Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS return to Broadway

For the first time ever since its Broadway premiere production closed on 10 September 2000, Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1981 musical CATS, based on the 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats' by T. S. Eliot, will indeed return to the Great White Way. Previews begin at the Neil Simon Theatre on 14 July 2016, before an official opening on 2 August.

Co-producers The Shubert Organization and The Nederlander Organization released the following joint statement:

"In 1982, the arrival of CATS took Broadway by storm. The show went on to dazzle audiences at the Winter Garden for the next 18 years, becoming one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history. We are delighted to join together to bring Andrew Lloyd Webber's phenomenal musical back to Broadway."

Synopsis: "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 creative team behind the Broadway revival features direction by Trevor Nunn, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler (based on original choreography by Gillian Lynne), scenic & costume design by John Napier, lighting design by Natasha Katz and sound design by Mick Potter.

Casting for the Broadway revival will be announced at a later date, however Lord Webber has publicly stated that he 'greatly hopes' that Olivier Award nominee Nicole Scherzinger will return to the role of Grizabella, which she performed in the recent West End revival at the London Palladium and which earned her an Olivier nomination for "Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical" in 2015.

CATS originally opened in the West End in 1981, picking up the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and ran for 21 years. Its Broadway incarnation opened in 1982 and stayed put for 18 years, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

CATS is produced on Broadway by The Shubert Organization and The Nederlander Organization and licensed by The Really Useful Group.

- by Tom Millward