CATS tells the story, in song and dance, of the annual gathering of the Jellicle Cats.  It is set amongst a larger-than-life junkyard playground, and is alive with purr-fect felines including Rum Tum Tugger, Mr. Mistoffelees, Macavity, Jennyanydots, Old Deuteronomy, Skimbleshanks and Grizabella.

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The Jellicle Cats come out to play on one special night of the year - the night of the Jellicle Ball. One by one they tell their stories for the amusement of Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, who must choose one special cat to ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.

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Based on the universally popular poetry of T. S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, CATS has become a true musical theatre phenomenon. CATS opened at London's New London Theatre on May 11, 1981 and ran for a record-setting 21 years. CATS' London success was nearly matched on Broadway where it ran at the Wintergarden Theatre for just over 18 years.

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Originally directed by Trevor Nunn and featuring musical staging by Gillian Lynne, the all-singing, all-dancing Tony-winning musical spectacular has been translated into 16 languages. With universal appeal and an expandable cast of different age groups, the show has not only been presented in theatres, but also in tents in Japan and Korea, an engine shed in Switzerland and school gymnasiums across the U.S.A.

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The CATS Abridged Edition has been created for junior groups with a performing age of 18 and under. It is performed to a backing track, not an orchestra. The CATS Abridged Edition backing track is approximately 75 minutes in length and has been developed with younger Jellicles in mind.