Cats: Jellicle Ball The final show is scheduled to open on August 8 after about five months on Broadway.
The musical opened at the Broadhurst Theater on April 7, after an Off-Broadway run in 2024. While the revival was also critically acclaimed on Broadway and attendance was relatively high, its weekly box office tally of $1 million or so could not compete with the high running costs of a major musical.
The musical also received Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Musical, Choreography and Costume Design, but did not win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, which went to Ragtime music (A limited run, which saw a box office spike both before and after the Tony win.) This is the first show nominated to announce an early wrap after this year’s Tony Awards on June 7.
The revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical reimagines the classic 1980s in the style of a Harlem ballroom scene, with each cat now a human competitor walking the runway and competing in categories like fashion and beauty. The cast and creative team consist of members from the auditorium theater and Broadway.
The musical has been capitalized at up to $18 million, according to securities filings, and no recovery has been announced. Michael Harrison and Mike Posner are the lead producers of the show, which also features popular co-producers including Cynthia Erivo, Lou Roach, and Lena Waithe. Throughout its run, the show has also had celebrity guest judges, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lloyd Webber, Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, Bowen Yang, and more.
“Three years ago, Zilon Livingston and Bill Rauch began the remarkable process of reimagining Cats For a new generation. They have assembled a visionary creative team who have combined their passions for ballroom and theater to create something new and exciting. With a truly extraordinary cast bringing this vision to life, New York has once again discovered the phenomenon that has become the story of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Cats: Jellicle Ball. The joy that radiates from the stage every night is unlike anything we have ever experienced in our careers. “It has been a true honor to help bring ballroom to Broadway,” Harrison and Posner said in a statement.
The production will be filmed by the Theater Film and Tape Archive at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts later this month and added to its collection.
Zilon Livingston and Bill Rauch direct the musical, which features choreography by Omari Wells and Arturo Lyons. The 30-person cast includes a mix of stars from Broadway and the ballroom scene, including Andre De Shields as Old Deuteronomy, Junior LaBeija as Gus, “Tempress” Chasity Moore as Grizabella, Sydney Harcourt as Rum Tum Tugger, Emma Sofia as Shambleshanks, and Robert “Silk” Mason as the magical Mr. Mistoffles.
