Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Cats' is set to return to New York City in a new production at Off-Broadway's Perelman Performing Arts Center. However, this production is different from the one audiences saw in its 18-year original run, the 2016 revival, or the 2019 film version.
This 'Cats,' which transforms the junkyard into a downtown club, is the vision of co-directors Bill Rauch and Shailon Levingston.
A video of 'Jellicle Cats,' the upbeat, lively opening number from the musical 'Cats,' featuring a group of queer performers catwalking in a practice room before breaking off to dance freely and in vogue, was shared on social media by the Perelman Arts Center at the end of May. One singer wore a cap with winking cat ears on top, while another directed her gaze towards the camera and swaggered her ponytail confidently.
This was the first official look at the brand-new, ballroom-inspired production of 'Cats,' currently playing at PAC NYC, also known as the Perelman Center in Manhattan, through July 28. Since it was announced nearly a year earlier, the show had been a subject of scathing jokes and criticism: "Cats" was ridiculous enough, but ballroom? Hardly a mention of the production went by without a snicker.
The 'Jellicle Cats' video went viral and shocked everyone. Some celebrities commented, including the comedian Ziwe saying, "Ok go off" and the filmmaker Justin Simien simply writing, "AYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."
On TikTok, one person said, "do I......do I suddenly want to see Cats?"
'Cats' has been a bit of a cultural punching bag for more than 40 years. Webber adapted T. S. Eliot's poems, seen as a dance-heavy revue-style production about cats getting together for their yearly Jellicle Ball in a junkyard.
Theater critics have been obsessed with its earworms, and its unitards and leg-warmer outfits are incredibly memorable. In late 2019, Tom Hooper's film adaption was a complete disaster, mockingly dubbed "a dark turning point that ushered in the pandemic."
However, in an era where stage directors are reevaluating and frequently redesigning Webber's musicals, a stark 'Sunset Boulevard' is transitioning from London to Broadway this fall. It is also time for 'Cats' to shake off its pop cultural clichés and make a new comeback.
