Cats

Musical

Writers: Andrew Lloyd Webber Richard Stilgoe T.S. Eliot Trevor Nunn

Overview

Show Information

Based on the Play/Book/Film
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
Category
Musical
Number of Acts
2
Tony Award®
Best Musical 1983
First Produced
1981
Genres
Drama, Comedy, Fairy Tale/Fantasy
Settings
Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
a junkyard, evening
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Large
Dancing
Heavy
Ideal for
College/University, Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, High School, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA)
Casting Notes
Mostly male cast
Includes adult, mature adult, young adult characters

Synopsis

Based on T.S. Eliot’s whimsical collection of poems, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s popular musical brings together a tribe of Jellicle Cats on a moonlit evening, who must make the “Jellicle choice” to decide which of them will ascend to the mysterious Heaviside Layer to be reborn. Featuring such celebrated standards as the haunting “Memory,” Cats was an international phenomenon and its original production is still the fifth-longest-running show on Broadway. A magical, moving, and often hilarious glimpse into the lives of others, Cats takes Eliot’s lyrical poetry and puts it into the mouths of a diverse company of singing, dancing felines.

Lead Characters

Cats guide sections