''Cats'' replicate the Broadway production also resulted in the expansion and upgrading of regional theatre venues to accommodate the musical's demanding logistical requirements, as local theatre owners did not want to miss out on the opportunity to host the lucrative show.<ref name=greenfield100102>{{harvnb|Greenfield|2009|pp=100, 102}}</ref>

==="Memory"=== {{main|Memory (Cats song)}}

"Memory" is the standout hit song from ''Cats''. By 2002, the song had been played over two million times on radio and television stations in the US.<ref name=guardianclosing/> It was the most requested song at piano bars and lounges in the 1980s, and was an equally popular choice at weddings, concerts and other gatherings. As of 2006, the song had been recorded around 600 times by artists such as Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Judy Collins, and Johnny Mathis, in covers ranging from easy listening to techno.<ref name=sternfeld125163>{{harvnb|Sternfeld|2006|pp=125, 157, 163}}</ref> According to Sternfeld, it is "by some estimations the most successful song ever from a musical."<ref name=sternfeld113114/>

===Creators=== {{blockquote |text=''Cats'' was the ground-breaking show for all of us{{nbsp}}... The success of it gave us all the freedom to go on and do other shows. |source=Mackintosh<ref name=telegraphclosing/> }} Despite moderate hits with ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' and ''Evita'', Lloyd Webber was still relatively unknown to the general public before ''Cats'', especially in the US. With ''Cats'', he became a big celebrity in his own right.<ref name=sternfeld113114/> The musical also established the theatrical careers of the original creative and production team. Following ''Cats'', they collaborated on other global blockbusters including ''Starlight Express'' (composed by Lloyd Webber, directed by Nunn and designed by Napier), ''Les Misérables'' (directed by Nunn, designed by Napier and produced by Mackintosh), and ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (composed by Lloyd Webber, choreographed by Lynne and produced by Mackintosh).<ref name=sternfeld117118/><ref name=snelson3233>{{harvnb|Snelson|2004|pp=32–33}}</ref>

The New London Theatre, where the original London production of ''Cats'' played for 21 years, was officially renamed the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2018. This made Lynne the first non-royal woman to have a West End theatre named after her.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44574889|title=West End theatre renamed after Cats choreographer Gillian Lynne|work=BBC News|date=22 June 2018|first=Neil|last=Smith|access-date=1 August 2019}}</ref>

Valerie Eliot used a portion of the royalty payments from ''Cats'' to establish the literary charity Old Possum's Practical Trust, and to set up the T. S. Eliot Prize which has since become "the most coveted award in poetry".<ref>{{cite news |last=Jury |first=Louise |work=The Independent|title=Heaney wins £10,000 TS Eliot prize |date=16 January 2007 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/heaney-wins-16310000-ts-eliot-prize-6229191.html|access-date=22 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=yahoo>{{cite web|last=Lawless|first=Jill|url=https://news.yahoo.com/t-eliots-widow-valerie-eliot-dies-86-163116521.html|title=T.S. Eliot's widow Valerie Eliot dies at 86|agency=Associated Press|via=Yahoo! News|date=11 November 2012|access-date=22 July 2019}}</ref> ''Cats'' also turned things around for the independent British publishing house Faber and Faber. As the publisher of ''Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'', royalties of up to £1 million annually<ref name=telegraphclosing>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1381622/No-more-lives-for-Lloyd-Webbers-Cats.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1381622/No-more-lives-for-Lloyd-Webbers-Cats.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=No more lives for Lloyd Webber's Cats|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=16 January 2002|first=Nigel|last=Reynolds|access-date=2 August 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref> kept the then-struggling Faber afloat during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/faber-and-faber-the-untold-story-of-a-great-publishing-house-by-toby-faber-review-a4137971.html|title=Faber & Faber: The Untold Story of a Great Publishing House by Toby Faber – review|work=Evening Standard|date=9 May 2019|first=Claire|last=Harman|access-date=8 July 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=8 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708134141/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/books/faber-and-faber-the-untold-story-of-a-great-publishing-house-by-toby-faber-review-a4137971.html}}</ref> Moreover, the musical led to a surge in the sales of Eliot's book.<ref name=sternfeld117118/> The success of ''Cats'' led Faber to turn another of their literary properties, Ted Hughes' ''The Iron Man'', into a 1989 musical of the same name.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.faber.co.uk/blog/about/faber-1980s/|title=The History of Faber: 1980s|publisher=Faber and Faber|date=4 May 2016|access-date=8 July 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=8 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708140701/https://www.faber.co.uk/blog/about/faber-1980s/}}</ref>

===In popular culture=== ''Cats'' has been referenced many times on screen; from the films ''Six Degrees of Separation''<ref name=2billion/> and ''Team America: World Police'',<ref>{{harvnb|Donnelly|2017|p=47}}</ref> to the sketch comedy ''Saturday Night Live'', and animated series like ''Family Guy'', ''The Simpsons'' and ''BoJack Horseman'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/09/bojack-horsemans-radically-funny-sadness.html|title=BoJack Horseman Is the Funniest Show About Depression Ever|work=Vulture.com|date=11 September 2014|first=Margaret|last=Lyons|access-date=16 July 2019}}</ref> as well as live action comedies including ''The Golden Girls'', ''Caroline in the City'', ''Glee'' and ''Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/unbreakable-kimmy-schmidt-serves-up-a-lackluster-penult-1832099601|title=Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt serves up a lackluster penultimate episode|work=The A.V. Club|date=27 January 2019|first=Kayla Kumari|last=Upadhyaya|access-date=13 July 2019}}</ref><ref name=catsparodies>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/cats-returns-broadway-tailed-parodies-jokes-article-1.2704748|title='Cats' returns to Broadway tailed by jokes and parodies|work=Daily News|location=New York|date=9 July 2016|first=Joe|last=Dziemianowicz|access-date=2 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=2 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602050210/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/theater-arts/cats-returns-broadway-tailed-parodies-jokes-article-1.2704748}}</ref> An episode of the musical television series ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'', titled "I Need Some Balance", parodied ''Cats'' by having all the songs sung by anthropomorphic cats who "introduce [themselves] over '80s Broadway beats".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/01/crazy-ex-girlfriend-cats-itchy-hungry-funky-nostalgia.html|title=Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Does Cats as Only Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Can|work=Slate|date=14 January 2019|first=Marissa|last=Martinelli|access-date=2 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=2 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602034833/https://slate.com/culture/2019/01/crazy-ex-girlfriend-cats-itchy-hungry-funky-nostalgia.html}}</ref> The sitcom ''The Nanny'' includes a recurring plot of rivalry between Andrew Lloyd Webber and the character Maxwell Sheffield. The latter is often taunted by other characters with reminders that he declined to produce ''Cats''.

Stage parodies of the musical have also been mounted in the West End and Off-Broadway. ''CAT – (THE PLAY!!!)'', a one-man show written by Jamie Beamish and Richard Hardwick, is a dark comedy about the fictitious life of Dave, a cat who was fired from the original London production of ''Cats'' on opening night. Starring Gerard McCarthy as Dave and with choreography by Arlene Phillips, the musical premiered at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/one-man-show-cat-brings-high-kicks-and-swearing-to-northern-ireland-tonight-342037|title=One-Man Show Cat Brings "High Kicks and Swearing" to Northern Ireland Tonight|work=Playbill|date=23 February 2015|first=Carey|last=Purcell|access-date=2 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601164449/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/one-man-show-cat-brings-high-kicks-and-swearing-to-northern-ireland-tonight-342037}}</ref> it performed at various regional venues before making its West End debut at the Ambassadors Theatre in April 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.londontheatre1.com/reviews/review-cat-the-play-the-ambassadors-theatre/|title=Review of CAT – (THE PLAY!!!) at The Ambassadors Theatre|work=LondonTheatre1.com|date=27 April 2017|first=Cassandra|last=Griffin|access-date=2 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601170748/https://www.londontheatre1.com/reviews/review-cat-the-play-the-ambassadors-theatre/}}</ref> ''Katdashians! Break the Musical!'', a parody mashup of ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and ''Cats'' by Bob and Tobly McSmith, premiered Off-Broadway at the Elektra Theatre in June 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/introducing-katdashians-kardashians-cats-broadway-mashup/|title=Katdashians! The Musical! Struts Down a New Stretch of Broadway Theater|work=Vice|date=24 June 2016|first=Kara|last=Weisenstein|access-date=2 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601175259/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/53wev3/introducing-katdashians-kardashians-cats-broadway-mashup}}</ref> All the song parodies of ''Cats'' were later removed after accusations of copyright infringement from Lloyd Webber's representatives, who claimed the songs were being used "to parody another subject matter entirely".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsweek.com/there-kardashians-and-cats-mash-musical-and-andrew-lloyd-webbers-not-happy-475257|title=There is a Kardashians Meets 'Cats' Musical and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Not Happy|work=Newsweek|date=28 June 2016|first=Tufayel|last=Ahmed|access-date=2 June 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601183809/https://www.newsweek.com/there-kardashians-and-cats-mash-musical-and-andrew-lloyd-webbers-not-happy-475257}}</ref> Other stage shows that satirise ''Cats'' include ''Six Degrees of Separation'',<ref name=catsparodies/> ''Angels in America'',<ref name=2billion/> and ''The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/theatre/theatre-review-the-musical-of-musicals-the-musical-is-a-skillful-satire|title=Theatre Review: The Musical of Musicals: The Musical! is a skillful satire|work=National Post|date=29 December 2013|first=Robert|last=Cushman|access-date=13 July 2019}}</ref>

Madame Tussauds New York features wax figures of several characters from the musical, including one of Grizabella that sings "Memory" through the use of projection mapping technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Madame-Tussauds-NY-Brings-Interactive-Broadway-Experience-to-Tourists-and-Locals-Alike-511071012.html|title=NYC Madame Tussauds Brings Interactive Broadway Experience to Tourists and Locals Alike|publisher=WNBC|date=12 June 2019|first=Erin|last=Edwards|access-date=13 July 2019}}</ref> Similarly, a wax figure of Rumpleteazer is displayed at the Panoptikum wax museum in Hamburg, Germany.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://taz.de/!472710/|title=Er gehört auf die Reeperbahn|language=de|work=Die Tageszeitung|first=Lisa|last=Frankenberger|date=5 March 2010| page=23 |access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

A ''Cats'' postage stamp was issued by the United States Postal Service in 2000 as part of its Celebrate the Century series. The musical was chosen as one of fifteen "outstanding artifacts, events and activities" from the 1980s to be commemorated with its own stamp design.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-03/31/110r-033100-idx.html|title=Collector's Editions|newspaper=The Washington Post|first=Hank|last=Burchard|date=31 March 2000|access-date=17 November 2019}}</ref> Beginning in March 2019, the Rinkai Line in Tokyo, Japan, uses two songs from the musical for its train departure melodies at the Ōimachi Station; the train to Ōsaki Station uses a jingle from "Memory", while the train to Shin-Kiba Station uses a jingle from "Skimbleshanks: The Railway Cat".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shiki.jp/navi/news/renewinfo/031752.html|title=『キャッツ』出演俳優がりんかい線大井町駅の一日駅長を務めました！|language=ja|date=7 March 2019|publisher=Shiki Theatre Company|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

The visual effects of the 2019 film adaptation were mocked in the 2022 Disney film ''Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers'', in a scene where the titular characters notice two alley cats resembling the ones in the film as they venture through an "uncanny valley" part of town.<ref>{{cite web |last=Price|first=Joe|date=20 May 2022|url=https://www.complex.com/music/post-malone-chip-n-dale-rescue-rangers-theme-song|title=Listen to Post Malone's Theme Song for New 'Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers' Movie|publisher=Complex Networks|access-date=20 May 2022}}</ref>

==Recordings and music video== ===Cast recordings=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of cast recordings, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:11em;" | Cast ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:22em;" | Album details ! scope="col" colspan="8" | Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Sales ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;" | Certifications |- ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | US <ref name=1996billboard>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA48|title=Andrew Lloyd Webber: 25 Years of Broadway – The Musicals on Record|magazine=Billboard|first=Fred|last=Bronson|author-link=Fred Bronson|pages=ALW–16, 18|issn=0006-2510|date=19 October 1996|volume=108|issue=42}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/original-broadway-cast-recording/chart-history/tlp/|title=Original Broadway Cast Recording: Chart History: Billboard 200|magazine=Billboard|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190324180115/https://www.billboard.com/music/original-broadway-cast-recording/chart-history/billboard-200/4}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | AUS <ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|pages=283, 284}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | AUT <ref name=AUTcharts>{{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/search.asp?search=cats&cat=a|title=austriancharts.at – Suche nach: cats|publisher=Austriancharts.at|language=de|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | GER <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-9252|title=Musical: Cats (Deutsche Originalaufnahme)|language=de|publisher=GfK Entertainment Charts|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | JPN <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/204172/products/1316738/1/|title=劇団四季ミュージカル『キャッツ』メモリアルエディション|publisher=Oricon|access-date=3 May 2019|language=ja|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503103133/https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/204172/products/1316738/1/|archive-date=3 May 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | NED <ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Musical&titel=Cats+%5BNederlandstalige+versie+1987%5D&cat=a|title=Musical – Cats (Nederlandstalige Versie 1987)|language=nl|publisher=Dutch Charts|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | NZ <ref name=NZcharts>{{cite web|url=https://charts.nz/search.asp?cat=a&search=cats|title=charts.nz – Search for: cats|publisher=New Zealand charts portal|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | UK <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/albums/cats/|title=Official Albums Chart Results Matching: Cats|publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Original London cast | * Released: 1 July 1981 (UK),<ref name=1981bpi/> July 1982 (US)<ref name=1982billboard>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT67|title=Geffen Putting Emphasis On Broadway Productions|magazine=Billboard|first=Paul|last=Grein|page=68|issn=0006-2510|date=24 July 1982|volume=94|issue=29}}</ref> * Label: PolyGram (UK),<ref name=1981bpi>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/1234-1863-2|title=Stage Cast Recordings: Cats (London)|publisher=British Phonographic Industry|access-date=25 March 2019}}</ref> Geffen Records (US)<ref name=1982billboard/> * Formats: LP, cassette, 2-disc CD<ref name=olcallmusic>{{cite web|title=Original London Cast: Cats [Original London Cast Recording]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cats-original-london-cast-recording-mw0001420795|work=AllMusic|access-date=19 October 2013|url-status=live|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190324170054/https://www.allmusic.com/album/cats-original-london-cast-recording-mw0001420795}}</ref> | 86 || 44 || 7 || || || || 21 || 6 | | * UK: Silver (1981);<ref name=1981bpi/> Gold (1993)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/11251-3408-2|title=Original Cast Recording: Cats|publisher=British Phonographic Industry|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> * SWI: Platinum<ref name=swisscharts>{{cite web|url=http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=cats|title=Edelmetall – Suche nach: cats|publisher=Swiss Hitparade|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Original Broadway cast | * Released: 26 January 1983 (US)<ref name=obcrecplaybill>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/the-41-best-selling-cast-recordings-of-all-time|title=The Definitive List of the 42 Best-Selling Cast Recordings of All Time|work=Playbill|first=Logan|last=Culwell-Block|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190324192122/http://www.playbill.com/article/the-41-best-selling-cast-recordings-of-all-time}}</ref><ref name=riaa1983/> * Label: Geffen Records (US)<ref name=riaa1983>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=ANDREW+LLOYD+WEBBER&ti=CATS+%28ORIGINAL+CAST%29&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH#search_section|title=Cats (Original Cast)|publisher=Recording Industry Association of America|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190324192745/https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=ANDREW+LLOYD+WEBBER&ti=CATS+(ORIGINAL+CAST)&lab=&genre=&format=&date_option=release&from=&to=&award=&type=&category=&adv=SEARCH%23search_section}}</ref> * Formats: LP, cassette, CD | 131 || – || 5 || || || || 17 || | * WW: >2,000,000<ref name=playbilltrivia/> | * US: Platinum<ref name=obcrecplaybill/><ref name=riaa1983/> |- ! scope="row"| Original Viennese cast | * Released: 1983 * Label: Polydor Records<ref>{{cite web|url=http://universalmusic.at/produkt/cats-wien/|title=Musical – Cats (Wien)|publisher=Universal Music Austria|language=de|access-date=29 April 2019|archive-date=29 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429050725/http://universalmusic.at/produkt/cats-wien/}}</ref> * Formats: CD | || – || 1 || 24 || || || || | | * AUT: Platinum<ref name=viennese1984>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GiUEAAAAMBAJ&q=cats|title=Special Report: West Germany, Austria, Switzerland ...Newsline...|magazine=Billboard|first=Jim|last=Sampson|page=9|issn=0006-2510|date=16 March 1985|volume=97|issue=11}}</ref> * SWI: Platinum<ref name=swisscharts/> * GER: Gold<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musikindustrie.de/markt-bestseller/gold-/platin-und-diamond-auszeichnung/datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=&strInterpret=Musical&strTtArt=alle&strAwards=checked|title=Cats – Theater ad Vienna|publisher=Bundesverband Musikindustrie|language=de|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Original Australian cast | * Released: 1985<ref>{{cite web|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/13419733?selectedversion=NBD5599230|title=Cats sound recording: the original Australian cast|publisher=Trove|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325110451/http://shiki-cd-dvd.com/cd/cats.html}}</ref> * Label: EMI * Formats: CD | || 19 || || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original Japanese cast | * Released: 21 April 1985<ref name=shikicd>{{cite web|url=http://shiki-cd-dvd.com/cd/cats.html|title=劇団四季 CD: Cats (キャッツ)|trans-title=Gekidan Shiki CD: Cats|language=ja|publisher=Shiki Theatre Company|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325110451/http://shiki-cd-dvd.com/cd/cats.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00005IJXN|title=劇団四季ミュージカル CATS オリジナル・キャスト|trans-title=Gekidan Shiki Musical CATS Original Cast|language=ja|publisher=Amazon.com|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190326070734/https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00005IJXN}}</ref> * Label: Pony Canyon * Formats: CD * Live recording | || – || || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original Hamburg cast | * Released: 6 October 1986<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/cats-german-cast-live-mw0000565101|title=German Cast Recording: Cats German Cast Live|work=AllMusic|access-date=25 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190325124121/https://www.allmusic.com/album/cats-german-cast-live-mw0000565101}}</ref> * Label: Polydor Records * Formats: LP,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.amazon.de/Cats-Deutsche-Gesamtaufnahme-Hamburger-Operettenhaus/dp/B000091EZU|title=Cats – German Complete Recording from the Hamburger Operettenhaus (live, 1986)|date=January 1986 |publisher=Amazon.de|language=de|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref> CD * Live recording | || – || 12 || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original Dutch cast | * Released: 1987<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bol.com/nl/p/cats-nederlandse-cast-1987/1000004000285225/|title=Cats – Nederlandse cast 1987|publisher=Bol.com|access-date=29 April 2019|language=nl|url-status=live|archive-date=29 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429012401/https://www.bol.com/nl/p/cats-nederlandse-cast-1987/1000004000285225/}}</ref> * Label: Mercury Records * Formats: CD * Live recording | || – || || || || 72 || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original London cast (Highlights from ''Cats'') | * Released: 1989<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Highlights-Cats-1981-Original-London/dp/B001KU89XY|title=Highlights From Cats (1981 Original London Cast)|website=Amazon UK |access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> * Label: Polydor Records * Formats: CD | || – || || || || || || | | * UK: Silver (1993)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/12536-3408-2|title=Original Cast Recording: Highlights From Cats|publisher=British Phonographic Industry|access-date=30 April 2019}}</ref> * SWI: Gold<ref name=swisscharts/> |- ! scope="row"| Japanese cast | * Released: 8 February 1989<ref name=shikicd/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00005FPA3|title=劇団四季ミュージカル CATS ロングラン・キャスト|trans-title=Gekidan Shiki Musical CATS Long Run Cast|language=ja|publisher=Amazon.com|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190326070410/https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B00005FPA3/}}</ref> * Label: Pony Canyon * Formats: CD | || – || || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original French cast | * Released: 1989<ref name=paris1989>{{cite book|title=Cats: version française intégrale|publisher=WorldCat|oclc = 41144006}}</ref> * Label: Polydor Records * Formats: LP, cassette, CD * Live recording | || – || || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original Mexican cast | * Released: 1991<ref name=mex1991>{{cite book|title=Cats (Mexico: Polydor, 1991)|publisher=WorldCat|oclc = 29457176}}</ref> * Label: Polydor Records * Formats: CD | || – || || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original Polish cast | * Released: 12 January 2004<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.universalmusic.pl/katalog.id_4329.filtr_c.backsite_201|title=Koty – Various|trans-title=Cats – Various|language=pl|publisher=Universal Music Polska|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-date=18 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418153228/https://www.universalmusic.pl/katalog.id_4329.filtr_c.backsite_201}}</ref> * Label: Universal Music Polska * Formats: CD | || -|| || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Dutch cast | * Released: December 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.muziekweb.nl/Link/HFX6626/Cats-Hoogtepunten-uit-de-Nederlandse-cast-versie-2006-2007|title=Cats: Hoogtepunten uit de Nederlandse cast versie 2006–2007|language=nl|publisher=Muziekweb|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref> * Label: Universal Music * Formats: CD * Highlights | || – || || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Original Italian cast | * Released: 26 January 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.musical.it/news/in-vendita-il-cd-del-musical-cats-in-italiano|title=In vendita il cd del musical 'Cats' in italiano!|date=25 January 2010|language=it|publisher=Musical.it|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref> * Label: Compagnia della Rancia * Formats: CD * Live recording | || – || || || || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Japanese cast | * Released: 24 April 2019<ref name=shikicd/> * Label: Universal Music Japan<ref name=japancd2019>{{cite web|url=https://www.universal-music.co.jp/gekidanshiki/news/2019-03-26/|title=劇団四季ミュージカル『キャッツ』＜メモリアルエディション＞全曲試聴映像公開! 豪華BOX商品写真公開!|trans-title=Shiki Theatre Company Musical 'Cats' (Memorial Edition) All songs preview video released! Luxurious BOX product photo release!|language=ja|publisher=Universal Music Japan|date=26 March 2019|access-date=26 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=26 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326064512/https://www.universal-music.co.jp/gekidanshiki/news/2019-03-26/}}</ref> * Formats: CD | || – || || || 13 || || || | | |- ! scope="row"| Film cast | * Released: 20 December 2019 * Label: Universal Music * Formats: CD | || – || || || || || || | | |}

===Music video=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:2em;"| Year ! scope="col" style="width:10em;"| Director(s) ! scope="col" style="width:45em;"| Details ! scope="col" style="width:2em;"| {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |- !scope="row"| "The Rum Tum Tugger" | 1985 | Jeff Lee | style="text-align:left;"|Starring original Broadway cast member Terrence Mann as Rum Tum Tugger, the musical number was re-arranged and re-staged for a music video. It was the first music video created to promote a Broadway show. |<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/10/theater/tv-notes-broadway-first-cats-does-rock-video-turn.html|title=TV NOTES; BROADWAY FIRST: 'CATS' DOES ROCK VIDEO TURN|work=The New York Times|date=10 November 1984|first=Peter W.|last=Kaplan|access-date=1 May 2019|archive-date=1 May 2019|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190501071810/https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/10/theater/tv-notes-broadway-first-cats-does-rock-video-turn.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|title=A Broadway First: 'Cats' Vidclip Gets Digital Sound|first=Steve|last=Dupler|magazine=Billboard|pages=32–33|date=8 December 1984|issn=0006-2510|volume=96|issue=50}}</ref> |- |}

==Revisions and cut material== The stage production of ''Cats'' has undergone several revisions since its London opening. When the show transferred to Broadway, several cuts and rewrites were made with the intention of appealing more to an American audience.<ref name=unmasked375>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|p=375}}</ref> Additionally, a song entitled "Cat Morgan Introduces Himself" was cut during initial development. Lloyd Webber performed this song at the show's 6,138th Broadway performance, when it broke the record to become the longest-running Broadway show.<ref name=1997record>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/cats-breaks-broadway-record-com-329193|title=Cats Breaks Broadway Record|work=Playbill|date=20 June 1997|first=Robert|last=Viagas|access-date=22 May 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522075713/http://www.playbill.com/article/cats-breaks-broadway-record-com-329193}}</ref>

==="Growltiger's Last Stand"=== The "Growltiger's Last Stand" sequence has been changed multiple times over the course of the show's history. In the original London production, the "last duet" for Growltiger and Griddlebone was a setting for an unpublished Eliot poem, "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw". For the original Broadway production, the Ballad was replaced with "In Una Tepida Notte", a parody of Italian opera with more slapstick humour.<ref name=playbilltrivia/><ref name=unmasked384385>{{harvnb|Lloyd Webber|2018|pp=384–385}}</ref> This new version was eventually incorporated into all other productions of ''Cats''.<ref name=playbilltrivia>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/cats-trivia-encyclopedia-70737|title=Cats Trivia Encyclopedia|work=Playbill|date=17 June 1997|first=Ellis|last=Nassour|access-date=24 March 2019|url-status=live|archive-date=24 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324151802/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/cats-trivia-encyclopedia-70737}}</ref>

"Growltiger's Last Stand" has been criticised as being racially offensive. The original lyrics, taken directly from the Eliot poem it is based on, included the ethnic slur "Chinks" and this was later replaced with the word "Siamese".<ref name=growltiger>{{cite web|url=http://fortune.com/2016/08/04/cats-broadway-revival/|title='Cats' Is Returning to Broadway Minus One Racist Song|work=Fortune|date=4 August 2016|first=Tom|last=Huddleston Jr.|access-date=3 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403130801/http://fortune.com/2016/08/04/cats-broadway-revival/|archive-date=3 April 2019}}</ref> The number also originally involved the cast putting on "Asian accents" to portray the Siamese cats.<ref name=isherwood2016/> In the 1998 video version, the entire scene featuring Growltiger was cut.<ref>{{cite web|last=Marks|first=Peter|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/01/tv/cover-story-broadway-s-cats-restaged-for-eternity-we-thought-they-were-kidding.html|title=Broadway's 'Cats': Restaged for Eternity (And We Thought They Were Kidding!)|work=The New York Times|date=1 November 1998|access-date=5 April 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20190405061425/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/01/tv/cover-story-broadway-s-cats-restaged-for-eternity-we-thought-they-were-kidding.html|archive-date=5 April 2019}}</ref> By 2016, "Growltiger's Last Stand" had been removed completely from the US and UK productions of the show.<ref name=growltiger/>

===Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer=== In the original London production, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were characters in their own right and sang their eponymous song themselves as a singsong-style duet. When the show transferred to Broadway, the song was instead sung in the third-person, with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer as puppets being magically controlled by Mr. Mistoffelees. Their number was also rewritten to be faster and more upbeat, alternating between vaudeville-style verses and a "manic patter" section. Eventually, the Broadway version of the song was rewritten to allow Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer to once again sing their own song as full characters.<ref name=McLamore416418>{{harvnb|McLamore|2017|pp=416–418}}</ref>

===Rum Tum Tugger=== The 2014 London revival introduced several modernisations to the show. Rum Tum Tugger was reworked from a ladies-man rockstar to a breakdancing street cat. His eponymous musical number was also turned into a rap.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/10951867/Cats-classic-musical-to-feature-a-rapping-cat.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-news/10951867/Cats-classic-musical-to-feature-a-rapping-cat.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Cats: classic musical to feature a rapping cat|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=7 July 2014|first=Anita|last=Singh|access-date=19 March 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://britishtheatre.com/review-cats-new-wimbledon-theatre/|title=REVIEW: Cats, New Wimbledon Theatre|work=BritishTheatre.com|date=11 November 2016|first=Alexa|last=Terry|access-date=15 May 2019}}</ref> The 2015 Australian tour and 2015 Paris production also used the new version of the character; however, the 2016 Broadway revival, and other subsequent productions thereafter, did not.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}

===Choreography=== The 2016 Broadway revival featured new choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, who introduced more hip hop and cool jazz elements to the movements and dances.<ref name=dancemagjellicle/> Blankenbuehler's choreography for the ensemble numbers did not differ too much from the original by Lynne, but significant changes were made in several solo numbers, including "The Rum Tum Tugger" and "Mr. Mistoffelees".<ref name=isherwood2016/>

== References == {{Reflist}}

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==External links== {{Commons category|Cats (musical)}} {{Wikiquote}} * {{Official website|https://www.catsthemusical.com/}} * {{ibdb title|4186|Cats}} * [https://www.songwriter.co.uk/page901.html Interview with Andrew Lloyd Webber] in the International Songwriters Association's ''Songwriter Magazine''

{{s-start}} {{succession box | before = ''A Chorus Line'' | title = Longest-running Broadway show | years = 1997–2006 | after = ''The Phantom of the Opera'' }} {{s-end}}

{{Cats navbox}} {{Andrew Lloyd Webber}} {{T. S. Eliot}} {{Navboxes | title = Awards for ''Cats'' | list = {{OlivierAward Musical 1976–2000}} {{TonyAwardBestMusical 1976-2000}} {{TonyAward MusicalBook 1976-2000}} {{TonyAward MusicalScore 1976-2000}} }} {{Authority control}}

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