On 27 July 1985, a ground-breaking musical production had its Australian Premiere at Theatre Royal Sydney, heralding an era of the British “mega-musical” in Australia. Now, 40 years later, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical CATS returns to Theatre Royal Sydney to celebrate its 40th anniversary in June 2025.
Based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, CATS has been captivating audiences around the globe since it opened at the New London Theatre (now known as the Gillian Lynne) in 1981, where it played for 21 record-breaking years and almost 9,000 performances, winning both the Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical.
Since then, CATS has been presented in over 50 countries, translated into 23 languages and has been seen by over 81 million people world-wide. On Broadway, CATS played for 18 years and won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical.
“CATS is a legendary show that I’ve admired for over 40 years. A sparkling fusion of music, dance and verse, it was revolutionary when it first opened and enticed new audiences into the world of musical theatre,” said Producer John Frost for Crossroads Live. “I can’t wait to bring the original production of CATS back to Australia where it all began, at Theatre Royal Sydney, to celebrate its 40th anniversary in Australia.”
The musical tells the story of the Jellicle cat tribe. On just one special night of the year, all Jellicle cats meet at the Jellicle Ball where Old Deuteronomy, their wise and benevolent leader, makes the Jellicle choice and announces which of them will go up to The Heaviside Layer and be reborn into a whole new Jellicle life.
The timeless musical score includes the hit song Memory, which has been recorded by more than 150 artists including Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Nicole Scherzinger, Johnny Mathis, Liberace and Barry Manilow. With “timeless music, spectacular sets and a superb cast” (Daily Mirror), breath-taking choreography and of course the unforgettable Memory, CATS is a magical musical like no other.
CATS will play the Theatre Royal Sydney from June 2025. Waitlist now at www.catsthemusical.com.au to be first in line to buy tickets and let the memory live again.
Image: CATS (International Tour Company, 2022) – photo by Alessandro Pinna